Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-09-11
HOT FIGHT ON
IN METUCHEN
Special Election be Held To.
morrow on Commission Gov.
Special to tbs EVENING WE'VE

NFHNtNt o ~ II - a. ~ "
Metuchen, Sept. 11:-Tomorrow
Metuchen will vote or commission
government and all indications
point to a very lively battle between
the office holders and those wishing
a change. Metuchen was formerly
a part of Raritan township. In
1897 some local people decided that
a borough government was quite
proper thing and so of course there
was a fight over this. 1t was a bit
ter one and hOtly contested, but the
borough advocates won.
For a time it was smooth sailing,
but enemies of the plan said that
this was simply a cas- Of the new
broom sweeping clean. The Repub-
leans wanted borough government
the Democrats did not. The Dem
ocrats at the first election beat the
G. o. P. to a standstill and filled
every office. At several succeeding
elections they repeated the perform
ance. Then somebody had to go
and start something in that famous
Democrat primary where there were
q hundred more votes cast than
there were Democrats in the town.
In those days the ballot box was a
derby hat. 1t was a close vote.
The chairman ruled that George
Edward Kelly had the nomination
for mayor by one majority. Others
insisted that Thorfn TAFT had one
majority while others said it was
tie. A recount was called for and
so great was the rumpus that old
Robins Hall fairly grOaned under
the heavy pressure. Meantime
somebody got the ballot box and the
tickets were upset. This was the
beginning Of the Kelly-Tait feud and
resulted in the Republicans captur-
ing an office for the first time and
A. c. Litterst was elected mayor.
Ever since that time things have
been more or less exciting and many
taxpayers have found fault. Those
who wanted the government run
with more business and less politics
a few weeks ago got out a petition
Walsh act and in a few hours time
It was signed by 1O1 of the leading
men of the town. Things are
warm. Advocates Of the new plan
freely state that they have the op-
position beaten to a fragile. Some
Of the leaders in favor of a change
are eX-Mayor Van Siclen, Charles A.
Prickitt, Fred c. Ayers, Samuel H.
Clarke, David A. Power, Councilman
Edward Kramer, Henry NJ. Alden,
editor of Harper's magazine, and a
friend of Governor Wilson, and
many others.
Mr.. Kramer is now serving as a
member of the borough council and
has served as a councilman for sew
erai terms. Although commission
government adoption means that he
is voted out of office he is very
cheerful about It and says that the
change will be a great improvement
and mean more businesslike meth
DDS in the running of the town. He
says that he has had years of expe-
rience and knows full we'll how the
politics injected into the local gov
erning machinery is hurting the
town. Mr.. Kramer is the leading
business man and real estate owner
of the town.
Former Councilman Samuel II.
Clarke was the unanimous choice of
the Democrats this year for mayor
and although it is figured that be-
cause of a bad Republican split,
Democratic nomination practically
meant election, he refused to accept
and signed the petition for COM
mission government.
EX-MayOr Van Siclen is a warm
advocate of the new plan and is of
the opinion that Metuchen can save
money by doing away with the pres
ent cumbersome government by
eleven men and replacing it with a
board of three to serve without sal
airy, they to hire one competent
clerk to devote his entire time to
borough business and receive a sal
airy therefore. 1t is figured out that
the new government would mean a
saving to the taxpayers of from two
to three thousand dollars the first
year. Mayor Washington Wilson is
a candidate for reelection and is
strongly opposed to the new plan.
The police force is much opposed to
it and one policeman is authority
for the statement that he is working
until midnight every day for its de-
feat and the police are going to win.
There has been much criticism of
the police department and it's ex-
pense.
1t is understood the people in ia
o of commission government will
engage two detectives to watch the
polls tomorrow for ~'repeaters'' and
other violators of the new election
law. 4En