Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-21
WARE BACK IN THE SADDLE;
A BLACK EYE FOR PENRoSE
Clean Sweep for the Contractor Forces
In Yesterdays Election Leaves
Nothing for the indepe endents

NotHIHH IOT WIG I'uSPS"eS'Ns
to Be Ashamed OF
CENATOR WARE regained what amounts
~ to undisputed control of the Republican
organization in Philadelphia by yesterday
primary election.
1t was an old fashioned barbecue for
practical politics."
Reform, as typifed by the Voters League,
was defeated all along the line. not one
really vital stronghold of the old machine
having been shaken or even seriously weak
ened.
The handy boys were able to pile up
votes wherever they wanted them and the
voters, meekly and dumbly, allowed them
selves to be confused and misled to the top
of their bent
While concedng the overwhelming victory
to Senator Ware and his followers. 1t Is
plain that this could not have been achieved
without the aid of treachery and trickery By
the supposed followers of Senator Penrose.
In numerous instances so called Penrose
men deliberately turned in with the Wares
and ignored the definite declaration of the
senior Senator against the Ware slate and
his Endorsement Of the Voters League can
didates.
The result is a large and highly colorcd
political black eye for the Honorable Boes
Let there be no doubt about that. The
prestige of the old State boss suffered
severe blow which he is certain to feel even
more painfully in the not far distant future
when a new Governor and a new Mayor
are to be selected.
The Senator played kindergarten politics
a.. A. halU nd
lodged too long before declaring himself.
He allowed himself to be fooled and duped
by men whom he ought to have known BY
practical experience he could not trust. They
induced him to keep silent until all the
plans for the Fifty Fifty deal had been COM
pleted, and now he cannot even claim the
consolation of propretorship over his end of
the split hundred.
Nor does the result appear like much CT
testimonial to Mayor Moore from the
party workers. His anxiety to get a favor
able declaration from Senator Penrose rather
than militantly himself to assume the leader
ship of the decent and self respecting ec-
ments in the Republican party was confusing
to the voters. Moreover, his curious failure
to speak plainly by name for the Voters
League candidates instead of merely making
only two speeches vaguely directed against
contractor government was political
weakness which his opponents were not slow
to use to their own advantage.
OF course the detection of many of the
'practtcal' Penrose men who had worked to
elect Mr.. Moore two years ago Is easily ac-
counted for. They had not been able to get
the kind of favors from his Administration
they had expected. They are the sort who
were not out for reform so much as for pap.
They could not have been satisfied by any
thing less than special privileges for
gambling or protected vice or unlimited soft
snaps for their followers. 1t is greatly to
the credit of Mayor Moore that he would not
yield to the demands of these disgruntled
lenders, although 1t may have been bad
practical" politics.
The large number Of places to be filled
and the many candidates on the ballot made
the official count one Of the slowcst in years
and therefore it Is not yet possible to ana
lyze all the results in detail, particularly
the influence of the women, who were par
ticipating for the first time in a local cleo
ton in this city. But enough is known
to indicate that the Voters League made n
far better showing than many wiseacres
expected on Monday when the heavy han
dicaps under which the independents Ia
bored are considered. They had little or
ganization of the kind that gets out votes,
little money to use against the free spend
ing of the Ware outfit and no single out
standing Office which could be made a rally
ing point.
In this light there is nothing for the in
dependents to be ashamed of, and 1t is to
be hoped that the errors Of this campaign
will be turned to good account in the next.