Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-21
'POMMER IS NAMED
IN F|NLEY'S PLACE
Ware City Committeeman Gets
Council Nomination for
First District
ILLEGAL, SAYS TRAINER

Charles J. Pommer, Ware city com
snitteeman from the First ward, and
tipstaff in common pleas court No. =,
was named the Republican nominee for
Council from the First district today
by the Republican city committee. The
nomination is for the unexpired term of
William +. Finley, who died recently.
The action was taken after the city
committeeman, representing the First
district, met in convention and indorsed
pommer. The city committee first took
rp the question of the legality Of the
nomination. voting % to 10 in favor Of
the procedure. Later the vote on the
nomination stood twenty six in favor of
Pommer, the noes refusing to vote.
Joseph G. Trainer. city committee
man from the Twenty sixth ward, and
the administration leader in South
Philadelphia. refused TO take part in
the first proceedings. lie asserted they
were ''illegal, unfair and un-A Ameri-
can"
/. Mr.. Trainer branded the party con
tention controlled by the Wares as IAN
xttempt to force candidate on the
people" Senator Ware. replying, de-
dared he would be glad to go before
the people, but that the act of Assembly
and the party rules prescribed the NOM
nation by party convention as the only
possible method.
The convention was held in the rooms
Sf the Union Republican Club of South
Philadelphia, 2035 South Broad street,
end was attended by the five city com
kitteemen from the First district and
also by William T. COnnor, counsel for
the county commissioners, and Leopold
O. Glass, counsel for the Republican
city committee.
The convention this noon was fol-
lowed by a meeting of the Republican
city committee at the headquarters
Eleventh and Chestnut streets, where
the whole body was called to ratify the
action of the convention. 1t is probable
that the Alliance members of the city
committee. under the leadership oI
Thomas W. Cunningham, will follow
AIr. Trainers lead and refuse to ac-
Quiesce by voting on the question.
May Fight in Courts
Mr.. Trainer will probably seek an in
fuuction to restrain the county com.
tnissioners from printing the name ot
Pommer on the official ballot as that oi
The Republican nominee. In this way
the whole question of the method oil
making the nomination, whether by
party convention or in an open pri-
pary. will be brought before the courts
for settlement.
After Pommer's name had been
placed before the party convention,
Trainer arose and read the following
statement:
h''I desire to enter before this COM
pnittee a protest against any attempt
on its part to nominate any person TO
El the vacancy caused by the death
Sf councilman from this district.
The city committee or its members
from this district have not the power
to make any nomination for the
vacancy in the city Council under thu
SIkisting circumstances, and i believ,
fhat that power rests solely and alone
with the qualified electors of the frs
district.
Denies Self Government
"The Republican party has thrivet
On the Lincoln principle. a government
ef the people, by the people and for
Che people. The proposed action ot
this committee. if carried out
destroys this fundamental doctrine sc
long revered throughout our nation
and renders void the very spirit anC
5airness of our existing primary elec
ton laws and denies the right of self
government to the qualified electors o
the district.
81 am advised and firmly believe tha
~ your action Is taken before any cour
Of law, it will be reversed because it
q direct attempt upon the part Of fou
men to usurp the right OF 40 900 reg
istered voters in the First district
''There has been a great change i
fhe sentiment of the voters in this dis
trict within the last year and it is no
favorable to those who claim to hav
been the representative leaders of ou
party In tho past.
Cites Previous Contest
Zone year ago in the primary 70
councilmen, Harry Hazard, who was i
sympathy with thc. present city, admin
istration, was defeated by Edwin II
Cox by a majority Of 10.773. Fou
months ago Senator Ware, representa-
his faction had as au opponent for tn
state Senate in his district Willial
Reinhardt who esp0uscd the cause q
our present city administration.
1.-The vote 10 that contest was: Ware
14,574. Re;nhaYdt, 9S92, giving Ware
majority OF 1889. which surely prove
that the people have some interest
their affairs and apparently desire
change.
"If the members Of this committe
truly represent their constituents an
not an individual, Why should they fra
giving the voters Of this district an op
portunity for deciding for themseivc
and allow citizens who desire to aspir
! for the Office to place themselves i
nomination by nomination papers an
follow out the broad principe of ou
system Of government and let the choic
of the majority be final?
"To attempt TO force a candidate o
the people by the methods suggeste
here today Is unfair, un American an
has a tendency TO create the impressio
among our foreign born citizens, {
whom there are thousands in the dis
trict, that our government is anythin
but what we claim for it, governmer
Of the people"
STATE GRANTS ATTACKED