Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-16
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BY the Ex- Committeeman

| Third class cities of Pennsylvania
! are undergoing political revival as
a result of the repeal of the non
partisan feature of the 1913 code
| which seems to be doing them lot
! of good because in many places well
| qualified men who had not been
| thinking much about office, because
| of the peculiar conditions brought
about by the nonpartisan affair are
being urged to be candidates. The
| newspapers are again filled with in
| teresting stories of political doings
| and except in a few instances they
are not lamenting the approval OF
the repeater.
! The third class city activity has
! become so marked that it has made
| the Philadelphia situation seem like
a side show although the new regis
| tration commission has taken office,
elected E. Lawrence Fell temporary
chairman and automatically termi-
| mated the jobs of score or more
| of persons. And neither are Pitts
burgh or Scranton attracting their
usual attention. Pittsburgh is just
| through a big bond issue election
and Scranton is discussing a council
manic contest with strenuous
| judgeship hattle on the side.
| The time for circulating petit
| tions for judicial, county and NUM-
cipal nominations is now on in the
] State and every county has lively
1 times in prospect while the fact that
all but two or three of the thirty
| four third class cities will elect
| mayors on party tickets after some
! years of nonpartsan wandering adds
an interest to the affairs of the
smaller municipalities that has been
| lacking for some time.
Numerous judicial candidates
are sending around their papers and
in about three weeks a series of
contests that will have much bear
ing upon the fate of nonpartisan
elections in the next legislative ses-
sion will be started.
Friends of Attorney General A. |
Mitchell Palmer are commencing to |
voice considerable indignation at the |
proposition of Congressman ].
Hampton Moore to probe the activi-
ties of the office of the alien prop |
erty custodian during the war. Mr.. |
Palmer was custodian and it is
claimed by some of his partisans |
that 1t is part of a plan to injure |
him at home. Mr.. Palmer's boom |
for the corralling of the Pennsyl- |
vania Democratic delegates is not !
coming along any too well, either. |
The Lancaster Examiner is call |
ing upon it's people to get busy on
political discussion in the Lancaster |
county seat being of the opinion |
that much talk is a good thing. 1t |
says: 1T is very proper to take an |
interest in the mayoralty campaign, |
to pick out candidates and to see |
how closely they parallel the selec-
tions of others. But we must not |
let our interest drop or lag with |
the candidate for mayor. We owe |
1T to ourselves to go over the council |
candidates and weed out all incom-
petents and place strong men in !
their places"
e lover in, Reading the Herald is |
also discussing the mayoralty, but |
pointing out the importance of get
ting good nominees by reviewing |
some of the mayors it has known.
1t calls Mayor F'ilbert a trough |
neck" and urges more attention to |
elections of mayors in years to come.
Many Reading people are anxious
for Ex Mayor Ira W. Stratton, one |
of the prominent men in third class
city affairs. to run again. Mr.. STRAIT
ton has declined to say anything |
but 1t is intimated that he may do
so. He has called attention of his |
fellow citizens that next year Read
ing will be second class city and !
will have new problems. Mayor Fill
bert, says the Reading Eagle, de-
clares it mistake to go back to
the old system, but that as long as
the Governor did it he is satisfied.
The Wilkes Barre Record SAYS:
Operation of the Wilson Act, re-
pealing the nonpartsan feature of |
third class city elections will have
little or no bearing on the mayoralty ,
race in Wilkes Barre The two can
didates who have so far announced |
themselves, Charles N. Loveland and |
Daniel l.. Hart, have informed the |
Record that they will file on tickets |
other than those of the parties to |
which they have been affiliated"
II his Is the JOnnSLOWn IrlDune'S |
view of the Wilson bill: THE Tri-
bune regrets that legislative action
and the Governors approval repeals
the nonpartisan election law for
third class cities. While it cannot |
be truly claimed that the law has
developed any vast Improvement in
the quality of municipal officials, |
we believe that with time that re-
suit would have been accomplished"
The Easton Free Press says ap-
proval of the Wilson bill means |
much for party leaders. In Easton
says this newspaper. the RESPONSE
bility is on the Republican party, !
and if the party is to merit the |
confidence the people in it, it must |
rise to the occasion. 1t would be
well therefore for Republicans to
form Central City Committee,
which shall look into the matter of
inducing good men to come out for !
the offices, so that the best avail |
able timber may be had and men
nominated, who if elected, will be
competent to manage the city's af-
fairs efficiently"
Here is an editorial opinion
from the Williamsport Gazette and
Bulletin: The people of the cities
of the third class were divided in 7
their opinion as to the merits of the
law, but those who recognized the
unsatisfactory working out of the
nonpartisan feature of the law had
by far the hest of the arpupoent apd