Evening star., 1938-10-27
ST|GMAS BEF0U[
KEYSTONE RACE
G. O. P. May Miss Chance
in Spite Graft Charges.
Labor AIienated.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,
Star Stan Correspondent.

PITTSBURGH, f&, OCt. lie
political situation In Pennsylvania Is
Just 4 bad dream. Republicans and
Democrats are having tough time
interpreting 1t.
With enough charges of graft and
corruption against the Democratic ad-
nninistration Of the State to sink it
thousand fathoms deep, the Republic
cans still may miss the boat. There
NSre several reasons. First, the Repub-
lican nominee for Governor, Judge
Arthur H. James, has been tagged with
the Pew Grundy Annenberg label,
which frightens labor. Second, the
Democrats are turning loose spend
ing program with Federal money!
for relief, public works. etc, which
makes their efforts in 1884 and 1896
look tame in comparison. And third,
Roosevelt New Deal sentiment still
runs strong in this state-and Judge
James is making an anti-New Deal
campaign.
W. E~ All is not beer and skittles for the
Democrats, however. Far from it. In
the first place, they are fearful that
the resentment against the Earle ad-
Ministration and disgust with the
Charges Of corruption which have not
been answered will swing many votes
against the Democratic ticket No
one seems able to estimate with any
definiteness how far this issue is cut
ting into the Democratic party's
strength.
Primary Scars Still Show.
Second, the Democrats bear the
scars OF desperate primary battle.
in which Senator Joe" Guffey and
Lieut.. Gov Thomas Kennedy on one
side went to the mat with Gov. George
Earle. David Lawrence, Democratic
state chairman and secretary of state;
Jack" Kelly, Philadelphia leader, and
Matthew H. McCloskey, contractor
politician. Although peace has been
patched up and Guffey given the title
OF campaign manager, suspicion and
jealousy. particularly with regard to
future Democratic leadership in Penn
sylvanla, are running rife.
The Democrats are counting on the
huge w. P. A. vote-with approxi-
mately 100000 on the w. P. A. rolls.
They are counting on the vote of
organized labor and unorga nized labor.
Much Of the w. P. A. vote is covered
BY the labor vote and cannot, there
fore, be twice counted. And they are
counting on the Negro vote, which has
been estimated as high as 177,OO0.
Here in Pittsburgh, monkey wrench
has been thrown into the arrangements
which were intended to give the Demo-
cratic State ticket the benefit of the
Negro vote, or very large slice of it.
Under the leadership of Robert L..
Vann, nationally known colored pub
Usher OF the Pittsburgh Courier. the
Allegheny County Democratic organ
ization has announced its intention
OF supporting Judge James, the Repub-
l1can nominee for Governor.
Vann. who once was 4 Republican
but jumped to the Democrats several
years ago and aided Senator Guffey in
his campaign to bring the colored vote
into the New Deal camp, insists he is
not leaving the Democratic party now.
Would Bolster Guney.
He Is out to defeat the Democratic
candidate for Governor, Charles Alvin
Jones, because he believes that through
such action Senator Guffey will be re-
stored to absolute leadership of the
democratic party in Pennsylvania, and
Lawrence, the State chairman, will be
reAgated to the back row.
Behind the scenes is the determina-
ton Of Guffey to resume asain a
dominant position in the Democratic
party in Pennsylvania, from which he
was ousted last spring when Earle,
Lawrence, McCloskey, Kelly and
others denied him the gubernatorial
nomination and insisted upon naming
Jones for the office. There is a grow
Ing belief that Senator Guffey would
shed no tears if Gov Earle is de-
feated in his effort to win the SEN
atorshlp from Senator James Davis.
Republican. He does not want it is
argued, another Democratic Senator
In Washington to divide with him
Federal patronage. 1t is said also
IN some quarters that the defeat of
Jones for Governor would work still
further to give Guffey supreme place
In Pennsylvania Democratic party
with Lawrence discredited.
One thing is certain-these Demo-
Gratis IN Pennsylvania are watching
each other like hawks.
In the meantime the Republicans
are making the most of the charges
OF graft and corruption brought
against Gov. Earle and his adminis-
tration.
The legislative committee set up to
investigate the charges of corruption
at Earle's command, called the
"Whitewash Committee" has been at
Its job for weeks. The Supreme Court
acted in time to prevent the COM
mittee's selling and tying up the evi-
dence in the hands of the prosecuting
attorney of Dauphin County. The
coat OF whitewash has not, therefore,
been thoroughly applied.
Former Gov Clifford Pinchot. to
the grief of the Republican organiza-
tion leaders. recently came forward
with statement he could not stom-
ach the Pew-Grundy- -Annenberg DOM
ination Of the Republican party
Pinchot was a candidate for the Re-
publican gubernatorial nomination
early this year against Judge James
James won with an overwhelming
vote. Most of Pinchot's political lieu
tenants have refused to follow the
former Governor in his denunciation
of the Republican State ticket and
are continuing their support. Pin
chot's castigation of the wealthy domi-
mating interests back of the ticket may
or may not prove of real assistance
to Jones, the Democratic candidate
for Governor. Anyway. it is not likely
to do the Republican cause good.
Jones Vigorous In Campaign.
Charles Alvin Jones, Democratic
nominee for Governor, is a Pittsburgh
lawyer He is fairly outside and be-
yond the corruption charges himself,