The Washington times., 1922-05-15
Ed vARE HOLDS
KEY To PENNSY
SENATE BATTLE
Bill Burke's Prospects Bright
Unless Boss Throws
Strength, to Pepper.
BY WILLIAM HARD.
1879. by Cosmopolitan News
ServiceO

PITTSBURGH, Pa, May 15.-This
is the home OF Bill Burke. who is
endeavoring to oust George Wharton
Pepper, Esq. of Philadelphia. from
the United States Senate by defeat
ing him in the Republican Senatorial
primary in the State OF Pennsylvania
tomorrow. A month ago 1t was
thought that Pepper, the great
lawyer, was walking away from
Burke, the railway conductor. Now
1t is thought that Burke is perhaps
grazing Peppers heels.
l asked Burke today II he had any.
thing to say about Peppers charge
against him that he was trying to
Russianize or sovietize the Govern
ment Of the United States by intro
ducing a labor bloc into IL.
/ found Burke in his headquarters,
protected by the presence Of Judd
Bruff, who used to be sheriff of Allie
gheny county and who used to play
football on behalf Of Pennsylvania
University till they found out that
he had previously been a professional
bicycle rider.
Due to Get Labor Vote.
He did not look long haired
enough. Burke himself is gray
haired and Of large body an dof faith.
erly bearing. He looks as II he
would be much more likely to con-
duct transcontinental limited than
a revolution.
Clifford Pinchot had told me thas
Burke was the first man in Pennsyl.
vania ever able to be really organize
a labor bloc. The miners and the
railroad men and the other most
unionized labor people are said to he
likely to vote really quite solid for
Burke. The miners Of this county
on the outskirts OF Pittsburg came
to the sheriff Of this county the
other day and told him that II he
wanted to go over to Philadelphia to
do some work there for Burke for
Senator they would agree to have
no disturbances in the mining area
Of this county while he was away
and would hand it back to him all
whole and all safe on his return. He
went. Now the odd thing about II is
that this sheriff who went to the
other end of the State on behalf OF a
labor bloc candidate is not only a
sheriff, but also the national COM
mander Of the soldiers organization
called the Veterans OF Foreign Wars.
His name Is Woodside.
He might in theory be thought to
be more likely to jail or shoe: a labor
bloc candidate than to vote for him
and work for him. But this man
Burke Is apparently going to soveit-
ize the United States Senate II he
gets there with more blocs than one.
He has q soldier tloc. too. Col. Jo-
seph II. Thompson, hoad of the Penn
sylvania part of the American lie.
gion, is for him. He sent a wire the
other day. announcing: II am for
our friend Burke all the way" The
soldier vote OF Pennsylvania In over
whelmingly for Burke.
Burke Also a Farmer.
am obliged to add that Burke
seems also to be reaching out for a
farm bloc. He is by first occupation
a railway conductor end he still rep
resents the railway conductors IT, ne
gotiations with the railways. but he
also is a farmer. He ives on a farm
at least part Of the ,ime-and he
denounces the Esch-Cumm!ns rail.
way law right along with any mem
Der Of any farm bloc anywhere.
The great historic fact about this
man Is that he is the first Eastern
parallel to that Western phenome-
non. Colonel Brookhart, OF Iowa.
Brookhart is the leading candidate in
the Iowa Republican Senatorial pri-
mary campaign and he became so by
rolling a farm bloc and a labor bloc
and a soldier bloc into one large
three-piece bloc, each piece of which
seems to find some value at this mo-
ment in the other two.
Mr.. Burke said to ne:
"I"l tell you what : say to my
audiences about sovie1iZing the Sen.
ate. I say that there sre two seats
to be filled in the United States Sen.
ate from Pennsylvania.
One Of them used to be occupied
by Senator Knox. the other by Sena-
tor Penrose. For Knox's seat there
is really one candidate. He Is Major
David Reed. He was made the can
didate admittedly by big business In.
terests OF Pittsburgh, md he is an
attorney Of the United States Steel
Corporation.
Pepper Also Has Bloc.
For Penrose's seat there are two
candidates-Mr. Pepper and myself.
Mr.. Pepper is an attorney Of the
Pennsylvania railroad company, and
he was appointed Senator by Gov.
ernor Sproul, who is an outright
enemy OF labor, and he was escorted
to Washington and straight onto the
Senate floor on his first day there
by General Atterbury, the Pennsyl.
vania Railroad Companys chief po.
litical manager.
Now I think that the citizens in