Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-08-21
FOUDYCE BEGAN THE BIC FIGHT AGAINST LEHICH
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we're tied in it by the machine republicans headed by Leader Edward D
Duned, now Assistant Attorney General.
The great fight at that time was on the Dudeld amendments. The
Colby resolution originally provided that Whereas. the general principle
upon which such perpetual grants are made is fundamentally wrong,
therefore. resolved, that it is the sentiment of the Senate and General
Assembly that all franchises granted in perpetuity to public utility cor
poraions deprives future generations of their just rights and are unfair
and wrong and contrary to public policy
Though this was merely the expression of a n opinion and had no
legislative force whatever, 1t met the strenuous opposition of the State
House republican ring. Leader Dumed proposed amendments that
modified the proposition very materially. The amendments were adopt
ed by a vote of "a to 10. Fordyce stood with Colby for the original res
olution and voted against the amendments. This resolution, more than
anything else, erysmlized the sentiment which forced the legislature of
1906 to pass the limited franchise bill, which is now a law.
These are some of the things Which go % make up the Fordyce leg
islahve record and which show that the actions of the gentlemen from
Middlesex, when a representative Of the people. squared with his polni-
cal profession in the present campaign.
If Colonel Fordyces record is thus to be examined it is but fair
that his opponent, Senator Jackson, should also be brought into the
lime light of the political stage. While Fordyce was fighting battles for
The people what was Jackson doing? i,
The records show that he W a standing for the bosses. Senate bills
Nos. 70 and 10 introduced and supported by him in the session of 1906
show that.
Bill No. - was a offensive partisan measure of the most pro-
nounced type. 1t reduced the number of water commissioners in New
Brunswick from six to three, the three members to be appointed at
once by the republican mayor and to take office January l following
At that time the water board a democratic. The scheme of the Mid
dlesex bosses was to get full control of the water department OF the city
without regard to the will of the people as expressed at the polls The
bosses said the word and Senator Jackson did the rest 1t "a not SEN
ator Jackson's fault 1T all that the bill did not become a law
Senate Bill No. 10, by Jackson, was still more Infamous and had "a
direct bearing OF Perth Amboy. 1t amended the act for the establish
ment of excise departments 81 that the mayors of cities might in heir
discretion, apply to the judge of the Court of Common Peas Or te
appointment of an excise board of three members, to take effect immedt-
ateIy. AT that time the judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Mid
dlesex county was Woodbridge Strong, father of Theodore Strong, the
republican boss of the county. The effect of the bill had it become a
law would have been to place the entire licensing power of the whole
of Middlesex county, with the exception of Perth Amboy, in the hands
of the Strongs, father and son. That was aiming at boss rule with a
vengeance, yet Senator Jackson stood for it and supported the bill.
In the event of the bill having become a law, If Strong could have
persuaded the mayor of Perth Amboy to make the needed request to
the court, the same sort of a excise commission could have been APP
pointed there, replacing absolutely the board elected by the people Then
power in the, county.
Here is a deadly parallel which certainly presents to the voters of
Middlesex county a picture in politics that might well cause them to
halt and think it over"