Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-05-21
When You're Running For Office /
I'm Pennsylvania. Machine Sup
port Is Often a Great Help
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Have
Some Nice Little Tricks.
By RODNEY BUTCHER
NEA Service Writer

NEA Service Writer
Copyright. 1880. NEA Service, Inc.)
PITTSBURGH, May 21-Of course.
one OF the funniest things about
politics as played in PENNSYLVANIA
u tho fact that the candidate who
is the choice OF the most voters
isn't necessarily nominated or elect
ed.
OF course, If he happens TO have
the support of the Republican ma
chimes in Philadelphia and in Ale
gheny county-which includes Pitts
burgh and its envirCns-his victory
is assured. In fact, even if he is a
minority choice and still has such
support he stands an excellent
chance.
In short. primary victories IN
Pennsylvania often depend upon
control Of the polls or control Of
the count or both.
Where Dead Men Vote
In Philadelphia. as everyone
knows. the Ware ticket has often
been SO popular that dead men
have risen from their graves TO vote
for IL. Also in Pittsburgh. And In
both cities there have been many
other phenomena Just as strange.
If the vote between senatorial
candidates Joe Grundy and Puddler
Jim Davis or between Clifford Pin
chot and Francis Skunk Brown is
close in the Republican primary of
May 20 that matter Of controlling
the polls and controlling the count
may become very important indeed.
No one knows just how many
extra votes the enthusiastic workers
Of Nj. Bill Ware in Philadelphia and
of MeSsrs. Joe Armstrong and Char
lie Kline in Pittsburgh are prepared
TO deliver in excess OF the number
cast, but ID may be said that Pin
chot and Grundy as well as the two
wet candidates. Phillips and Bob
len, have given the matter very SER
ious thought. The only candidates
distinguished by machine support
are Mr.. Brown and Mr.. Davis. Sup
porters of the others Will steal what
they can. but their opportunities
are limited.
One OF the most optimistic talk
ing points Of the Grundy and Pin
chot people has been the claim that
they have made stealing just a little
harder than it eve was heretofore.
In Philadelphia the state election
commissioners. supposedly not UNI
friendly 70 Grumpy, have removed
10000 or more names from the reg
istration lists and the theory Of the
optimists is that it will be a lot
harder TO vote dead people, imagi-
nary people and alley cats and dogs.
In Pittsburgh. 1t is explained. most
Of the monkey business in the past
has been accomplished with the
ballot boxes between the time the
votes were cast and the time the
contents Of the boxes were counted
BY the county commissioners. One
faction has always complained that
the reasons Wares candidate. Beid-
leman. was defeated for governor in
the 1926 primary was because
friendly Pittsburgh politicians, back
ing Governor Fisher. took about 40,-
600 Biedleman votes and threw them
in the river. But this year IL APP
pears that Charlie McGovern. a
Pinchot man Is one Of the three
county commissioners and he has
promised that If any ballots or ballot
boxes are thrown into the river. the
throwers will have to throw Charlie
McGovern as well.
Be that as 1t may, ii will be q long
time before the organizations. run
out of cute little ways and means.
There Is a rumor that in primary
years they call in the man who
names the Pullman cars and pay him
large fees TO make up names for
imaginary voters. Once it was dis
covered that Asia Minor and John
Mediterranean had voted in Phila-
delphia. as well as "Ripa Bananas
who was classed as a female voter.
Here in Pittsburgh people have
often been found registered from
parking spaces. wharves and vacant
lots. Eight hundred names were
registered in one precinct in 1927.
but after an investigation the num-
Der dropped to 200 in 1923.
Most past frauds r supposed to
have been based on registration.
Fake tax receipts are issued for use
in registration.
Throw Officials Out
In some Of the worst wards the
election oyerseer who goes to a vot-
ing booth is likely to be thrown out
on his ear. Erasures are common;
investigators two years ago found