Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-06
Peeitic4 i~
Pes.~oqGSo~ia
BY the Ex-Committeeman

this city and printed in many parts
of the state to the effect that at
taches of the state government COM
ing under the Governor were being
''coerced" into getting signatures to
petitions for Highway Commissioner
j. Denny O'Neil for the Republican
nomination for governor were de-
nounced by Mr.. O'Neil last night as
untrue as far as he is concerned.
The commissioner issued statement
in which he said that he appre-
ciated what was being done for him
by attaches of the state government.
but that he wanted it understood
that it was to be done voluntarily
and out of office hours.
The O'Neil statement was much
commented upon at the Capitol to-
day and held to show what the COM
missioner thought about the meth
DDS which have been adopted to-
get him support. On Monday when
the protest against the way the
| O'Neil petition campaign was being
| handled arose the commissioners
headquarters declared that the Capt.
| tol end of it was being handled
Independently of the headquarters.
Mr.. O'Neils statement was as fol-
lows: while 1 appreciate very
much the support l am receiving
from state employees, the report that
they will be coerced or discharged
if they refuse to circulate my petit
tionS is not true. Any employe who
circulates petitions must act volun-
tarily and of his own free will. Po-
litical work of this kind should be
done outside of office hours. En-
| ployes of the Highway Department
are compelled to devote all working
hours to state business and would
not expect other departments to OBJ
serve any other rule. 1 have always
| opposed the old Penrose gang tao
| tics of coercion and intimidation and
l will not be a party to or permit any
| one to adopt their methods in my
behalf"
AS a matter of fact if the old
time methods had been used in cir
culating the petitions no one would
have said a word, but the men in
charge of the O'Neil propaganda at
the Capitol played into their oppo-
nents' hands by the mystery with
which they surrounded everything
and by the general denials issued.
Now the O'Neil petitions are being
freely signed. even when in hands of
men known to be favorably inclined
to Sproul, while the Delaware county
mans petitions are being passed
around on Capitol Hill by people
from departments not under the
Governor. 1t has all been a tempest
in a teapot caused by the pussy
footers."
Senator Edwin H. Ware has
taken the drastic step of issuing a
warrant for John NJ. Nobre, the en-
gineer who made the charges against
the Senator's Government avenue
contract. The Public Ledger says
that the warrant is for criminal
libel and that Nobre was waiting to1
be arrested" The Inquirer says there
have been 'rumblings" of a grand
jury investigation and the Press says
Councilman Fl. ]. Trainer. who is
blamed by the Wares for stirring up
the matter. declared he hoped
there would be other developments.
All indications are that there will be
strenuous municipal politics to di-
vert the rest of the state.
The Philadelphia Record says
that Secretary of Internal Affairs
Houck is expected to receive the sup
port of the Brumbaugh-Vare forces
for denomination.
Senator E. W. Patton is a can
didate for denomination in the West
Philadelphia district, say Philadel-
phians
Five state Representative from
Philadelphia have resigned their
seats in the lower branch of the
Legislature to accept city berths.
The members who resigned and the
jobs to which they were appointed.
are as follows: John Mehring, First
district, deputy coroner; John Z.
Arthur, chief of the bureau of
city property; William H. Rogers,
clerk in court of quarter sessions;
James A. Dunn, Sixteenth, clerk in
the office of the receiver of taxes,
and Jefferson W. Smith, Eighth,
head of the Germantown branch tax
office. Daniel j. Neary, of the Sixth
district, which comprises the Sew
enth ward, has been given place in
I the department of wharves, docks
and ferries, bu, has not yet resigned.
| The Altoona Tribune comes out
very strongly for the denomination of
! Senator Plymouth w. Snyder, of
| Blair county. 1t is not expected that
! he will have much opposition in
| Huntingdon county, either.
Daniel J. Connell has been seat
ed as a city commissioner in Pitts
! ton. the contest against him having
| been ended.
District Attorney Rowand has
! stirred up the constables in AL
! legheny county by telling them it is
| their duty to suppress vice and not
| talk so much about what they are
doing. The Gazette-Times says that
he said that the blind mems parade
should end
The Pittsburgh Dispatch says
/ Mayor Babcock's return from the
! South will be followed by announce
ment of appointments.
John T. Gephart, formerly with
the State Highway Department. now
county road engineer of Fayette
! county, is engaged in a court suit
with the controller of that county
who refused to pay him for the win
ter months, because 1t was impossi-
i BILE to do anything on the roads.
Thomas L. Hicks and Col. Geo.
E. Mapes. two of the biggest inde-
pendent wheelhorses in Philadel-
! phia and active in the Washington
\ party organization, have joined
hands with Thomas Robins and
others in behalf of the Sproul can
didaCy
4 Congressman Bruce F. Sterling s
intimation, at Philadelphia, that
Congressman Guy +. Campbell was
stretching it a bit when he said the
1 PENNSYLVANIA Democratic congress-
| men were all for Guffey, seems to be
|, ringing around the state.
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