Evening star., 1938-05-12
EARLE'S FACTION
HALLS QUIZ DELAY
Courts Hating of Campaign
Graft Probe Affords
Breathing Spell.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,
Sta1 Correspondent OF The Star.

ticket in the coming Democratic pri-
mary are manifestly pleased, not to
say relieved, by the order of the State
Supreme Court postponing grand jury
investigation Of campaign graft charges
made against Gov. George Earle, Sec
retary of the Commonwealth David l..
Lawrence, Secretary of Labor Ralph
M. Bashore and Matthew H. Nc
Closkey. jr.. Philadelphia contractor
and Democratic leader.
They hope the grand jury investi-
cation will never be made. But
whether it is or not, they have a
breathing spell until after primary
day, which is next Tuesday. The court
will meet the following day to decide
whether the temporary injunction
halting the grand jury probe shall be
made permanent.
Just to liven things up in this
already torn commonwealth, new
charges of corruption and graft were
launched against Mr.. Lawrence and
Mr.. McCloskey last night by Charles
j. Margiotti, independent Democratic
candidate for Governor He declared
that $4,000 had been paid to the
Democratic State chairman, Mr.. Law
renee, and Mr. McCloskey in deal
for trucks bought by the State.
Mr.. Margiotti complained bitterly
because of the halting of the investi-
CATION by the grand jury. He was
joined in this by Thomas Kennedy,
Guffey-Lewis candidate for the guber-
material nomination of the Democrats
The probe was to have been begun
yesterday by the grand jury of
Dauphin County District Attorney
Carl B. Shelley and the local court
will wait until the Supreme Court
has passed upon the legality of investi-
cation which has been challenged by
Gov. Earle and his new attorney gen.
eral, Guy K. Bard.
Charge Republican Plot.
Although the charges of graft and
corruption have been made by Demo-
Gratis. Mr. Margiotti, recently dis
missed by Gov. Earle from the post of
attorney general, and S. Davis Wilson,
Mayor of Philadelphia and candidate
for the Democratic senatorial nominal
ton against Gov. Earle, the Earle
Jones followers insist that the grand
jury investigation is just loW-doWn
Republican move. The judges in
Dauphin County and the district at
torney, they point out, are Repub-
licans. and furthermore the % men,
bers of the grand jury who will make
the investigation, if it is permitted. are
all Republicans except two
1T is just fishing expedition" said
one official of the Earle administration
today, which the Republicans hope
to keep going right through the sum-
mer and into the fall"
That is one excuse given by the
Earle-Jones leaders for avoiding the
grand jury probe Another, which is
also the reason advanced before the
State Supreme Court. is that the pro-
posed grand jury inquiry is illegal;
that in effect it would be an effort on
the part OF the judiciary to dominate
and control a coordinate branch of
the State government, the executive
branch. If any inquiry is to be made
into the charges. they maintain, it
should be made by the attorney gen.
eral. the proper official to sift such
charges.
May Put Bard on Spot.
The new attorney general, Mr.. Bard,
Is the choice of Gov. Earle, selected to
fill the place from which the Governor
ousted Mr. Margiotti after the latter
had charged that members of his ad-
ministration had sold" legislation. If
the court rules finally against the
grand jury probe, it will be up to the
attorney general to make an investiga-
ton. He will be in an uncomfortable
spot, for if he holds the charges are
unfounded. he will be charged with
"whitewashing" the whole affair
The grand jury was prepared yes
terday to go right ahead investigating
charges that Gov. Earle had borrowed
some 100000 from Mr.. McCloskey. the
Philadelphia contractor. of which he
still owed $4,000 when the charge was
published. 1t was prepared to look into
the charges that Mr.. Lawrence, Mr..
Bashore and Mr.. McCloskey had re-
ceived 10000 for selling beer legisla-
ton in 1885. Mr.. McCloskey received
about $l0,O00,0O0 worth of State con-
tracts, not to mention contracts for
Federal buildings in Washington, D. c.
Effect on Voters Problematical.
How much effect, If any, these
charges against Gov. Earle and his
hackers have had on the electorate it is
impossible to determine with any GER
tainty. His supporters insist the
charges have made mo impression"
that the Earle-Jones ticket will win by
Q wide margin over the Kennedy-Wil-
son ticket, which is backed by John
l.. Lewis and his Committee of Indus
trial Organization and Senator Guffey
These Earle-Jones leaders look with
sorrow upon Senator Guffey; they
have kind of "et tu, Guffey" express
sion on their faces when they speak of
the Senator They admit they are
not surprised that Mr.. Margiotti,
who became Democrat four years
ago when he could not make terms
with the Republican organization,
should have made a vicious attack
upon the ticket supported by the Dem
ocratic State Committee, or that
Mayor Wilson of Philadelphia should
have dug up the story about Gov.
Earle borrowing money from Mr.. Nc
Closkey. But they did not expect, they