Pennsylvania Primaries

Pennsylvania rocked with Republican primary elections.

In Philadelphia, foes of the Republican machine bossed by U. S. Senator-Elect William S. Vare rejoiced greatly in defeat. The Vare-picked candidate for Mayor of Philadelphia, City Treasurer Harry A. Mackey, defeated J. Hampton Moore, a onetime Philadelphia Mayor, by 73,969 votes (unofficial count). This was over 100,000 votes less than Senator-elect Vare piled up in the Philadelphia pri-mary last Autumn against George Wharton Pepper and Gifford Pinchot. Elated, Candidate Moore and friends talked about another assault on the Vare machine at the November election, with an independent ticket. Philadelphians could thus look forward to two months more of Vare-style campaigning, which consists in spending dollars by the hundreds of thousands. A pro-Vare organ that will presumably continue is The Young Republican, among whose targets in the primary campaign were:

"Nasty little Hampy Moore" (i. e., candidate J. Hampton Moore).

Eighty per cent of U. S. daily newspapers, because they are indirectly controlled by the British government.

"The notorious Carnegie foundation for which the sinister Elihu Root is attorney of record."

"The Roots, Hugheses, Hoovers and other traitors to the country." The latter were said to have "practically wrecked the Harding administration."

In Pittsburgh, the "Strip," the "Hill" and the "Soho" districts have never been pink-tea political neighborhoods. But it was a long time since they had crackled with electioneering gunshots as they did last week. Cars piled with ward heelers, toughs, thugs and rowdy touts plunged through the streets emitting angry pistol potshots. Detectives and police added to the confusion by kicking, clubbing, threatening with gas bombs and riot guns. When gunsmoke cleared, it was found that two innocent bystanders, aged 24 and 9, had been killed "by mistake" and several other persons wounded while the citizens of Pittsburgh were electing aldermen, constables, judges, a controller.