Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-23
Peeitsee L.
Pe.'seqeSasia
ny sa,s Ex-Committeeman

| netlL WuOEl Iuey ueCllneu 10 TAKE. Sc
riously is attracting considerably
more attention in Pennsylvania just
now than the mounting majority OF
Senator William c. Sproul in the
Republican party for Governor
There are many who believe that the
protest of the great majority of the
Republican voters of Pennsylvania
against factionalism, the course of
the state administration in backing
]. Denny O'Neil for Governor ard
| threats to run independently, will
reach the amazing figure of quar-
ter million. The Republican contests
are now a matter OF figures with the
honors with Sproul, Penrose and
| other men who were made targets
by Mr.. O'Neil and his hackers.
| Commissioner O'Neil, who intends
to spend the remainder of the week
at his home in Allegheny county
/ and on some road tours, will prob
! ably make some statement to-day. II
is believed that he will accept the
decision of the voters as final and
give his attention to the election OF
dry" legislators. Friends of O'Neil
| were to-day declaring that he was
| too good a sport to buck the verdict
of the Republicans and that they
would be greatly disappointed If he
went into any combination with
| Democrats or others to defeat Sproul,
These men said that Sproul stands
and woman suffrage. while Judge
| Bonniwell is as firmly opposed to
them. Hence any third nomination
movement, argue these men, would
| be simply dividing dry forces.
The position of National Chair
man Vance c. Mccormick, National
Committeeman A. Mitchell Palmer,
Assistant Postmaster General James
1. Blakslee and other men who are
high up in the clique that runs the
Democratic party in Pennsylvania to
suit themselves is the most unen-
viable that can be imagined. The
man who was their chief critic for
four years is the leader of the party
in Pennsylvania at a primary in
which he won in spite of their whole
organization backed by the Presi-
dent of the United States and a
horde of federal officeholders. They
have either got to accept Judge Bon
niwell. not only personally obnoxious
to them, but standing for everything
in Democratic family affairs and on
the liquor question for exactly the
opposite of what they shout upon
all occasions. The general opinion
much dictation and too little think
ing on the part of the leaders.
This is the way the Philadel-
phia North American sizes up the
situation in the Democratic party:
The Palmer-McCormick group, par
ticularly the Palmer end of it, is
credited with having showed aside
United States Attorney f. Lowry
Humes. a dry of personal political
strength, naturally available for the
Governorship, in order to create the
artificial candidacy of Guffey, a man
of no wide acquaintance. who had to
be led around and introduced to the
Democrats at large. Guffey pro-
claimed himself a dry. but he was
without pulling power. The Palmer
McCormicks couldn't boost him
enough to make him a success. and
Bonniwell, better known and with
solid liquor and old guard backing,
got the larger count at the polls.
There seems little for Palmer. Nc
Cormick and their associates who
represent the Wilson administration
in the state to do but go along for
Bonniwell. AS the nominee, Bonni-
we'll is the pacemaker for the DEM
ocratic campaign, just as Sproul,
pledged for prohibition. is the man
TO set the pace on the Republican
side.
Senator Sprouts declaration to
! end factionalism seems to meet
with much newspaper approval, the
Philadelphia Bulletin especially
commenting his Etand. The Phil
adelphia Press devotes a few shots
to Governor Brumbaugh whom it
says can now decide whether to
| Dig himself il. or dig himself out"
! The Philadelphia Record remarks
that o'Neil did not even do as we'll
as expected in the boroughs and
townships of Allegheny. while the
Inquirer says that the election
means the beginning of the end OF
/ the Ware control in Philadelphia.
! The general opinion in Phila-
| delphia newspapers is that Penrose
has downed the Wares who made an
issue of John r. K. Scott in a way
that can not be misunderstood and
won, in the language of the Philadel-
phia Press. most decisively' over
the state administration and that il
| the wet forces are to be downed
| in November 1t will mean united
work and getting every man to the
polls.
| The carrying of Allegheny coun-
/ ty for Sproul by over 1900 is a VIC
| tory for ex-senator Oliver and his
| friends. They not only had to. down
| O'Neil. but the forces of William A.
Magee and his friends backed by the
state administration. In Scranton
Mayor Connell goes down and in
Luzerne Berks and other counties
where the state administration has
devoted so much time to building
up an organization the Penrose peo-
pie won.
Another thing that stands out is
the reputation by people in Phil
| adelphia of the trick to have a
chauffeur run to camoufage DR..
George Woodward. which has been
tried in other instances which need
not be mentioned now. The recent
hearings in the Dauphin county
court are fresh in the public mind.
Charles Johnson, former state
insurance commissioner. is the un-
disputed leader of Montgomery coun-
ty. He went into the fight on that
issue which was raised by Insur-
ance Commissioner Charles A. Am
bier and the state administration and
he beat. them all along the line. Am
bier was defeated by James s. Boyd
for the senatorial nomination and
Johnson elected every man he back
ed. Amber did not even get the
vote conceded to him, says the
| Press.
The Philadelphia Inquirer says
to-day regarding an incident of pri.
mary day: THE man who gave
Vance Mccormick Republican bal.
lot to vote in the primaries at Har,
risburg evidently knew better what