Evening star., 1926-06-16
Politics at Large
By G.. Could Lincoln.

"A real talking issue for the congress
sional campaign this Summer and
k'all-an issue which Main Street, the
tenement district and the farm can
understand? Some Of the leaders
think they have found such an issue
in the revelations of the tremendous
expenditures tby and for the candi
dates in tho recent Republican sena
torial primaries. They are already
planning to tell the voters that in
Pennsylvania nominations and eiec-
tiOns to public Office are bought
through the expenditure Of exces-
sive sums of money. They are plan
ming to say that what happened in
Pennsyivan is just what happens.
seneralIy speaking, in other States
where Republicans control.
The Democrats believed they had de-
velOped an issue which would win for
them in 1924 when Senator Thomas
J. Walsh of Montan dragged Teapot
Dome into the light, and =. l..
Doheny and the little black bag which
carried its 500, 900 to former Secre-
tary of the Interior Fall, and when
the activities OF the Daugherty re-
gime In the Department of Justice
had been ventilated by Senator
Wheeler of Montana and Senator
Brookhart Of Iowa and others. But
the issue was forgotten, or rather
the people differentiated between
President Calvin Coolidge and the
rest of the Republican administration
md pinned their faith to President
Coolidge. Whether the voters Will
pay as little heed to the slush fund
L. hrn0dc2at
through the special Senate commit
tee headed by Senator Reed Of Mis-
souri,, Democrat, as they did to Tea
pot Dome rema'n to be seen.
The expenditures of large sums OF
money-n this case it will run TO
81, ,OOO, 900 or more, It is expected
in primary elections in Pennsylvania
have been defended by no less
person than Secretary Andrew W:
Mellon. the outstanding figure In
Pennsylvania politics and finances TO-
day. They have been defended, too,
by Senator David A. Reed. Both
have insisted that the primary sys-
TEN in q State which is as popuious
as Pennsylyania requires big ex-
penditures. They have taken crack
ut the primary system. Harry a.
Mackey. the campaign manager 1or
Represe ntative William 9. Ware, that
champion OF the vets who won
the senator nomination, agrees with
them that money must be spent III
Pennsylvania under the primary sys'
TEN, and that the primary law IL an
evil thing.
But history reveals that the sys-
TEN" In Pennsylvania has been ions
in the building and dates back before
the primary laws were enacted. FUR
thermore, In setting up the primary
system, it has been so set up Una.
it can be easily avoided. In "ns'
other States are paid political watch
srs at the polls and workers au-
thorized by law? Watchers who re,
ceiye a minimum OF $40 a day, and
MANY of whom never go near the
polIso And who has been most actiVe
in irving 10 prevent a change In the
election laws which would do away
with these paid watchers! III tne
witnesses who have gone on the s,anu
nnder oath are to be believed. 1t Is
the machine members OF the Legs
Iature. both from the Ware machihe
in Philadelphia and the Allegheny
4 ,oun1v machine in the western part
Of the state, who have opposed thls
reform. Apparently the primary ana
election laws I'm Pennsylvania are so
framed that they play right INTO the
hands of the men who wish TO ana
cal control the situation through INC
expenditure Of money.
In considering the expenditures
made in the recent campaign In fehh-
.ylvania, 1t Is well TO remember Una,
the state Is as strongly Republican
os VIRGINIA Is Democratic: that the
6phting which took place is between
members Of the same party. and that
the prizes were the once OF United
states Senator, which pays salarS
of $40. 900, and the office OF governor
which controls I'm great measure the
entire state from Harrisburg. IL was
no question Of Republican against
Democrat. but one Republican
AGAINST another. 1t was ngnt Tor
control of the state. 1t resulted In
omethinK of a dog fall. with Ware
winning the senatorship nomination
and John s. Fisher. the Mellon can
didate. winning the nomination Tor
governor. And now the factions have
gotten together. II appears. and W. j..
Mellon. nephew Of the Secretary, mas
been chosen chairman OF the Repub-
licsn State committee. IL anything,
the MELONS have the lions share OF
tho political spoils. but Mr.. Ware has
shown himself a factor that must be
seriously reckoned with, because OF
his grip on the Philadelphia orga MIA
ton.
Senator Reed of Missouri asked a
most pertinent question during his ex-
animation of Joseph r. Grundy. presi-
dent of the Pennsylvania Manufac-
turers' Association and angel OF the
Pepper Fisher campaign. Having pic
tured both Senator Pepper and. Mr..
Ware as good regular Republicans and
Mr.. Fisher and his opponent, Edward
f.. Beidleman. as equally good Repub-
Iica MS, the Missouri Senator wanted
to know why there should be "a
million dollars difference" to the
voters OF Pennsylvania between these
"a ndldates.
The reply OF Mr.. Grundy was en-
lig htening, so far at least as the
are concerned. He
pointed out that the law in Rennsyl
vania does not now levy a tax on the
ca pital stock of corporations engaged
in manufacturing. that the manufac
turers believe in this ystem and do
not want to be so taxed. and that
Beidleman was suspected of an inten
ton Of lifting the tax on production
Of anthracite coal, amounting to some
$25 ,O0O. 900 a year, and placing it on
the manufacturers. Enough said.
What was the other side fighting
for, the Philadelphia machine and
Included among them
were the regular politicians in their
the Pittsburgh organ
ization. which seems to have been
split between Fisher and
Beidleman and Pepper and Ware