Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-05-13
COTBV7S WAR
ON THE LOBBY.
Advocates Expulsion from Floor
of the Assembly Evidence
Not Needed.
ARE PUBLIC ENEMIES"

An address.'on "legislattve Corrup-
tion,' . by Assemblyman Everett Colby
of Orange, formed the principal fea-
ture of the banquet given at Lake
wood, Thursday night, on the occasion
OF the meeting of the Society OF 20
lGnial. Wars in the State OF New DER
sey. Mr.. Colby is the assemblyman
who fathered the limited franchise
movement in the legislature last SEES
sion, and who is 0 conducting n
movement to GUST lobbyists and the
agents of corporations from the moor
of the state legislature. Mr.. Colby 5
address was a telling discourse deliv-
cred straight from the shoulder n
without ~fanaticism.
He declared that a conflict was be-
ing .waeed between the power OF the
law and the influence OF graft and
corruption. He said in part:
.'We are not q nation steady n
long-winded in the we'll doing of the
small thing, but demand a great cri-
sis for our effort. This leads during
pc and prosperity TO a state OF
moral inertia, manifested today in
our attitude toward political corrup,
ton. We do not see the danger in this
great army of corruption because IL
manifests itself at first in the small
way.
some of the conditions is the com
bination of capital, the successful
operation which promises such enor-
nous reward that the temptation be-
comes great to tamper with public
officials to accomplish the ends desired.
This has been done and done success
fully; great fortunes have been
amassed in this way and with these
fortunes have come public honors and
distinc ton.
~ have recently been in correspon-
dence with every governor in the
United States and from every quarter
they return a complaint against the
greed of powerful interests in corrupt
attempts to purchase special privi-
leges. think this indicates that we
are passing through a period of moral
Inertia. a
1.-THE only radical remedy for cor
~rnption in our legislature is to be
found in the wish and cooperation OF
81 per cent. of the people in the state.
In theory this 81 per. cent. want cor
ruption abolished, but in practice
there are not enough to work, to at
tend primaries, to study, and there
fore we shall have corruption until
the people come to realize that brib-
cry, graft and corruption are a menace
to the state, and as much a public en-
envy as the man who sinks a battle
ship or turns traitor to the flag.
~ do not want to be understood as
believing that nothing can be done at
present to wipe out the repulsive evil
dence Of graft, for | believe much can
be done.
why should corporations send to
lobby in the halls of our legislature
those whom they would not for n
moment employ as agents to conduct
their general business transactions?
Why should our state officials tolerate
the continued presence of such at
Trenton?
''There are those who are rightly
in the state house and those whom We
are glad to have among ms and against
whom there is never heard a charge
of attempted bribery, while the open
conduct OF others is such that they arc
stamped as crooks, known as crooks.
act like crooks, look like crooks, and
are crooks-yet they represent corpor-
ate interests without any registered
or apparent authority whatever. They
are continually, ut the state house.
they approach members of the legis-
~lature, they are always under strong
suspicion, they keep a check list and
follow the roll call, and they have cir
c%umstantial evidence heaped against
them to the stars-yet some people
say that although this evidence creates
a moral certainty sufficient to send
men to the gallows in cas- of murder.
it does not furnish ground to rid the
state house of a nuisance. A man
whose character and conduct is such
as to become the subject OF common
distrust should be expelled by resolu-
ton on the ground of conduct unbe-
coming a trustee of any interests
whatever before the Legislature.
= The annual election of the society
resulted as follows: Governor, Will
t;om Morric Daap of Short Hills: