Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-05
Peeitic4 in
Pe~~o4eea~ia
BY the Ex-Committccman

Judging from the manner in
which the candidacy of Acting State
Chairman Joseph f. Guffey, for the
Democratic gubernatorial nomina-
ton is being swated by many men
active in the machine element of
the Pennsylvania Democracy and
fiayed by men who do not partici-
pate in the conferences of the boss
es, it would seem that the use of
the Pittsburgh public utility man
ager as camoufiage had been de-
tected or that a goodly number of
Democrats want National Chair
man Vance c. Mccormick to come
out in the open and either announce
or renounce candidacy.
Guffey's candidacy has not satis-
fed the prohibition element of the
Democracy, some of whose men
would like to run EX-State Trea-
surer William H. Berry, and it has
irritated the Old Guard faction
which remembers how Guffey acted
toward his uncle, Col. James Madi-
son Guffey. and the rest of the old
leaders, while the machinists feel
that there should be a man with
greater command of ready cash.
The next move will probably be a
concentration of fire on Washing
ton, so that the word will have to
come from the White House, as it
did four years ago, for Mccormick
to take up the burden and be can
didate. Meanwhile great reluctance
will be registered.
Death of Senator William G.
Sprouts father prevented announce
ment of his candidacy this week.
The Senator's friends are getting
ready the headquarters for the boom
in Philadelphia, and it is expected
that William I. Schaffer, the noted
Delaware county lawyer. will be in
charge. The plans for the Sproul
will take the Senator into
many counties.
ALI of to-day's Philadelphia
newspapers give considerable space
to the charges of John M. Nobre,
formerly a Philadelphia city en-
gineering official, that Senator Ware
was paid $4,000 on his claim for
certain work and that the evidence
calls the statement "a bombshell'
and the Inquirer charges that rec
ords were "falsified" and conceal
ed" The Press says it was "a shock"
for Ware. All of the newspapers give
space to the Senator'S S
denunciation of Nobre. He calls the
engineer crooked and asserts that
the whole business was framed up
in a political plot. Attorney General
Brown, declared to have known of
the matter, declared bluntly to the
that the whole thing
was "a lie." The North American to-
day assails Senator Ware for failing
to keep South Philadelphia streets
clean.
Much comment has been caused
in state newspapers by the an
that Max Leslie and
other Republican leaders in Allie
gheny county, will fight any effort to
have the Republican party declare
for the prohibition amendment. EX-
Mayor William A. Magee and Leslie
are reported to have buried the hat
chet.
The Philadelphia Ledger to-day
gives much space to the Capitol Hill
move to get signatures for O'Neil
petitions and says that the alterna-
tive for not getting signatures is loss
of jobs.
Smith, an Easton lawyer, will be the
Palmer choice against Congressman
H. j. Steele for the congressional
in the 26th district
Philadelphia judges in license
court this week have not established
any RUE lOr early ClOSlhSJ WHICH ~
was limited would be done. In coal
region counties the usual procedure
seems to be followed in Licenses.
Chester county is having its annual
struggle with the question and so is
Perry.
The Altoona Times says 'it is
not likely" that Congressman John
NJ. Rose will be opposed for renom-
ination. 1t says O'Neil petitions are
being circulated in Blair county.
The Media and Cardington Re-
publican clubs, two of the largest in
Delaware county, last night endorsed
Senator William c. Sproul for Gov
ernor.
-Schuylkill county is to the front
in to-day's newspapers. The Lost
Creek election board judge is being
tried and the Mayor of Pottsville has
refused to accept an increase in pay.
Representative Wade II. Mer-
vine, will ru nagain. He will have
"dry" opposition.
-Lehigh county's two most in
teresting members-Represe
G. j. A. Miller and A. e. Rim, will
be candidates again. Ira 7. Erd-
man, who represented the Allentown
city district, will buck Senator Hor-
ace w. Schantz for the Senate.
was lnG
ever elected to the House from Le-
high and his friends say he will do
it again.
In discussing the situation in re-
gard to the candidacy of Acting
State Chairman Guffey, the Phila-
delphia Record, the really big Dem
ocratic newspaper, says:
There is little doubt that before
they conferred with other Demo-
Gratis here last week both National
Chairman Mccormick and National
Committeeman Palmer felt that Mr..
Guffey could be used to some advan-
tage as the candidate for Governor.
Democrats generally, however, gain
ed the impression that the Pitts
burgh leader was under favorable
consideration largely upon the the
ory that he had the money necessary
to finance a campaign. and that he
might be induced to become a can
didate and take a gamblers chance
of securing the worth of his invest
ment in a campaign only on the pos
sibility of a split in the Republican
ranks large enough to insure the
election of any man on the Demo-
cratic ticket who could command a
fair percentage of the Pennsylvania
Democratic vote"