Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-10-18

to discuss as briefly as / can, as a
necessary foundation for some fur
Their questions which / request you
to answer. My idea of the boss sys-
tenn is that there is a virtual part
nership between the great public
service corporations, such as the
railroad, trolley and gas companies,
and the principal political leaders of
both party organizations; that the
terms of this partnership, express or
implied, are these: The corpora
tons in question receive from pub
lie officials franchises, privileges
and advantages, such as street rail-
way, gas and water franchises, ex-
emptions in whole or in part from
the common burden of taxation, the
power to determine for themselves
the standard or quality of service
they are to render, and the rates
they are to charge therefor; that
candidates are nominated by the
bosses in both parties who can be
trusted to do nothing If elected to
interfere with these privileges, when
granted, and who will help to grant
new ones when needed, or who, even
If they are forced by public opinion
w wv AiBhSy VI NlSA W w SOy Will
at least do nothing to overthrow the
political power of the boss; that
these privileges enable these favored
corporations to exact huge sums
from the public in excessive rates
and exemptions from taxation; that
in return for these privileges the
corporation managers grant certain
favors to the party leaders or boss
es; that these favors take the form
of either direct money payments or
heavy contributions for campaign
expenses, or opportunities for safe
and profitable business ventures, ac-
cording to the standard of mortal
ity of the particular boss or leader.
Consider some illustrations. The
trolley company in Jersey City OBJ
tanned from our public officers ex--
tremely valuable franchise in our
streets. The value Of these fran
chises may be seen by comparing
Jersey City with Toronto. Jersey
City gets for these privileges not
exceeding $4,000 a year; Toronto, a
much smaller city, gets some $780,
900 a year. Robert Davis, one of
your principal hackers in the state
convention, was than as now, the
democratic boss of Hudson county,
"inflential with officials and powerful
In controlling democratic nomina-
stions for office. subsequently, the
son of Davis, and another of his po-
litical followers, Congressman Kin
kead, turn up as the wners of the
very valuable privilege of the adver4
Using in the street cars, not only of
Jersey City but of all North Jersey,
a privilege said to net these gentle
men the tidy sum of $4,000 a year.
Neither Davis nor Kinkead knew
anything about this business, nor
did they get it by offering the high
not a business arrangement, istaoin
est bid. That 1t was a political, and
not a business arrangement, is
shown by the fact that when Ever
EFT Colby ran for senator In Essex
county, Kinkead refused to receive
his advertisement, at any price.
When this much is done openly, is 1t
not fair to assume that more is done
secretly?
Similar examples are coming to light
everywhere. Witness the insurance
scandals that Hughes exposed; the San
Francisco traction graft that Heaney
exposed; the Philadelphia gas scandal,
where indignant citizens threatened to
hang to the lamp-posts the members of
the council who were acting for the
gas syndicate; the Pittsburg graft; the
Croker millions and his cynical ''work-
ing for his own pocket all the time;'
witness our own coal combine and race
track scandals, with the rumor of big
money that the Democratic leaders got;
witness the recent investigation of the
New York Legislative Committee,
which at the very beginning unearthed
$50, 900 in graft payments to politi-
clans by the street railways of New
York City, with testimony that this is
only a small item OF the huge sums that
were actually paid. Witness Lorimer
elected to the Senate by Democratic
votes. Witness Tammany congressman
coming to the rescue of Cannon when
he was hard pressed by the Progress
sives.
This system is by necessity bi-parti-
san. 1t cannot exist in one party
alone. In your speeches you declare
that the Republican party is allied to
the special interests, and that the Dem
o%cratic party has been regenerated, pur-
ged from these influences, and reor-
ganized. When and where did this pur-
ifcation and reorganization take plaeef
Has the party changed it's leaders9
Have not Smith, Nugent and Davis
been its most influential leaders for
years, and are they not its leaders now9
If the leaders are the same, when did
they get purified When did they
cease to represent in politics, or be
willing to represent, the special inter
ests7 Have you forgotten the race
track and coal combine scandals, which
took place under their leadership7 Have
you forgotten that President Cleveland
denounced the action of Senator James
Smith on the tariff bill as ''party per-
ffdyS' Or, IL all that is too long ago,
you forgotten the record of the
Democratic legislature three years ago9
Do you not know that it's record was
disgraceful; that the same difficulty was
there encountered in passing all bills
aimed to prevent fraud at elections, to
make corporations give up these special
unjust privileges, as is encountered,
when the Republican machine controls
the legislature; and that on the last
night of the session in order to prevent
the passage Of some bills opposed by
the bosses and corporate interests, the
resorted to the revolutionary
course Of declaring the legislature ad-
when in fact it had not ad-
journedf
There have been individual members
of The Legislature whom these Democrat
ic bosses could not control, like Hen
erickson, Tumulty, Sullivan and Ken
ny but that is because we New Idea
have waged such a fierce fight on
that he haa Kan aamnA3A -