Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-03
THE BAcK-RooM CANDIDATE
iNDoRSED IN OPEN MEETING
Mr.. vare's Personally Conducted city
Committee Says Mr.. Ware Did Right
In Hand.Pickino Alter

TT ANY ONE expected the Republican City
Committee to keep its hands off the con-
test in the primaries he has discovered that
he did not know of what sort Of stuff the
committee is composed.
Pinchot and Alter are contending for the
Republican nomination for the governorship
and Pepper and Burke are contending for
the senatorial nomination. Theoretically,
the function of the committee is to see that
the voters of the party have an opportunity
to express their preferences at the pri-
maries and then TO exert itself to bring
about the election of the candidates nomi.
mated.
But this committee is not now and never
has been impartial in a contest for a nomi-
nation. 1t has always been for or against
some one. and it has exercised all the power
it possesses to bring about the ends which
it sought.
1t is not necessary to 90 any further back
than the mayoralty campaign of 1910 to find
it committed to the candidacy of Judge Pat
terson. 1t fought Mr.. Moore and came
within 1900 votes of defeating him. This
is what Ed Ware and Dave Lane think the
committee should do. 1t Is what Jim Nc
Nichol and Is Durham and Dave Martin
and Bill Leeds and Jim McManes did before
them. Even if there were no formal indorse-
ment of candidates such as was given on
Monday afternoon. the party workers were
quietly ordered by the committee to fight for
the nomination Of certain candidates.
All this has been done on the theory that
it IS the way to keep The Organization
intact and to retain its hold on the Offices.
without which its power would decline. The
committee has responded to the instinct Of
self preservation. 1t knows that it is not
representative body, no matter what it
pretends to be. When wards elect members
out of sympathy with the group in control,
seats in the committee are often denied TO
the opposition members and rump ward or
ganizations are set up to elect men who will
vote as they are told.
Therefore the Endorsement of Mr.. Alter
Is not an Endorsement of his candidacy by
the Republicans of Philadelphia. 1t is moth.
ing but a renewal of the Endorsement of him
by Senator Ware, who was one of the men
who selected him in the first place. Ware
pulled the strings and the dummies danced
The action of the committee has not made
Alter stronger by single vote. while the
chances are that it has added to the strength
of Pinchot. The Independents will see in
it justification for their opposition to can
didate selected in private room by group
of contractors who happen to control the
party machinery in their cities and are in
politics for their private profit.
When Councilman Weglen asked at the
committee meeting "Who in hell presented
Pinchots 8 name:' he reflected the feeling Of
the men in control. What right has any.
body to presume 10 question the wisdom of
the organization leaders and run a candidate
in opposition to the one the leaders have
picked? Because Mr.. Pinchot was asked by
a large group of representative Republicans
TO become Il candidate without first asking
the City Committee whether they might do
it. Mr.. Pinchot Is an outlaw in the opinion
of those who train with Ware.
The situation of Senator Pepper is diff
ferent from that of Mr.. Pnchot. Just what
influences brought about his appointment TO
the Senate by the Governor has not been
disclosed He is now q candidate for the
nomination by general consent Of the Or
ganization, while Representative Burke, Of
Pittsburgh. is contesting it with him.
The committee has given its Endorsement
to the Senator and he has accepted it with
gratitude and graciousness. He wants the
nomination and he wants the support from
all sorts Of interests. aud he is willing 10
accept whatever support he can get He
might have told the committee that it was
going beyond its proper function in indorsing
him, but he is practical man and he knows
that whatever other vices the leaders of the
committee may have, they do not practice
the vice Of hypocrisy. If they are indi-
ydually for Pepper, they are not going to
pretend to be impartial in their official
capacity. Pepper knows they are for him
and he is perfectly willing that they should
say so. In return for this declaration he
has told them that he is strong "organiza-
tion man.
What effect this declaration will have
upon the esteem in which he is held in the
community does not yet appear. II is TO be
hoped that 1t may have no serious effect
upon his primary vote, for between Pepper
and Burke every good citizen aware of the
record of the two men must choose Pepper.
To return to Alter, II is worthy of note
| that mo one mentioned Governor Sproul at
~ committed 9eSting.. There was no IN.
Ilors1ment II ~ Adninistrsfion and thess
"a. I. x y .xy X 4 a ;6s,s y lS $