Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-23
Peeibic4 S,t
Pe~~AteSo~io.
BY the Ex-Committeeman

By the Ex-CommItteeman H
Prothonotary Evan ]. Williams, of
Luzerne county. is reported to have
declined to accept the returns of
the votes of Luzerne county soldiers
and sailors and the matter is now
up to the courts to determine. This
is the first time such action has
ever been taken and will raise a
question which will likely affect
every county where there is a close
contest and probably bring about
the revision of the act regulating
soldier voting which was expected
last year, but which never came.
A Wilkes-Barre dispatch says:
"Prothonotary Evan ]. Williams
yesterday refused to certify the vote
cast by soldiers at the various mill
tary camps, and if his decision is
upheld, E. n. Carpenter, Republican,
will be elected to Congress over John
j. Casey, Democrat, by a majority
of eighteen votes from the LuZerne
district. The decision of Williams
came as surprise to attorneys rep
resenting Casey. Williams, in re-
fusing to certify the returns, holds
there was no legal election under
the act of 1864 and that he could not
make any return of votes under that
act. The action of Williams throws
the burden of determining whether
the returns should be accepted upon
the judges of the county"
The official count - began in
every county yesterday and as a
rule soldiers votes made very little
difference.
Adams county was the first
in Pennsylvania to file its
official return of the election of No
vember 5 in the office of the Secre-
tary of the Commonwealth. 1t was
followed very closely by Montour,
Center and Huntington, all of
which have been among the early
filing list in years gone by.
The time for fling expense ac-
counts will close on December 5.
About half of the statewide candi-
dates have filed their statements.
Cora NJ. Bixler, of Lancaster, Social
lst candidate for Congress-at-Large,
iled a statement showing less thar
$50 expended.
According to Philadelphia news
papers, stock of Representative Rob-
ert S. Spangler, of York, a dry" is
rising for speaker. There are many
Republican leaders who are strong
for George w. Williams. of Tioga
.
isalso being doomed. The
Philadelphia Record booms Spangler
while the Evening Bulletin plays up
Dithrich.
-Justice-elect John w. Kephart
has decided to be sworn in as mem
ber of the Supreme Court of Penn
sylvania on January /. 1t was said
last week that Judge Kephart would
not begin his duties in the Supreme
Court until after the Inauguration of
Governor Sproul, thereby giving the
new governor the opportunity to fill
the vacancy in the Superior Court.
Legal authorities were consulted and
1t has finally been decided that the
new justice will be sworn in at the
first of the year. It was hinted yes
terday in Philadelphia that despite
the fact that there will be a vacancy
IN the Superior Court during the last
three weeks of Governor Brum-
.erm, it would not be filled by the
present governor.
The Philadelphia Press says:
Senator Penrose will arrive in Phlla-
delphia to-day and when he gets here
the most important thing his lieuten-
ants will have to report to him will
be that an agreement has been reach
ed among the contend:ng elements in
the Penrose organization on the
speakership of the next House at
and they recommend
Robert S. Spangler, OF York, for the
office.
Unless this arrangement is upset
by objections which may be introduced
when Senator PcnrOse takes up the
question for inGl settlement, there is
every reason to believe that Spangler's.l
name will be presented to the Repub-
lican caucus as the candidate of the
Penrose wing os the party"
Governor Elect SprouI will be
back in Philadelphia early next week
and it is expected that lac will meet
leaders to discuss their
requests for appointments.
Representative Thomas f. Nc
Nichol is now said to have the inside !
track for the municipal court vacancy
la Philadelphia. He will be eligible !
to appointment after December 2.
The Philadelphia Public Ledger |
has editorially declared against Gov |
ernor Brumbaugh be!ng chosen as
historian of tn war. The Bulletin |
points out that a Commission created |
by the State Council of National De-
fence is already at work.
Fred A. Bell, Altoona legislator !
elect. spent less than $3.50.
Late official ret Irns clinch cleo |
ton of Fred Norton, Republican leg |
lslator from Reading.
The f1attering majority receiv- |
ed by Senator Edward e. Beidle- |
man for lieutenant-governo espe- |
cially in his home county, has at |
.racted to him considerable atten- |
lion and his legislative course is |
being much discussed among men in |
Pennsylvania politics. 1t is not gem |
orally known that the first recog- |
nition of the talents of the new lieu |
came from the !
man whom he will succeed in that |
office in January. 1t was when |
Frank b. McClain was elected !
speaker of the House of Represen-
-atives in the first month of 1907 |
that he surprised some of the veter-
ans of politics in Pennsylvania by |
saying that he intended to put a |
Conner" to the front. McClain and |
Beidleman were colleagues in the |
session of 1906 and in the special !