Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-29
SUPERIOR COURT
! CONTEST LOOMS
Fight For Two Places Over
shadows State Guberna-
torial Race

Interest in the contest over the
election of two members of the SUI
ureme Court threatens to overshaooM
the gubernatorial fight. which 50 Idf
has been marked by apathy.
There are four leading canoioa1,,ess
xor the two places which win be nlled
by the voters at the election Iueso9S'
The vote for the Supreme Court jus
tices is cast on the nonpartiksanh k ha IIat
LOT which is separate from the oal5ot
on which the names OF party Sahoi-
dates for Offices appear =, .ha
BECAUSE of an old clause in the
state Constitution. when two JusttsS 49,
are TO be elected at the same election
sacb voter is entitled to vote LOT
only one candidate. Prior 70 tn
massage of the nonpartisan law the
justices were elected on the parry "a
lot and the clause was insefteo 70 ~ :
sure a minority representation on ths
Under the nonpartisan law. now.
ever II is possible for the dominSnt
party to defeat the purposes OF s tnts
constitutional clause. Shouid tne W. ~
leading Republican candidates TOT the
two places poll the highest vote they
would be elected and the Democrats
would be deprived of the represSnhta
tion the Constitution would give 'heiAi'
The Candidates
The four leading candidates for Ine
two Supreme Court places are su
perior Court Judge John w; kephsr., :,
Charles b. Lenahan, Wnkes-pa1
lawyer; and Alexander simpson sI'
of Philadelphia, and Edward l. IL, 10
of Easton, two present justices Wno
were appointed by Governor Brunl.
baugh to fill vacancies caused OS
fudge Kephart IS believed by those
familiar with political cohaluons ~
have the best chance OF the four. y
Is expected that he will receive Ine
support of the active Repuotieah VE-
ganization workers over the Sse1sn
Justice Simpson, the other yep me
lean viii l,:ftD9 Tss9iDS the in PRiiaGelphia PHI
With the heavy Republican vote II
philadelphia TO start Win 1IstISo
Simpson will have q stfohs az NJ
tage over the two Democrats ~
Lenahan and Justice FOX -. ro-rnal
Should anything like the hoi - =
Republican vote be polled there -
strong possibility that ooth Suuse ii.'
Kephart and Justice simpson viii VIZ, VIZ
Justice Fox has the backing 2h sao
Palmer-McCormick faction and LsnS
han is supported by the faction whlSih
is lined up behind Judge Bonni"eA4'
the gubernatorial nominee. -
Judge Kephart, who is counted on
to receive the big upstate Sepug;t
can vote, was elected to the Superior
Court in 1918 without the backing OF
any political faction.
Running Independently, he con-
Quoted one of the most aggressive
publicity campaigns in the history OF
Pennsylvania politics and won over oI
the slated organization candidate. his
vote. exclusive of Philadelphia, IN
in that contest totaled more than 2lo'-
600.
He is 46 years old. and at the time
of his election was the youngest man
ever elected to the Superior Court
bench. Judge Kephart was an orphan
and was educated in the Soldiers Or
phans' School, at McAlisterville. He
earned enough money as telegraph
operator on the Pennsylvania Railroad
TO pay his way through Dickinson
Law School and practiced for nine
teen years prior to his election.
He is a brother of State Treasurer
Harmon NJ. Kephart,