Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-18
THE MAN WHO SELLS HIMSELF
WORSE THAN MAN WHO BUYS
Itself to a Party Whose Leaders Have
Persistently Betrayed Its Voters

Perslstently Betrayed Its Voters
A DEMOCRATIC reader has asked us to
tell the people why voter should
continue to retain in Office party such as
the Republican Party, based on its record
for the last twenty years in Pennsylvania.
He wonders whether we "have the cour-
age TO do it.
1t is not a question Of courage SO much
aS "f knowledge Of the record of the Re-
publican and Democratic Parties in this
State.
This newspaper, in view Of the record
of the Democratic Party, certainly could not
recommend that party to the people,
Granting for the moment that all that our
Democratic reader thinks about the Rcpub-
lican Party is true, the record of the Demo-
cratic Party is SO much worse that It can
not be commended TO the suffrages of the
people.
No Democrat can be unaware Of the un-
holy alliance that existed between the
Democratic leaders and the Quay machine.
an alliance which was continued under the
Pcnrose machine. Democratic leaders Of
the State Senate and House were for years
in close confidence with Penrose. They were
Penrose agents. Men prominent In the
Democratic organization were known as
Pcnrosc Democrats. They were rewarded by
political favors for their activity in selling
ont their party to the PonroSe machine.
They earned their pay by blocking the efforts
Of every genuine and honest Democrat 10
secure nomination to Office. They sold out
their party.
II is contemntihle enough for a political
leader to insure an easy victory for his can
ddates by buying off the opposition. But
tho language has not words scorching
enough to describe the men who sell them
selves and betray the trust Of hundreds of
thousands OF honest and worthy citizens.
As the Democratic Party must act
through its leaders and as many OF its
leaders have been merely fake Democrats
acting as agents for the Republican
machine. do not see how the Democrats
themselves can desire n victory at the polls
which would put such trcacherous leaders
in places Of power and responsibility
We do not forget that a reorga anzation
movement led by Roland Norris Vance Nc
Cormck and A. Mitchell Palmer was
temporarily successful. But this movement
petered OUT partly because of the political
inertitudc Of the men at the head Of it and
partly because the Democratic voters were
as callous to their appeals for reform as any
gang Republicans.
Now. as to the justification for continuing
the Republican Party in control of the State
on its record.
A. matter of fact that record is not
wholly discouraging. Whatever may have
been the offenses Of the leaders. the rank
and file of the Republican voters have been
public spirited when the emergency arose
and they were properly appealed to. In 1912
their leaders were committed to the can
d!dary Of Mr.. Taft for the presidency and
were largely responsible for what happened
IN the Chicago Convention when Roosevelt
and his friends boltcd Roosevelt carried
Pennsylvania and received its electoral vote,
polling nearly 100000 more votes than
were east for Taft, They were the votes
Of Republicans who wore no mans collar.
The Republicans in this city have asserted
themselves and have rebuked the political
machine many times within the memory Of
ucn now living. They elected Blankcnburg
aS Mayor and eight years later they turned
down th" machine candidate and nominated
and elected j. Hampton Moore and other
independents.
This year the Republicans Of the State,
inspired hy the same spirit of independence
which they showed in 1912, have nominated
Clifford Pirchot for the govcrnorshp with
a mandate 10 clean house in Harrisburg,
,n