Evening star., 1942-10-23
By GOULD LINCOLN,
Star Staff Writer.

" I" tttoo oH ctcCttOH POSpSCtS.
BY GOULD LINCOLN,
Star Staff Writer.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 23.-Penn-
sylvania, the second most populous
state in the Union, is set today to
elect Republican Governor and a
majority of the States delegation
in the House of Representatives.
Pennsylvania Democrats and the
administration in Washington are
striving desperately to upset the
COP applicant in these last days
before election, but it does not seem
possible for them to do so.
Ir the last "off year" election,
1888, the Republicans elected Gov.
James with a lead of $4,000 votes.
The expectation of the Republicans
is that their candidate for Governor,
Gen, Edward Martin, will defeat his
Democratic opponent, Auditor Gen.
eral F. Clair Ross, by a majority at
least as large as that given Gov.
James and that in all probability
Gen. Martin will better it.
Four years ago the Democrats
engaged in bitter intra-party
primary fight with Senator Joseph
F.. Guffey on the losing end and
David Lawrence, Democratic State
chairman at that time, on the WIN
ming end. Senator Guffey later
came out for the Democratic ticket,
although his candidate for the gu
bernatorial nomination had been
defeated and Mr.. Lawrence's had
won in the primary. This year the
warfare between Senator Guffey
and Mr.. Lawrence continued.
Guffey Loses Again.
Mr.. Lawrence, now Democratic
national committeeman, backed
Auditor General Ross for the gu
bernatorial nomination and Senator
Guffey put forward Judge Ralph
Smith of Pittsburgh. A third can
didate, DR.. Luther Harr, still
further muddied the waters for the
Democrats. Again Senator Guffey
was defeated and Mr. Lawrence
landed on top of the heap. Not
until October II did Senator Guffey
enter the campaign this year with
a. speech in Philadelphia supporting
the Democratic ticket. So far as
Democratic politics in Pennsylvania
is concerned, good deal hangs in
the balance in this election. If Mr..
Ross should be elected, Senator
Guffey would have to say good-by
to hopes of controlling the States
delegation in the next Democratic
national convention. With his man
in the Governor chair Mr.. Law
renee would be the power behind the
throne. He could dominate the po-
]itical situation. In consequence of
this, political observers here view
with skepticism Senator Guffey's
eleventh hour Endorsement of Mr..
Ross.
However, at Democratic head
quarters, the Guffey Endorsement
of the State ticket was regarded as
a 10 strike. The Philadelphia Rec
ord, ardent New Deal Democratic
newspaper, on the day after Senator
Guffey's speech favoring Mr. Ross
played the story up with a three
bank banner heading. Apparently
it was big news for a Democratic
Senator to indorse a Democratic
candidate for governor.
Capital Interest Keen.
Washington has become greatly
Interested in the outcome of the
election here. Not only was Mr.
Guffey prevailed upon to come to
the aid of Mr.. Ross, but Third As
sistant Postmaster General Ramsay
S. Black has been installed here to
run the Democratic campaign, with
Mr. Lawrence, more or less, in the
background. While Mr.. Black does
not come under the Hatch Act,
which prohibits Federal employees
from taking part in political cam
paigns, other than to vote, the Re-
publicans Immediately raised howl
that he had come here to raise an
army of Democratic postmasters to
labor for the Ross ticket. They Is
sued dire warnings of what might
be expected if this took place, for
the postmasters are subject to the
Hatch Act provisions.
Then came the announcement by
Attorney General Biddle taking
Italians in this country out of the
enemy alien class. Mr.. Biddle is
himself a PENNSYLVANIA. What
ever the reason for Mr.. Biddle's ac-
ton, it was interpreted here as a
bid on the part of the Democratic
administration for the Italian vote
which is large in the city of brother
ly lo7e-a vote which has largely
deserted the Democratic standard
At Democratic headquarters this &C
ton by the Attorney General is
called big political asset. In South
Philadelphia the italian vote is said
to be 81 per cent of the total. The
Biddle decision in this matter ano
the Guffey Endorsement Of Mr.. Ross
are the two happenings in recent
weeks that have lifted the dropping
spirits of the Democratic organlza l.
tion.
Count on Organized Labor.
Another factor that the Demo-
Gratis are relying upon is the support
which organized labor is giving the
party ticket. The labor organiza-
tions have set up committee to
work for the Democrats, taking a
whole floor in an Office building ir
which the Philadelphia Democratic
City Committee has its headquar-
tiers. The unions are going at the
job in big way. Indeed, they are
better organized for this work thar
are the Democrats themselves. The
Democrats complain that many oi
their young organization workers
have been taken into the Army
pointing out that the Republican
organization which is strongly de-
veloped here, is run by older men.
The labor front is not entirely
solid for the Democratic candidate
for governor. David Williams, Sec
retary of the PENNSYLVANIA Fedora.