The Washington times., 1922-05-14
'C.O.P.LOOKeFGR
STIFF EIGHT IN
PENNSYLVANIA
Administration Keeps Hands
Off, but General Feeling Is
Pepper and Alter Will Win.

The Harding administration is
watching closely the bitter cam
paign in Pennsylvania for the nom.
ination of candidates for two seats
in the United States Senate and for
Governor of the State which will end
Tuesday when the Statewide prin.
aries will be held.
However, the President does not
care which men win. so long as
the results of the campaign pave
the way for a clean-cut Republican
victory in November.
The same attitude Is held by John
T. Adams, chairman Of the Repub.
lican National Committee, and Sen.
ator Medill Mccormick, chairman OF
the Republican Senatorial Commit.
tee.
Together with the President the
party leaders in Washington have
persistently refused t. interfere in
the Pennsylvania fight for one candi
date or another. However. repeated
appeals have been made to the Presi.
dent and to Mr.. Adams that they
pass the word along that they ars
interested in seeing George E. Al.
ter, the organization candidate, win
the gubernatorial noInination over
Clifford Pinchot, and the same in
regard to George Wharton Pepper,
who is being opposed for the Sen.
atorial nomination by former Con
gressman Burke. Of Pie sburgh.
The White House has indicated
time and again that the Administra.
ton will support any candidate
nominated but will not take any
hand in the primaries.
Alter Visits Harding,
Recently Mr.. Alter was brought
to Washington and taken to the
White House for the purpose Of
creating the impression in Pennsyl.
vania that the President has sent
for him and wanted to express in.
terest in his candidacy.
Alter went into the Executive
offices, was introduced to the Presi.
dent, discussed the weather, and de.
parted without a word being men.
toned about his candidacy. News.
paper correspondents. later learned
from official sources that the Presl.
dent had not expressed any prefer.
ence and did not care what way the
Pennsylvania campaign turns orr.
Clifford Pinchot, running on an
anti-contractors ticket, is bes.
known in Washington for his pro
gressive ideas and his stand for
progressive principles.
He is well fortified with money,
while his opponent, Alter. who will
have behind him all the power OF
Congressman William Ware, and
his brother, State Senator Ed
Ware, millionaire contractors OF
Philadelphia, who have controlled
the political machine Of the east.
ern part OF the State for genera.
ton. Alter is a man of ordinary
circumstances with little money
other than his salary.
The Pinchot.Alter fight has been
growing bitter in the extreme, being
Icentered mostly on State issues.
Pinchot. OF course. charges that
the contractors machine is trying
to control the State for it's own
selfish purposes, while the Alter
adherents allege that Pinchot is a
silk-stocking millionaire, backed by
pink tea socialists.
Pepper Likely TO Win.
The closest approach to a fight
over national issues is in the Pep.
r-Burke scrap. While reports
which reached Washington today
indicate that Pepper will win. the
latest information indicated that he
has lost much ground. He is a
strong opponent of the League OF
Nations and helped organize the
first society that went out openly
to fight the league.
Since he came to the Senate TO
fill the unexpired term of the late
Boies Penrose. Senator Pepper has
voted for Newberry and has an.
nouncod that he will vote against
the soldiers bonus bill.
Former Congressman Burke is an
avowed proponent of the bonus and
Is going up and down the state al.
tempting to corral ting. solder vote
He is also assailng Senator Pepper
for his vote to seat Newberry and
his later eulogies of Penrose and
William Barnes, Jr.
AT the Capitol yesterday members
of Congress discussed the Pennsyl
vauia fight with unusual interest
and freely predicted that they
would not be surprised at any up.
sets that might occur as the result
of the vote on Tuesday throughout