Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-29
NEW JERSEY POLITICS
Real Issue in State Is on the
Excise Question.
GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN
Candidates Fighting Shy Of Commit
ting Themselves.
THE CORPORATION INTERESTS
Threaten to Punish the President by
Throwing State to the
Democrats.
THE CORPORATION INTERESTS

| Special From Staf Correspondent.
| NEWARK n j., September 2s.-AN Jer
| sey is in a state of mind the guber-
material campaign. And what do you
| think is the issue? Booze. les: just plain
| booze, after all is said and done, and the
| subject Invested of persifiage and political
| fiubdub The funny part of 1t is that
| neither of the contending political parties
| is willing to admit the real issue, although
| both know that the contest will be waged
| upon it.
| 1t is known to the voters that If the re-
! publicans elect the governor and assem-
| bly,, the excise law will be maintained
strngently, although the republicans do
| not dare to admit 1t for fear of al!enat-
| ing the liquor vote. The voters understand
| that if the democrats elect the governor
and assembly there will be probability of
! less restrictive excise legislation and ad-
ministration, although the democrats would
not for the world admit it for fear of es
tranging the church vote.
Neither party had the courage to vigor
ously tackle the question in its platform
and take decided stand The repuol-
cans In their platform Endorsed the eX-
listing excise law. They had to indorse 1t
because they passed it, although the in
dorsement was given with a wry face.
They voted down a local option plank. The
democrats did not condemn the existing
law but intimated, somewhat tmidiy it is
true, their belief in the principle of home
rule and local option. So the campaign
is going to be kind of "speak-easy ana
blind tiger not one of open declaration,
but of unuendo, sly wlnks and lntlmatlon
| that 'everything will work out all right.
The Real Situation.
Before going further it might be well to
|
Jersey The last legislature passed a bill,
! known as the bishops law, which was
| framed by the Catholic and Episcopal
| bishops of New Jersey in conference with
clergymen of other denominations. Bishop
| McFaul of Trenton, Bishop O'Conner of
Newark, the two Catholic eccles!astics, and
| Bishop Lines of North Jersey and Bishop
Scarborough of South Jersey, the two Eps-
copalans, were the leading spirits in the
propaganda which brought about the leg
isation.' The principal feature of the law
| was the adjustment of liquor selling on
Sunday, doing away with back rooms in
| saloons, where men could play cards and
requiring the taking down of screens SO
| to make saloons public as possible.
The cutting off of the Sunday beer was
the hardest blow. That meant that the
many thousands of workingmen in Jersey
| City, Newark, Paterson and the manufac-
| turing towns throughout the state would be
| deprived of their Sunday diversion with its
| inevitable accompaniment of more or less
| beer. The republican party passed the law
! and took the responsibility. In Newark a
| newly elected sheriff enforced the law Wig
| orously. The result of the legislation was
| that at the next election Hudson county
| Jersey City,, Essex county (Newark) and
| PaSsaic county (Paterson) sent democratic
| delegates to the assembly.
| In this campaign each party is trying to
coddle the liquor vote on one hand and not
| offend the church vote on the other. 1t is
the era of reform in New Jersey both in
politics and in general public morals. A
| wave of reform is sweeping over the state
| and is making Itself felt in every direction.
| Neither party can afford to ignore 1t, or
| try to run counter to it openly and brazen-
ly At the same time there is that vast,
| sullen determined element, with it's own
| peculiar social customs, insisting under the
plea of personal liberty for those customs,
and which contends that the reformers are
| going to extremes This element is repre-
| scented in votes at the polls and must be
| reckoned with on election day.
| The Two Candidates.
| The republican candidate for governor is
| Mr. j. Franklin Fort recently a justice of
| the state supreme court. He Is described
| as one of the spectacular, g.ad-hand kind of
| politicians. He is a farmers son, and he
| knows how to jolly the Reubens He is
| plausible taker, inclined to produce dra-
matte effects at psychological moments, and
| will make a great campaign, it is prophe-
| sled. In his speech of acceptance he copied
| the democratic proposition and declared for
! home rule in reference to the liquor ques-
| ton. When pressed since then for further
definition of his idea of home rule, he pass
| ed it up with the bland assertion, why,
| everybody knows what home rule is. It's
home rue, and that's about all he has said
on the liquor question so far.
The democratic candidate Is Frank S.
| KatZenbach, who will be thrty-nine years
| old on election day. He is Princeton grad
4 tn lou
| the stump and a clever politician. He has
been mayor of Trenton and in one. cam
! pa1gn defeated Mr. Briggs. now United
| States senator, for the mayoralty. He is
very cautious on the excise question, but
| the democrats say that his name has a re-
| assuring sound to those who like their beer
He is expected to make lively campaign
| and to talk the language which is under
! stood by considerable element in the dem
locratic party in Jersey.
The Platforms of the contendinp partjes
do not show any burning issues. There are
| no great scandals in the state administra-
| ton, and not even a decent excuse for rails
| Ing a cry to turn the rascals out" The
future is full of pitfalls for both parties
There are unlimited opportunities for
| Burchard and gentlemen of his well-mean-
| ing, but laundering kind. The state Is under
normal conditions republican by fifteen or
| twenty thousand. Gov. Stokes carried il
| by 5l.C00 with Roosevelt at the head of
the national ticket. The republicans are
| hopeful. but not enthusiastic The demo-
| Gratis are enthusiastically hopeful.
Corporation and Financial Interests.
Now, here is an end to the New Jersey
| situation which will have to be taken into
| account The statement is made and on
well-informed authority, that there will be
| an effort on the part of corporation and
| financial interests to give the state to the
| democrats. as rebuke to the national ad-
ministration for its attacks upon corpora
! tons. 1 would not publish this statement
| If | did not have it in way that makes it
! worthy of consideration. In the eastern
part of the state there is large resident
and voting population that doss business
| in New York in the financial and corpora
ton district of that city. These voters re-
/ fleet the sentiments of Wall street. and,
| of course, those sentiments are bitterly
| hostile to President Roosevelt. The threat
| is made that these voters will cast their