Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-16
Peestscs t.
Ps~'sa4esasia
By the Ex-Committeemnn

any preliminary election in so
called "off" year in a decade. The
numerous contests throughout the
State have been waged with an in
tensity seldom known and elements
have entered into the struggles which
have made results uncertain in some
districts regarded as of the highest
importance. Incidentally, more
money will be spent than usual.
The Philadelphia contest, which
| Col. George Nox Mccain says has
been waged with more bitterness
than known in a long time, is re-
| garded by Philadelphia newspapers
| as one of great importance. 1t as
! for the first officers under the new
charter and all the groups which
| cropped out in former years have
| turned UP, making themselves ap-
| parent in an unprecedented regis
| tration.
Pittsburgh has struggle for lead
| ership without parallel and both the
Allegheny and Delaware county bat
| ties may have big effect next year.
| Washington and New York corre-
| spondents are telling of national in
| terest in the Philadelphia contest
and in Governor Sprouts partici-
patton in the Delaware county pri-
mary.
One of the interesting things is
| that in almost every county where
there is fight the Republicans pre-
| dominate more than ever in the
| registration.
In Philadelphia the vast ma
Jority of the voters registered, and
they number over 100000, are Re-
publican and in Pittsburgh a tre-
mendous proportion of the $4,000
! an cicfn ID
Scranton the Republicans have
gained in registration, while in vari-
GUS third class cities the Republi-
cans have forged ahead just as they
have in Harrisburg and in about the
same proportion. Reading, county
seat of the banner Democratic
county, has registered $4,000 men,
or $500 more than ever known, the
Republican registration being very
large, while in Allentown, another
capital of a Democratic county, the
Republican registration is ahead of
the Democrats for the first time in
history. There have been Republi-
can registration gains and Demo-
cratic slumps in other cities, in.
cluding Wilkes-Barre, Erie and AL
, toona. Harrisburg is not alone in
that respect.
THE Philadelphia Record in a
: discussion of the Philadelphia con-
test points out the remarkable or
t CARNATIONS built up for Moore and
) PATTERSON and says: Two outstand-
2 ing features in the contest this year
| were the positions taken by Gov
5 ernor Sproul and Mayor Smith The
1 support of the latter was not wanted
} nor sought by either faction. Bond
S smlth Is regarded as distinct liza
| 'ility even by the Wares, and a
l chorus of groans has gone up every
r time his name has been mentioned.
Y one OF the orders given to the Pat
{ terson spellbinders was that Smith
and his administration were not to
De discussed from the stump. One
, or the hardest blows suffered by the
l., Vare-Patterson crowd was when
, mayor Smith came out with an in
! dorsement for the jurist. Governor
! Sproul assumed the same attitude
q winch marked his conduct during
the first part of the 1919 session of
: the General Assembly"
The PITTSBURGH Gazette-Time
. says that the big registration in Pitts
q nurgh and the large enrolment in
the county means the defeat of the
:. !. Leslle-Babcock combination.
. AS a result of the primary there
may be independent campaigns in
several cities.
Reading which has a contest for
$ nominations which may be historic
4 may also have an $500, 900 loan cleo
= tion this fall.
Next to the mayoralty and
v councilmanic contest in PHILADELPHIA.
Wmch VIII have important State
0 Wlde erect on politics next year, in
i terest in the State runs high in the
g struggle in Allegheny county for
n city and county nominations against
a the organization headed by Senator
i Mako. Leslie and Mayor E. V. Bah
t cock: Aligned against them are a.
o number OF men prominent in busi-
t ness affairs.
Z Scranton has an interesting mn
g nlclpal contest and also three women
( candidates for school director. There
e Is close contest for judge in Lack
v aWanna county. In Luzerne county
e Judge John NJ. Garman is a candi-
r date for reelection and there are
contests IN both Republican and
q Democratic parties for county nomi-
i nations, that for county commits
s sioner in the Republican ranks
4 pelng very acrim monious. Other in
h teresting county nomination contests
r are in York, Cambria, Dauphin,
e Erie. Berks, Northampton, Mont
r gomery, Cumberland, Franklin,
f Perry, Miffiin, Adams, Delaware, Le-
Q high. Bradford Blair, Fayette, But
: Ter, Lawrence, Venango and Lycom
= ing.
4 judicial contests of more than
h ordinary interest are in the two big
q counties, Lehigh, Cambria and Wash
ington, which have elections for
:, newly-created judgeships; Somer-
: set, where gubernatorial appointee
h is not candidate for election; West
= moreland, Juniata-Perry and Mon
= roe-Pike districts. Associate Judge
- contests out of the usual class are
in Snyder, Colum bia, Mifffin, Monroe,
|, Bedford and Fulton.
= = -Twenty-three third class cities
. have mayoralty campaigns ending
= which are of much interest: York.
y Chester, Harrisburg, Williamsport'
Reading, New Castle, Wilkes-Barre.
: Allentown, Altoona, Erie, Johnstown'
: Lebanon, Uniontown and Oil CITY.
u Just to show how little figure the
- Democrats are cutting in the Phila-
= delphia campaign this year, one of
!, ! the greatest in a lifetime, there
!, may be quoted this paragraph by
y Col. George Max Mccain in an arti-
. Gle in the Philadelphia Evening
Ledger: "A Citizens, Nonpartisan
= or other unattached candidate, in
u opposition to Tuesdays choice, is a
. possibility. The Democratic candi-
= date is an incident; his party and