Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-05-26
RECORD GOES
TO BAYONNE.
Candidate for United States Sen
atOr Addresses a Meeting in
the Rings" Stronghold.

BAYONNE, May 26.-Bayonne,
the stronghold of Secretary of State
Samuel ID. Dickinson, republican
boss of Hudson county, was invad-
ed by the Colby-Fagan reform faction
last might. At a mass meeting held
in Hemerickson's hall, at Avenue d
and Thirty-first street, Corporation
Counsel George l.. Record of ,Ier-
sey City, who has been put forward
by Mayor Pagan as a candidate for
United States senator, made the prin-
cipal speech. Mayor Pagan also adj
dressed the meeting. Senator Colby,
of Essex county, was not present.
The attendance was very small, but
among the prominent residents OF
Bayonne present were Mr.. George
Caravan, president of the Bayonne
Savings Bank, and Mr.. James #.
Coward.
Mr.. Record said, in part;
I'VE have commenced in New Jer-
sey q most extraordinary campaign.
This year we have challenged the
machine all along the line. Within
two months we will have in the field
in practically every county OF the
state candidates openly contesting
for legislative nominations in the re-
publican primaries on September 20,
The only weapon with which the ma
chine can fight us is money, They
can hold no meetings and they have
no cause. They do not and they dare
not attack a single one of the princi-
pies which we put forward as the
ground of our indictment against
them. Their only recourse Is money,
which the corporations or their sena-
torial candidates r expected to
furnish.
Certain things were accomplish
ed in the last legislature, like the
railroad tax law. This was done not
from any desire to benefit the people,
but from fear of an outraged public
opinion. The machine men proceed
ed upon the theory that If the people
were given the equal tax and fran
chise laws the Colby-Fagan agitation
would die out. On the contrary, the
public has just discovered how to
obtain the things it needs and how to
curb corporate privileges, and, like
oliver Twist, holds out its plate for
more.
I'm this campaign we may demand
many reforms, but the public inter-
est will centre around four of them.
First. we demand a law allowing the
party voters to express their prefer
ence for United States senator at the
primaries or at the elections. Such
a law was even introduced into the
legislature by Senator Hillery, but
our bill as we'll as his was suppress
ed in committee. Under these cir
cumstances we are justified in charg-
ing that this bill was deliberately
suppressed by the state machine be-
cause it desired and intended to run
a candidate for United States senator
next fall whom it had good reason to
fear would not be acceptable to the
rank and file of the party.
"Seoond-We shall insist again
upon the taxation of franchises of all
corporations having privileges In. the
public streets the same as other
property is assessed and taxed.
''Third-We shall insist upon the
passage of. a law taking out of the
hands of the sheriff the power to
arbitrarily select grand and petit
iuries. The scandals arising from the
present system have attracted atten-
ton in nearly every county in the
state. The grand jury is used to
punish enemies and to protect
friends. The suppression of such a
bill in the legislature last year is
another count in the indictment
which we make against the state
machine.
"Fourth-We shall fight, particu-
larry in Hudson county, for a law au-
thorizing any municipality to make a
water contract with any other muni-
cipality within reasonable distance
of it's plant. Bills introduced on
behalf of Jersey City have been sup
pressed in committees at the orders
of the state leaders acting directly
for the water syndicates of Nerth Jer-
sey."