The Wilmington morning star., 1940-02-12
WASH|NG7ON
DAYBOOK
By PRESTON GROVER

WASHINGTON. Feb. The used to be
(maybe there is yeti a character in the funny
papers known as Gloomy Gus. Gus face was
recalled to us wildly when we saw Senator
Joe Guffey Of Pennsylvania after the double.
edged trimming he has had in the last few
days.
Gloomy Guffey's chin seemed to be dragging
the floor. The i'll feelings which had
ed for two years or more in Pennsylvania poll
tics had arisen to put in his path more snares
than you could find in a rabbit run.
First, the Pennsylvania state democratic com.
mittee. had refused to indorse his candidacy for
the senate. Second, his hope of stirring up en-.
thusiasm for the party by having the national
convention in Philadelphia was blasted. Chicago
got it. Third, both situations so discouraged
democratic workmen in Pennsylvania that
many took it for granted that once again Penn.
sylvania would go back into the republican
columns next November. Their only hope, they
said, was for Roosevelt to run for a third term
with a sweep similar to 1896.
Now 1t Can Be Told
Until two years ago Guffey was happily con.
fident that he was the democratic kingpin in
Pennsylvania. Then a hitch developed. The
story is only now available.
Just before the 1888 meeting Of the Pennsyl-
vania democratic central committee, Guffey
and a group Of party officials had a confer.
ence with President Roosevelt. Guffey had let
it out that he wanted to be the candidate for
governor, or at least to name his man. At the
White House he was talked out Of that. Leav.
ing the White House the conferees announced
that the President wanted Guffey to stay in
the senate. What was not announced seems
to have been an agreement to have Ambas-
sador William Bullitt return from Paris and
run for governor.
The plan fell through. John B.. Kelly, Phila.
delphia city democratic chairman, and Matthew
McClosky, contractor and heavy voice in the
party, had not been consulted. Information
coming to us now is that they baked at Bull
lit. Moreover, it seems Bullitt had not been
taken into the picture. He, too, baked.
Guffey felt he had been slicked out of the
governorship and decided to plug for his own
man, Thomas Kennedy. a CLIO candidate. 1t
was a frantic move. Guffey;s democratic
friends, who had counted him as a regular for
years, became furiously bitter. Their own can.
didate, Charles Alvin Jones, won the nomina-
ton in the primary against Guffey's choice,
but the party split was so damaging that the
republican candidates., earlier considered almost
pushovers, won both in the senate and for
governor.
Bullitt to Run?
Guffey made efforts to heal the breach.
Jones was a possibility for appointment to the
federal circuit court. So was Michael Musman-
no. Guffey presented both to the attorney gen.
SAeAs ~ nj oSASS ~ SAS oo4ASy
okayed him for confirmation in the senate.
But when the state central committee met
to pass on candidates for 1910, including Cuff.
fey's senatorship, there was a solid move to
deal out Guffey and put in Kelly of Philadel.
phia. Guffey threatened to run independently
in the primary, thus threatening a new party
split. So the committee, for the first time in
years, backed away without indorsing anybody
for the senate.
But even now it is by no means sure Guffey
will have the field to himself. On the eve of
the state mmit meeting, it was announced
Bullitt was coming home from Paris for a
brief consultation. Rumors brewed that he
would enter the race against Guffey. Offhand,
the rumors sound groundless. 1t would amount
to reputation by President Roosevelt of Cuff
fey, in the face of his faithful support of the
new deal. Besides, while Guffey may lose the
election, he would be no easy candidate in the
primary. He has packed Pennsylvania full of
patronage.