Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-03
WHAT is WELL BEGUN
is ONLY HALF DONE
The Work Started at the Primaries IN
September Must Be Finished
Tomorrow

WHETHER the Republicans who
| w voted at the primaries for the nom
! nation of men who would give the new
| charter fair test and enforce its pro-
! visions in accordance with their purpose
have any staying power will be demon
I strated tomorrow.
The election of Congressman Moore to
the mayoralty is in no doubt. He is the
/ regular Republican nominee. He won
| the nomination after fair fight in the
open primaries. and he was selected by
majority Of the Republican voters. The
, officials of the regular Republican or
! ganization who in the primaries did what
! they could to nominate another man have
! accepted his candidacy. No other course
was open to them unless they wanted to
! be branded as irregular.
The fight was carried on within the
| party, and the voters decided that they
! wanted different leadership. 1t is of
| the essence of regularity to accept the
/ verdict and follow the procession.
The men who did not want Mr.. Moore
to be Mayor are practical politicians
| They know that they will get more out
| of him by doing everything possible to
| make his majority unprecedented than by
! suking in their tents and forfcitng the
/ right to consideration by him when he
/ hands out tho plumS.
And Mr. Moore is a practical politician.
/ He has let it hc known that those who
/ work for him will receive proper con-
sidcration and that those who work
/ against him openly or in secret will have
only themselves to thank if they are
ignored for the next four years.
Unless we mistake the workings of the
mind of the average organization poll
tician. every one Of them who opposed Mr..
Moore in the primaries will do his best
to clean his skirts of suspicion tomorrow
by getting out his followers and in
structing them to vote for the regular
ticket. This is why the election of Mr..
Moore by a big majority is certain, and
this is why no one takes seriously the
candidacy of Mr.. mclaughlin, of the
Charter party. a party deliberately named
TO deceive the unwary and trick nm
into defeating the very thing for which
he voted at the primaries.
The election of Mr. Moore. however,
spcct for the new charter. It is neces-
sary that a majority Of the Council shall
be in sympathy with the charter and
with Mr.. Moore if we are to escape an
orgy of factionalism. Eleven councilmen
Yloyal to Mr. Moore were nominated at
the primaries and ten were nominated
who are followers of leaders who did
their best to prevent the nomination Of
the congressman
This majority Of one Is 50 narrow that
there has been constant rumor that an
effort would be made in one OF more
districts to defeat one of the Moore can
didates by a deal with some form Of the
| opposition This deal cannot succeed if
the voters who nominated the Moore cam
didates go to the polls tomorrow and
complete the work which they started
in September.
The men who arc trying to put the
deal across know that they are taking
great risks. They might be able to sue
ceed, but if they do the price of their
success will be so heavy that they would
be likely to regret their bargain.
Mr.. Moore is not a political innocent.
Getting political favors from him will
not be like taking candy from a baby.
He has the appointment of the heads of
the departments. who have a large
amount of patronage at their disposal.
The department heads will be first of all
loyal Moore men prepared to play the
game with him.
The men suspected of wishing to stab
the Moore councilmanic ticket in the back
are likely to consider the situation seri-
ously before they commit themselves ir-
revocably to losing game. They know
that there are at least two of the leaders
who worked for the nomination of Judge
p Patterson who were warm friends OF
Moore before the primaries and who have
philosophically accepted defeat and have
renewed their relations with Mr.. Moore
They know that four counclmen will bt
elected from the districts in which these
: two leaders are powerful and that ever
! if an anti-Moore councilman could be
elected over one of the Moore supporter
, it would still be within the power OF thu
, Mayor to make a combination with thu
councilmen backed by his two friend
, and laugh at the petty tricksters wht
: think that it would be smart to pu
! their plans across.
Because it is evident to all who con
slider the matter that it will pay tn
= defeated faction of the party to be loya
r to the whole ticket it is confidently ex
q pected that the whole ticket will b
h elected by sufficient majorities.
= The Charter party ticket has bee
4 nominated, as already indicated, to trio
n the unwary voters into supporting
k ticket and a program in which they d
f not believe, and to attract the supper
g of the irreconcilable regulars who ar
9 disgruntled because of their defeat at tn
+ primaries 1t is not likely to draw an
=. more votes than such a contemptibl