The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-02

grow strong by the violence and injus-
tice Of our adversariea- And unless
truth be a mockery and Justice a hol-
low lie, we viii be IN the majority
after awhile.
Senator Everett Colby and former As
semblyman William p. Martin also spoke,
and an address was given by George III.
Austin. a prominent member of the Citi-
zens' Union of East Orange. Freebooter
David Mcbride, of East Orange, presided.
senator CoIby's speech.
Senator Colby, reviewing the history Of
the New Idea movement from its incep-
ton, told what had been accomplished, and
took up in detail the planks in the platform
upon which the candidates for nomination
to the Assembly are running. In discussing
the direct primary, he said it had been
tried In many States. notably in Wisconsin.
Michigan. Oregon, Massachusetts and in
the South. and wherever it had been tried
It works to the satisfaction Of all but the
political sharp and the bucket shop poll
tician. He said in part:
Now ] a to state briefly the argu-
ments that were advanced last winter
against the direct primary bill In the
Senate. First it was said that the direct
primary did not remedy the evils it aimed
at; that the boss could control the voters
under the direct system as easily as the
old. The answer to this argument is sim
ply that 1t is not true. Experience proves
it is not true. While a poll mi boss may
be able to fool a few peck and buy
others, and browbeat and threh.en some
into doing his VIII and bidding 10 boss
has been able to corrupt any appreciable
number of voters. Where the votei have
been called upon to vote for a gro, of
delegates whom they never knew or Nv
or heard of, only five to eight per cet.t.
of the party voters attend the primaries.
Under the direct system anywhere from
% TO 100 per cent. turn out to express their
choice. Wherever this happens the boss
is confounded and destroyed. Another
argument advanced was that the direct
primary was legislating against the poor
man; that the expense of two campaigns
would prevent a poor nan from offering
himself as a candidate for nomination.
The answer to that is this: 1t is far bet
Ter that the poor man should go to his
neighbor and the fellow at the next bench,
or hire a barrel and talk to his constitu-
ents on the corners and ask them for
their support on some vital issue, than
that he should 50 into office with the
money of the rich man and never after
be able to say his soul is his own. The
money and time will appreciate the re-
sponsibillties Of his office and the honor
the people imposed upon him.
Still another argument advanced was
this: That In country districts 1t would be
practically impossible to hold a political
organization together without the conven-
ton, where the voters meet annually and
talk things over and have a social time.
&hsA3 AAIh t1tt IL oAl1AA " A1 tAAAA1
is one of the most ridiculous. 1t has been
my experience that the rural voters think
things out for themselves, and do not need
the assistance of anyone to tell them what
the issues are and how they should be de-
termlned. The candidates for the nom
nation mark the issues when they an
nounce their candidacy in the primary
ELECTION. and. it being a contest Of ideas
and brains. determines the platforms at
the election.
To carry out these ideas we must have in
office men who believe in them, men who
want to see these ideas prevail more than
they want office. And as to the candi-
date for the nomination for Governor,
what sort of a man do we want? Some
gentle spirit that has been on the fence
which way the cat was going to jump?
Some digniied person whose official re-
sponsibility prevented him from protest
ing against the management Of the Re
publican party for the past two years ?
Some good man." whose simple faith I'm
the Republican party, right or wrong.
leads him to believe in the need of har-
mony at the sacrifice of the very essence
of the New Idea. loyalty to those who
have placed their faith in the sincerity of
our proclamation to carry this work
through to the bitter end? Not to my
mind. We need a man, a man with heart
warm enough to feel. with sympathies
broad enough to understand. with a mind
keen enough to analyze and dissect and 10
destroy that which should be destroyed,
a structure shoul be reared. and all sea
soned with enough mustard to make him
fight. Such a man Is Frank H. Sommer,
Sheriff of Essex County.