Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-05-17
TAXPAYERS LAUD
DEMOCRATS WAR
ON FREEHOLOERs
Plan to Substitute Commission
for Present System Meets
With General Approval.
PROGRESSIVE REPUBLICANS
FAVOR SUGGESTED CHANGES
City Counsel Nugent Preparing
Papers to Have Question
Submitted to Referendum.

Intelligent voters are praising the
freeholder reform movement.
Following the announcement in the
EVENING STAR yesterday by James
II. Nugent, speaking officially for the
Essex County Democratic Campaign
Committee, to make the abolition of the
Board of Freeholders a separate and
distinct Issue of the county campaign
comes commendatory expressions from
all sides. Progressive Republicans
right and left attest to the popularity
of the committees judgment, and Segu
lar Republicans reluctantly admit that
public sentiment demands a rally to the
support of the Democrats proposition.
Petitions to have the question sub
mitted to a referendum are being pre-
pared by City Counsel Nugent.
There is general demand for =
change in the county government The
Democrats hit the nail upon the head
In advocating a smaller governing body.
The concentration of power is a step
in the reformation sought. The Demo
Gratis plan to have the county affairs
nine members, elected at large instead
of being mismanaged by board OF
thirty-two freeholders, whose recent
exhibitions have been disgraceful.
Friction exists in the board and dn
nearly all of the committees There
are twenty-eight Republicans. five of
them Progressive, and but four Demo
Gratis in the cumbersome board. Re
sponsibility, therefore. rests with the
Republicans, and in the case of many
of the most important committees, in
cluding the hospital committee, the
/ Republicans are in absolute control
| there being no minority representation
at all.
Reckless Expenditures.
Reckless expenditures and gross mis-
management have added materially to
the alarming increase In the county
tax rate The Overbroolk institutions
are costing more TO run today than
they ever did The dual management
there is both expensive and unsatis-
factory Building committee blunders
| are being probed by Il commission APP
pointed by the chief Justice of the SUI
preme Court, the stationery COMMITTEES
| Is ignoring the competitive bidding
plan and favoring friends; in fact,
there Is something to eriticise in every
direction. The smaller board plan has
been tried in Hunterdon and Passaic
counties with most satisfactory re-
suits. Under the plan proposed by the
Democrats the county interests will DE
more carefully looked after and the
annual cost of county government will
be materially reduced
Signatures of but per cent. Of the
L.. hut ION
number could readily be secured.
Freeholders themselves who are not
profiting by the present form of gov
ernment favor a reduction In the board
membership The four Democrats do,
of course. The five Progressive Repub-
licans Theodore ID. Gottlieb, Edward
Winslow, George Anthem, Frank i.
Driver and David A. Mcbride are said
/ to see the folly of the large board. but
all do not care to openly express them
selves on the subject. F'reeholder Gott-
lieb, Of the Eleventh ward, a consistent
New Idea man, is outspoken In favor
of a change. Mr. Gottlieb is a mem
ber of the hospital committee that has
figured so prominently before the last
Ave grand juries, and in other ways
became notorious, and he, therefore,
ought to know whereof he speaks. 10
an EVENING STAR man today he
said:
PERSONALLY / am in favor OF coun-
ty commission form of government as
suggested by the Democrats, provided,
of course, that the right men can be Sc
lected. L do not approve of the county
chairman making the selections. We
would be no better off then than now.
except perhaps that We could pin down
IL iGfa lypc
closer with a smaller board. There
are any number of freeholders today
in the board who are now the choice OF
the people but have been sent there
by the boss-the county chairman.
These men do not make good free
holders.
Progressive Raps Boss system.
"They have the interests of the coun-
ty boss and their own to look after, IN
stead OF the peoples.
"rhere are conflicts all the time.
Take for instance the painting at the
overbrook Hospital The hospital COM
mittee. of which / have the distin-
guished honor of being member, was
to hire the painters to do the work
and the building COMMITTEES was 70 sup
ply the paint There was Il clash be-
tween the two committees and not until
the hospital committee decided TO buy
The material from its own approprla-
ton could nything lie accomplished.
",These conflicts reflect upon the gov
ernment With county commission
such clashes are almost impossible.
Remember the great hulabaloo that
was made over the installation of a
fire system at Overbrook. think Mt
least FIVE grand juries censured us for