Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-09-28
Failed to Exhibit "COur-
teSieS" in Cam
paign.
CALLS HIS CHARGES
A POLITICAL TRICK
Denies Coercion in Pub
lie Utility LegiS-
IatiOn.
DECLARES INQUIRY
WAS NOT ATTEMPTED


campaign use of the Bradley episode IN
Camden, Thomas n, McCarter, presi-
dent of the Public Service Corporation,
today made a statement denying the
charges which Senator Bradley hao
made against him.
Before the primaries Senator Bradley
accused Mr.. McCarter with having tried
to coerce him into opposing pubic
utility legislation, and, falling to DO
that with having influenced DAVID
Baird, the Camden leader of the He
publican organization, TO defeat the
Progressive, senator for nomination.
These charges Mr.. McCarter refutes
in the following statement
st have refrained from making any
reply TO the charges of Senator Brad
ley. made during the recent primary
campaign, that last winter l attempted
to coerce him into opposing public
utility legislation, and that having
failed in that I influenced Mr. Baird,
or the Republican organization OF
Camden county, to defeat him for re-
nomination; first, because l did not
think any such ridiculous charge needed
refutation, and second, because l did
not propose to involve this corporation,
OF 10 DecOIl1t DtISOlldtty Oihbi 0hNN -
primary campaign fight. Now, how-
ever, that the Governor OF the state
has dignfied the matter by expressing
his belief in the charge because it was
uncontradicted, and by making public
reference thereto, and the campaign Is
over, I feel that justice to the corpora
ton requires that l should deny the
absurd story.
Admits Having Conference.
Il did have a conference with Sena-
tor Bradley in the Trenton House at
Trenton, at which Mr., Baird was pres
ent, when l submitted to Senator Brad
ley as chairman of the conference com
mittee of the two houses having the
utility legislation in it's charge at the
time certain specific amendments
which thought should be made to the
bill as proposed if it was to be a work
able proposition.
Senator Bradley stated, and his con-
dition seemed to bear out his state
ment that he was a nervous wreck
from overwork; that his labor as chair
man of the appropriation committee
together with his other duties, had
overtaxed his strength, and that ne
was in no fit condition to take up this
matter, and for this reason he thought
he should retire from the committee.
tried to dissuade him from this and he
asked me to furnish him either that
night or early the next morning with
the proposed amendments. At the con-
vening of the Senate in the morning
session he had retired from the COM
mittee and Senator Prince, of Passaic,
had been substituted in his place.
s..Az G>Va aaf fOF
Prince and laid the amendments be-
fore him. He said he would present
them at the meeting of the conference
committee which was done, and some
of them were adopted and are now in
the bill still believing that some of
those which were unadopted would
greatly improve the bill if incorporated
in It, even from the standpoint of the
enthusiasts as to such legislation, I
laid them before Frank II. Sommer.
then a member of the old Utility
Board, and a man of much knowledge
and experience in matters of this kind.
Mr. Sommer saw the force of the
points raised by me with regard to GER
tain of the amendments, said they
should be made and personally went
to the Governor and obtained his con-
sent thereto and a change was made
accordingly. Thus considerable num-
Der of the amendments as proposed by
me were adopted and others were not"
Denies Coercion Charge.
Il was not opposed TO public utility
legislation last winter nor did l, nor
anyone representing this corporation,
make any attempt to defeat such legi5-
lation We did try to have the bill
amended so that it would be constitu
tional and SO that it would provide
for supervision rather than administra
ton of public utility properties. | for
merry believed-referring now to some
years ago-that drastic public utility
legislation applied to the situation ia
New Jersey would not be helpful, and
think, so far as Public Service (Which
at that time was passing through RS
construction stage) was concerned, that
| was right, but, generally speaking, l
have come to regard such legislation,
as Governor Wilson says it is regarded
In Wisconsin, as a protection, and no.
a menace.
These are the exact facts with re-
gard to the situation of last winter I
absolutely and unequivocally deny each
specification of Senator Bradleys
charge, with all of the ponderosity of