Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-19
HE WON'T BE HAPPY
TILL H6 LOSES IT
Alter Seems to Do Looking With Anx.
ious Eyes for Release From His
Unhappy Predlcamsnt


IF MR.. ALTER is happy he is skillful in
the art Of concealing 1t. He did not
want to run for the governorship. At the
last minute he was drafted. He is acting
now like small boy who has been thrown
into the swimming hole by the bigger fel.
lows and is foundcring around and shouting
to them that they must pull him out or he
will drown.
And the water is pretty cold, too.
He does not know whether he is going to
have any campaign headquarters in Phia-
delphia. but he supposes he will have head.
quarters in Pittsburgh. He supposes, also,
that he will be at the Metropolitan Opera
House mass meeting on May 8, but he does
not know anything about the arrangements.
All he seems to know is that he was forced
to pocket his objections and become can
didate.
What Mr.. Alter is saying in his own be.
half Is what might be expected under the
circumstances. II is known that as Attor.
ney General he drafted the Woner act and
the Coal-Tax Law, both unpopular. The
tax on coal will increase the price to the
N"'SuAhSAc uhu tuc NUHeT uCL uuS DeeU ucs
nounced as an aid to bootleggers.
He has not defended the Woner act, but
has shifted responsibility for it to Governor
Sproul and the Legislature. He says he
merely acted under instructions when he
drafted the law. He assumes no responsi.
bility for It and has refrained from say.
ing whether he thinks 1t good or bad.
1t is not 80 easy to dodge the Coal.Tax
Law, for as Attorney General he was COM
PEELED to appear on Monday in this city be-
fore the Supreme Court and defend it. He
did his best to argue in behalf Of its validity.
1t will be impossible now for him to 60 on
the stump and denounce it.
II Mr.. Pinchot had arranged this situa-
ton for his own political profit he could
not have managed 1t better.
Mr.. Alter, the poor man, is SO confused
that he cannot see the implications of what
he says when he denies that he had prom.
Used Mr.. Fisher that he would not run
against him for the nomination. He is so
earnest about insisting that he has not
broken faith with Fisher that he says he
examined the Fisher platform and ap.
proved It.
That platform, as every one knows, con-
tanned denuncist ton Of the Contractor Com
bine which is backing Alter. The big issue
in Fishers mind was the necessity of pre-
venting the Philadelphia, West Chester and
Pittsburgh political contractors from getting
control Of the State Government. And now
Alter. approving that issue a few weeks
ago, Is depending on Ware, Eyre and Leslie
to help him win the nomination. No Won
der he Is oil at sea and Is unable to bring
himself to take his candidacy seriously. His
whole attitude seems to be that as the Con-
tractor Machine had to have somebody to
run in the primaries he would reluctantly
consent to serve 1t without any expectation
that he would be needed after the primary
vote was cast. If he had any expectation
of getting the nomination he would be talk
ing differently.
Mr., Alter has shifted responsibility for
the Woner act and the Coal-Tax Law to
the Governor and the Legislature. He has
held Judge Schafer, former Attorney Cen
eral, responsible for the failure to prosecute
Snyder and the other officers who have hired
attorneys in disregard Of the law making the
Attorney General the sole legal officer of
every State department. Snyder hired Bel
dleman, he says, while Schafer was Attor-
ney General and he has nothing to do
with It!
This theory of official responsibility will
crafty every crook In Office. All that is
necessary under 1t to give immunity to them
is to change the prosecuting officer, and the
new man will ignore all that happened be-
fore he was sworn in. A fne ideal for q
man who wants to be Governor!
But this is not the kind Of theory that
will satisfy the voters. They have supposed
that the way to punish the guilty Is to put
in Office man who will bring to justice
every crook whose ofense has not been out.
lawed.
Mr.. Alter, however, has acted on his
novel theory since he has been in the Attorney
Generals Office. He has done nothing to
recover the money illegally paid by Snyder
to Lieutenant Governor Beidleman when
Snyder was Auditor General. Nor has he
done anything to recover other sums paid
to other of Snyder's legal friends. No
adequate steps have been taken to recover
the money stolen from the State by one of
Snyder's clerks now serving a prison SEN
tence for embezzlement, and there has been
no investigation into the use of public funds
for the private profit of the men who had
access to them. Snyder in defending his
embezzling clerk said that half a million
dollars at various times In the past had been
taken out Of the public chest and put back
again. This is contrary to law, and Mr..
Alter knows it. But as It happened before
he took Office he is not interested!
There has never In the history Of the
State been more successful impersonation
of reluctant, unwilling and Indifferent can.
didate for nomination to high Office than
that with which Mr.. Alter is favoring the
people at this time.