Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-15
Pseit;ca IT,
Psnne4esa~;a
By tho Ex. Committeeman

| 0iStrlcI, as compiled by the
return Judges at Lewistown, affords
an interesting commentary on the
way the voters of the eight counties
OF the district regarded the war by
democratic National Chairman
vance c. Mccormick. his newspapers
and his partisans and the horde Of
tederal officeholders against Con-
gressman Ben Focht. In 1916 Con-
gresham Focht in a campaign mark
ed oy straight fighting on both sides
won over George A. Harris, the Full
ton county cog of the Democratic
machine, by 1856. In 1918 Congress
man Focht was assailed by McCor-
mick with all the poison gas that
could be assembled and opposed by
senator Scott S. Leiby, the personal
hand picked candidate of McCor-
mick' to show the president that il
the national chairman could not
muster up candidate for congress
IN his home" district he could elect
one in the district across the Sus-
quehanna. The result was that Focht
won by 5,414. This, too, in face of
the fact that Leiby in addition to
was also the candidate of the Pro
hipitiontsts. In spite of the stren-
uous EFFORTS of Mccormick and his
crew Focht carried every county ex-
cept Fulton and only lost that by
twenty votes. Focht's total vote was
16,7 and Leiby's 11,348.
Another interesting fact in con-
nection with McCormick's fight
against Focht is that everyone of
the eight counties in the Seventeenth
elected a Republican legislator.
even Fulton choosing an out and out
Republican for the first time in
years and the Democratic seat in
Juniata being lost. In the whole
Seventeenth district the only sur
viving Democratic legislator is Leiby,
who was elected by an accident in
1916.
The Pittsburgh Gazette-Times is
very complimentary to Harry s. Nc
Dewitt, the new private secretary, in
an article on the man who will be in
charge of the Governors office. The
big Pittsburgh newspaper says:
Harry S. McDevitt, of Philadelphia,
who will officially assume his duties
January 81 as secretary to Gov. Will
liam G. Sproul, has gone through
course oftraining in the last IA years
which gives him unusual qualifica-
tions for the position. AS a news
paper reporter, state economy effi-.
cheney expert and lawyer, coupled
with n wide acquaintance through
out the state and topped off with the
fact that he is possessed of a quiet
courtesy which does not slop over,
Tr MannHTitf WI M nf inUa h1n
service to the incoming executive"
The progress of the strike of
Scranton municipal employees of
certain departments has been
watched with interest all over the
state and it is possible that such oc-
currences may find reflection in bills
for compulsory municipal wage arbi-
tration in the legislature. The ex-
perience of Pittsburgh is remem-
bered by quite few people.
The visit of Prof. Frederick
Rasmussen, the new secretary of
agriculture, is being watched with
interest by the Grangers and many
persons connected with farming and
politics. The new secretary, while
Republican, is said to regard the
placing of the department upon an
efficient basis as of infinitely more
Importance to the people of Penn
sylvania than anything else. The
changes that will be made in the
personnel of the department will be
made gradually, some of them prob
ably not for months as the new sec
retary will work out his plans and
not interfere with the operation OF
the department for the sake of cut
ting down some tall weeds"
considerable comment has been
evoked by the interest being shown
bv Reading city officials in proposed
third class city legislation. Reading
had e6,O71 population in 1910 and
II is generally believed that the next
census will show it well over lOO.-
600 md therefore in Grass WIN
Scranton and Pittsburgh, Ere'
Wilkes-Barre, Johnstown and HaIr
burg the third class cities which
have shown the largest growth, and
Rethlehem, the. newest and most
energetic of the new cities, have not
hnen heard from regarding thelr
legislative plans.
Says the Philadelphia North
America of to-day:
"Tbat Governor Brumbaugh has
n little surprise in store for those
who are expecting to see MIN ured
from the S1O,000-a-year post as MS
torian recently handed out TO MIN py
the war board, composed or the Gov
ernor. Lieutenant Governor McClain,
Adiutant General Beary. state Treas
urer Kephart and Auditor General
SNYDER. is the statement made py
some of the Governors friends.
according to rumors from harris
hurg. the Governor was made war
historian with the understanding that
he would not appoint any judges dur
ing the remaining days of his term.
soon after the announcement was
made concerning the war boards ac-
tion. the Governor appointed former
Assem- blyman Snyder judge of West
moreland county, a little later nam
ing First Deputy Attorney General
Keller as judge of the Superior
Court. to succeed Judge John w.
Kephart, elected judge of the SUI
preme Court.
"Sone of the Governors friends
intimate that there are two reasons
why he will not be fired. The first
Is that he never has accepted the
post and never intends to; that the
place was rendered to him without
solicitation. The second reason is
alleged to be the fact that Governor
Brumbaugh has made plans that
would make 1t impossible for him to
be the war boards historian, even
il he wanted the job. 1t is understood
that the Governor intends entering
the national service in connection
with a work similar to that which
took him to Porto Rico at the close
of the Spanish-American war.