The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-03-20
REEDS VILL.AINY
Disreputable Conduct Of the
Somerset Senator Ex-
posed to the Gov
ernor.
NORTH PLAINFIELD ANNEXATION
Mr.. Hoagland Shows That He
Favored Them While Pre-
tending an Intention
to Kill Them.
NORTH PLAINFIRLD ANNEXATION

chestnut of the Rarltan, Senator
Charles Arthur Reed Of Somerset, was the
chief figure in highly dramatic scene
which was enacted in the Governor IS pri-
vate room yesterday. There has been
much speculation as to the exact position
which Reed occupies on the bill winch
authorizes the annexation of North Plain
field, Somerset county, to Plasnfeld
Union county.
The annexation, if it should become a
fact, will make Somerset Democratic
without doing Union any particular
amount of good from a Republican point
of view. When the bill was under consld-
Grafton in the House Reed secured votes
for it by telling his friends that he want
ed it to go through the Assembly so that
he could have the credit of killing it IN
the Senate. Among those who voted for
the bill on this plea was Mr.. Hoagland
the member from Somerset.
Since the bill passed the House Mr..
Hoagland has received a tip that his Ser
ator was not playing fair. but the Assem-
blyman refused TO believe that such
treachery could come out of Somerset.
Tuesday afternoon there was a hearing
on the bill before the Senate Committee,
which was attended by a large delegation
of Somerset people who were interested In
the measure. When the hearing was over
the people were told that Reed would ia
vor the passage of the bill through the
Senate. In spite of all that was done
these stories spread around with such per-
sistency that Mr. Hoagland started out
yesterday to find the tall chestnut" and
learn from him how much truth there
was in the rumors.
He found Reed in the Governors inner
office with large delegation of North
Plainfeld people urging upon the Cover
nor the desirability of the proposed an
nexation.
Mr.. Hoagiand lost no time in getting
down to business.
Governor he began with more than
ordinary heat in his tones, Senator Reed
has deceived me in these annexation bills.
He led me to believe that he wanted the
mea sures to pass the House in order that
he could have the credit of killing them in
the Senate. and he induced many mem-
bers of the House to vote for them for
the same reason. He knew | was opposed
to them and he used unfair means to get
them through the House.
''Oh you misunderstood me, said Reed,
meekly enough. ''I said that would take
care of the bills. but meant that / would
do what I could to pass them.
.'WeIl, that is not what 1 understood.
and it is not what others understood
whom you asked to vote for the bills. .
retorted Mr.. Hoagland. 81 can bring msn
here to whom you said that you wanted
the bills passed in the House so that you
could kill them in the Senate and get the
credit therefor" I"
In order to show that he made no Idle
boast Mr.. Hoagland later took judge
Hoffman of Monmouth to the Governor,
and there Mr.. Hoffman said that Reed had
made to him the representations as stated
by Mr.. Hoagland. To the delegation that
called upon him the Governor said thai
he was opposed to the proposition to take
territory or votes from Somerset, and sug-
gested that a better way out of the diff
Guilty would be to annex Plainheld to
Somerset, as it was desired to have the
two municipalities in the same county.
Having become convinced of the du-
plicity of Reed, Mr.. Hoagland later intro
duced in the House a resolution to recall
the DlllS the EoeileltC lOt lul tflSl NOiA-
sderation, and that action was taken.
There was a story around last night
that former Clerk in Chancery Lewis A
Thompson, Reeds opponent for the Re-
publican bossship of Somerset, was in
favor of the bills. This was denied by
the Thompson men. who said that Reed.
recognizing that his political career IN
Somerset was over, was favoring the an
nexation scheme in order to deal the
Thompson faction deadly blow by maxi
ing Somerset Democratic.
The Senate alone was in session this
morning and among the first business
transacted was an explanation from soma
ter Reed of his position oa the North
Piainfield annexation scheme He took
the floor when the bills providing for the
annexation came UP. Mr. Reed moved an
amendment providing that before the bin
should become operative the provisions
should be endorsed by a vote of the peo-
PIE Then he made a long, rambling
speech telling of the peculiar situation in
North Plainfield. It was an overgrowth
of Plainfield, he said. which had extended
over into Somerset county The houses
ran right along side by side and some of
the houses were in the two COUNTIES.
Plainfiecd has a high, license; North
Plainfield low license. In P.ainfeld the
saloons have to close carly. while in
North Plainfeld they remain open as long
as they Please and men cotr.d cross the
street from one over to the other and
put their fingers up to their noses at the
officers Practically the two mnnicipal-
ties were one. and a great many of the
citizens wanted to be in the same county
and municipality
Personally, Mr.. Reed continued. he was
opposed to the annexation, but almost all
the people wanted it. 1t had been said
in the newspapers that the Assembl ymaii
from his county had been deceived by him
in this matter and he wanted to deny
most emphatically that that was So His
idea was to let the annexation bills rass
the House and come over to the Senate.
where they would come before commit
tee of which he was a member, where
hearings could be had and both SIDES of
the controversy heard. That is what he
meant by saying that he would take care
Of the bills
In accordance with this plan large dele {
cations, both for and against annexation,
came before the committee and argued a
length for this side Of the case. Finally.