Gloucester County Democrat., 1907-10-10


be enforced all over the state in the
same way as III the center of Newark.
s The harmony will. it is believed, CON
Icede the denomination of Senator Colby.
next year and full support fy all the
Colbyites named on the assembly
ticket this year
The Newark Evening News aad this
/ to say on Monday:
sTte selection of members of the ex-
lecutiye committee of the Republican
Estate committee to conduct the cam
|paign for J Franklin Fort for govern
Tor has considerably more than Offset
Ethe appointment of Sheriff Frank H.
Sommer as a member at large Of the
general committee
Among these chief counseI0rs in
formulating campaign plans are Colo
incl Samuel p. Dickinson, David Baird.
daniel S. Voorhees, and Joseph McDer-
lmott. To bosses of that iik are to be in
TRUSTED the welfare of the Republican
lparty in the contest now in progress.
| IF men of this kind are to dictate
what shall be done in the campaign. it
lmust be taken for granted that they
Twill continue to control in government
ltal affairs after election, provided they
succeed in leading the party to victory.
/ Candidate Fort has declared that he
lis under no obligations to the bosses.
He has boasted of his independence.
lBut in the face of these declarations
1 notorious or the parry ma
chine manipulators in the state are
honored By the nominee and his trust
ed advisers. The selection of these
men is direct slap in the face to de-
cency and independence. 1t demon
strates an absolute lack of sincerity
on the part of the party leaders. How
much confidence can be placed in pro-
| fessions of reform in the face of this
leyidence?''
Aside from the Colby -Sommer fea-
ture of the campaign, the exposures
made by the Hahn investigating com
mittee of the house of assembly are
admitted to be the weakest part of
the Republican armor. Connected with
this investigation are some notable
| features. Before the committee went
to work some newspapers Of the state,
especially those of Republican tenden-
eies, freely asserted that the commit
tee would accomplish nothing; that II
was not intended that it should accom-
| pliSh anything The engagement of
Mr. Backes of Trenton as counsel of
| the committee caused a cessation in
the criticisms. After Mr.. Backes got
| to work the tune changed, and it was
/ found that things were happening.
Just before the committee held its first
meeting David Watkins, state insur-
ance commissioner and former speaker
of the house, was being doomed fo1
the Republican nomination for govern
or. IN fact, it was given out by the
insiders that Watkins was slated for
| the nomination
| Then the Hahn committee met. Mr..
| Watkins ceased to be gubernatorial
| possibility within twenty four hours.
| His practice OF placing state money in
banks in which he was interested with
| ont paying interest to the state was ex-
posed. 1t ended Mr.. Watkins political
| career then and there.
| Next came the fish and game com
mission. Common thieyery was proved
in that body.
| Then came the State hospital Muir
| der was put on the Republican party
there, not to mention the fearful neg
lect of patients. the departure of a
leading official ON his vacation at a
| time when he should have made the
checking of the typhoid fever epidemic
his first consideration. Then the horri-
/ bic and unmentionable condition of
| affairs in the management Of the State
reformat0ry at Railway capped the eli
max. One-half the story has not yet
been told of the abuses at Railway
| Here is a remarkable phase of the
| exposures made by the Hahn commit
tee up to date. In no instance We're
they anticipated There had been stray
| rumors Of wholesale corruption and
| abuses. The committee had nothing
| definite They went about their task
very much as man blindfolded might
wander around in the dark in search
/ of assistance. In every direction in
which they reached they brought forth
corruption and abuses. Only slight in
formation has thus. far been shed on
the abuses in the giving out of CON
tracts for work on the statehouse, but
the rest Of 1t will be uncovered before
long At any rate, more corruption in
our state government has been un-
covered within the past six months
than 1t was dreamed could ever exist
in the state.
In the face of all the rottenness and
corruption it is noted by many through
the state that not a state official, from
the governor down, has made single
move in the direction of removing the
officials proved to have committed
crimes. Not single official has de-
manded their Indictment and punish
ment, and not a single Republican
newspaper has urged that the leaders