The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-09-28
PARTY BOSSES
DENOUNCED
Governor Fort Gives His Views
on the Political Situation
Plea for Good Men
WELFARE OF PEOPLE IGNORED


at the New Auditorium here last night
Governor John Franklin Fort scored
the bosses of both political parties and
asked the people of the state to elect
men to the legislature who would en-
act into laws the things the people
demand without dictation from any
source The governors remarks fol-
low:
We are face to face in our state
with the problem of who shall rule it
the people or the bosses under the
domination of the special interests.
Two years ago l was nominated for
governor by the Republican party
upon a platform that was unusually
progressive. In the campaign which
followed the party gave me united
support, and during that camgaign in
no uncertain way | pledged myself to
the people that If elected would
keep the platform pledges.
Among other things for which the
party declared in it's convention in
1907 were these:
ID For the enactment of a comprehen-
sive civil service measure in the interests
fairs.
(2) For an amendment of the federal
constitution for the election of United
States senators by the people and until
that is accomplished the enactment Of
some law for the voter to express his
choice in some authoritative way for
United States senator
| (3) For q constitutional amendment sep
arating national and state from munici-
pal elections, with national and state cleo
tions in even years and local elections in
1 odd years.
"a For a constitutional amendment for
assembly districts.
@) For reform in the petit jury system /
and better system of selecting grand
| Jurors.
(6) For the direct primary.
% For the enactment of a law creating
public utilities commission with ample
power to regulate such corporations.
(8) For the consolidation of departments
and commissions of similar character
(9) For the correction of abuses in state
| departments or institutions and the hold
/ ing of all officials to strict accountability.
The concluding paragraph of the
platform was this:
We call the attention of the people to
the incompetency of the Democratic house
| Of assembly, to the disgraceful scenes
that marked its proceedings, TO its abso-
lutte control by the lobby, to its refusal to
pass laws for the Improvement of the
civil service to pass laws for the reform
of the grand jury system, to permit the
submission to the public of the question
OF separation of the state and municipal
elections and tq&the reform measures
passed by the Re4sdblfcan senate.
Accepting the nomination in good
faith ON this platform, | promised If
elected to carry it out If l could.
Governor Stokes in his last message
to the legislature in January, 1908, ad-
vocated the separation of state from
local elections, the assembly district
system, judiciary revision, civil serv-
ice, grand jury reform, purity of the
ballot and the consolidation Of state
boards.
In my inaugural address and first
/ message spoke in as clear and force
full terms as l knew how on all the
matters contained in the platform on
which | was elected. In the face of
these facts it would seem as if the
party was committed to all this benefi-
cent legislation, but what have we
done?
Civil Service Bill Passed.
At the end of the session of 1908 we
, did get a moderate civil service bill
| and at the end of that of 1909 a coun-
/ ty committee primary bill But how
, did we get these? Only after one of
thes shardest fights with the so called
leaders of the party that have ever
Z occurred at Trenton. Because / adj
voeated these laws these men have
separated themselves from the execu-
] tive as though he had been false to
5 the party and the people. So far as l
) now recall, every one of them has OPP
posed every law introduced to carry
out any of the party pledges. Sen
ator Alderman fought these men in
the senate for his civil service bill
and won, although he and both knew
: that the bill we got was not all we
should have had. The direct county
/ committee primary was obtained over
, their bitter opposition. The character
q of these two contests is pretty we'll
: known to the public, and it is equally
well known that all the so called
: state bosses opposed the enactment
+ of these laws and every other law to
+ keep the party pledges.
3 What a commentary it is on legisla-
S tion that these men dominate it! Sew
. eral members of the legislature have
q come to me and expressed regret that
\ llhty IuuSL NOtC to lAtg QO anu lIldJ
they are compelled to recommend the
appointments that they do owing 10
: the pressure and demands of these
men. Do the people realize that in
many cases they are electing not leg
Z islators to represent them, but these
2 bosses? The legislators despise it, 1t
J is humiliating to them. They do not
i hesitate to say So The senate at the
last session did throw off most of this
control and passed many good meas
ures. If the members of the house
were left to voice their own convic-
tions they would keep the party
pledges.
During the debate and vote on the
! primary bill last winter some of the
leaders were on the floor of the assem-
bly, sitting in seats of members and
coaching them what to say, what mo-
tions to make and how to vote Is it
possible that these things can go on
and the people submit to it? Have we
lost all semblance of representative
government in New Jersey?
For two years | have tried to get on
with these gentlemen. Our personal
relations have always been pleasant
and are today. Socially they are good
fellows. But the path we tread ends
there. They oppose and they are
| usually frank about it. every bill look
! ing for a further extension or the Oh
rect primary or better expression
| on the oupStion of whom the people