Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-07-12
klNKEAD DEFENDS
PAST ACTION IN
REPLY TO RECORD
Uniustly Criticised for Vote on
Fitzgerald and Rules and
for Alliance"

Corporation Counsel George L. Record,
of Jersey City. Congressman Eugene
F. Kinkead. of the Ninth congressional
district, today Issued a statement In
regard to his vote on the rules in the
Sixty-first Congress.
The statement in full is as follows:
Il am indeed glad TO note that Mr.
Record corrected his statement regard
ing my vote on the rules at he first
session of the Sixty-irst Congress. He
might have o further and stated
that each and every time the question
came before the House and whether
the proposition came from an honest
Republican source or from a Democrat.
my vote was always on the peoples
side as against the corporate interests
headed by the speaker, Mr.. Dalzell and
Mr.. Payne.
I'm voting on these questions l was
voting as the representative Of. the
ninth district of New Jersey, represent
ing all of the people. l did not. vote as
a Democrat. / voted as the credited
representative of $4,000 people. Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike. In this
case. as in all others, 1 voted to pro-
tect their interests.
Right to Question Vote.
Now, l concede hat Mr.. Record or
any other citizen of the district has
the right to question my vote at any
time on any proposition In the House.
and. incidentally. 1 might inquire of my
friend, Mr.. Record. to name one vote
of mine that he would ave East diff
ferently were he representing the people
Of the ninth district instead of myself.
Would he ave voted differently on
the Cannon rules-would he have voted
differently on the Payne-Aldrich tariff
bill? Would he have voted differently
on the conservation plan. on the rail-
DAD bill, on posta, savings bill or On
the Statehood bill? Would he have
voted for or against the Hughes
amendment? Would he have voted
against my bill for the speedy settle
ment OF Civil War bounty claims, or
would his efforts have been as strong
as mine In the beef trust fight? Would
he have voted differently than / did on
the Jersey City ~postof1ce increases or
on the proposition which gave Bayonue
a postofice site and the Ninth district
the first Federal appropriation it ever
received-go over my record and state
OlG fOtC lid WdS nOt Cd8l Ill titO IL
terests of our people and I'll concede
that you have the right to an explana-
ton, but bless your heart, George. you
have no right to question my vote in
a Democratic caucus, forsooth you
once had that right, but you've wan
dered from the straight n narrow
paths of democracy. and that your new
political friends aren't any too warm
in their love for you now hasn't any
particular bearing on the point in ques-
ton.
'Ill answer to the Democrats of the
Ninth district for my vote in that
caucus. But let me correct you again;
your statement tonight contains just
three errors. and these three were noted
by me In the casual glance h a I was
able to give to you correction Of your
previous statement regarding my vote
on the Cannon rules. First-Mr. Fitz-
gerald isn't a Tammany member; he
represents a Brooklyn district, and
every one who is In a slight degree
familiar with political affairs knows
that Mr.. Fitzgerald has fought Tam
many tooth and nail, and has repeated
ly been the mouthpiece of the oppo-
sition to Tammany In New York State
conventions.
Some Opposed Cannon Rules.
Error No. 2-All the Tammany MEM
bers of Congress did not vote for the
Cannon rules. William Sulzer, a Jer-
seyman by birth but a Tammany con-
gresham and. incidentally, the next
Governor of the Empire State. voted as
did Hughes, Hamill and myself-against
them.
Error Nc. BIN your conclusion
that Organization Democrats are
everywhere in secret alliance with the
Republican machine and act with them
whenever they dare Alliances with
s~o-called Republican machine? Do you
mean as an illustration of what should
not be done-the compromising al
lance whereby one branch of the Re-
publican party by a coalition with the
New Idea element secured control of
the machinery In the ninth and tenth
districts? Sometime ago didn't you say
some bitter things about your present
allies. which at the time 1 really didn't
think they deserved? You know better
than that. Name an instance in open
or In secret where I have voted with
the Regular Republicans, when my
vote was against the interests of my
constituents. The la doesn't live
who can prove that assertion, and I
honestly believe that you know my
statement il true. Perchance this &C
counts for your belief that 1 will be
returned to the Sixty-second Congress
as a Progressive Democrat from a Re-
publican district.
Nov. while I realize that I'm at a
disadvantage in replying to you since
you /have added work to
your other activities, I really don't
think that you would lake an unfair
advantage of an opponent. III state
now my reasons for voting as 1 did in a
Democratic caucus regarding the pro-
posed censure of Mr.. Fitzgerald and
those who voted with him. Unlike you,
I am convinced that Mr.. Fitzgerald in
troduced his amendment in good faith,
and that the amendment 'bettered con
ditions n paved the way for the pres
emit rules is now conceded by Insurgent
Republicans. Regular Republicans and
Democrats. and many of those who
voted for the censure In the Democratic
caucus have since told me that they
regret their action. and the truth of
the statement Is borne out by the votes
Of the last caucus, held by the Demo-
Gratis of the House, when Fitzgerald
received the votes of nine-tenths of the
members for a place on the committee