Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-06-29
WILSON ASSAILS
ENEMIES Of RULE
BY Commission
Criticises Leaders of Party for
Not Favoring Plan at
Dollar Dinner.
"W0N'T COUNT AS DUST
in DAY OF RECKONING"
Declares They Erred in Not
Supporting Walsh Act in
Special Election.

Governor Wilson bitterly assailed the
opponents of commission government
in a speech before the Woodrow Wilson
League at the dollar dinner at the
Kruger Auditorium last night. In
doing SO he departed from the text of
an address prepared before the results
of the commission form of government
elections in Hoboken and New Bruns-
wick We're known.
The Governor drew attention to a
newspaper story of two men locked up
in Hoboken for an alleged attempt TO
vote illegally.
But manipulation could not have
beaten commission government IN
either city," he said. THE majority
was too overwhelmingly against it.
That must be conceded There was
a note of disgust in the Governors
voice as he said this. e he con-
tinued:
lone or two elections don't count in
g. lifetime. Those who believe In the
commission form of government arc
enlisted in the cause for the rest of
their lives. And those who oppose
it will not count as the dust of the
ballots when the day of reckoning
comes"
The governor made a prolonged at
tack on the political organizations for
opposition to the plan, but after a
severe scoldihg of the organization men
he said:
Il do not feel the least personal hos
~ 4. IL, ~... I 1oxrA hoan GnpnEinu
of so harshly. / had rather befwith
these men than against them. When
/ see the leaders of the two machines
fighting commission government and
when I know that if they ONLY realized
1t they could have the honor of being
the leaders, of being the first commits
sioners elected, 1 pity them. ] pity
them because they are the men with
the best gifts f~orsthese things of prac-
tical government. After the little day
of the kind of power they nave has
passed away they win be remembered
with condemnation, perhaps with utter
contempt"
Dunies Being A Radical.
What some of his hea. ers regarded
as significant was his plea that he
was not a radical in politics. !,
Il myself have been classed as a
radical he said, disc Issing the atA
tenfbts to4classify men politically. This
emphasis was on the 81 myself Fol-
lowing is the way the governor handled
that phase of his address:
You must notice what is said by the
more serious commentators of the press
on public men. There are efforts to
classify them. Men are now being
f. H1u cGiH16 aifhar Mt tarnDroGCixra mr. re-
dictionary. In a day of movement a
man who does not move is a reaction
airy. The country wants to know the
minute a mans head towers above the
horizon: as he a radical or is he a
conservative =
II myself have been classified as a
radical. II does not make any differ
ence what ] think about myself, that
is what the ~c~ lie who hear me ak
think about me. People who, either
through curiosity or interest, hear me
talk classify me as a radical, and there
is many a crave finger pointed at me,
saying, Look out for that fellow. he
will upset societ Look out, for he
will shake the very foundation of So
cietJ.'
There is no mistaking the fact that
there Ais a deal of radicalism abroad
and that the country listens readily. to
the radical speakers o. our time. But
don't deceive yourselves as to the
number of people who are uneasy. The
only persons who are now uneasy are
those whose arrangements might not
bear looking into"
Remedies Arc DebatnbIe.
Swinging into his prepared address
the Governor said:
Remedies are debatable. No hon
est man can feel that his own
judgments age always unquestionably
right. They ought to be willing to put
everything in the crucible Of debate,
and there are many public questions
which need TO have thrown Upon them
the light and the long experience of
men who have been leaders in practi-
cal affairs of politics as we'll as of
business, The only thing that ought
not to be considered debatable is the
object. The object is not to serve any
particular organization or party, but
to serve the communities which have
chosen us as their representatives.
No mar will publicly turn away from
his object. Why should any man,
then, privately turn away from it?
Why should he not recognize in ii his
own best interest as well as his high
est opportunity for fame and service?
Everywhere and In all parts, So
ciety is a very delicate and sensitive
fibrc. No man who knows the law Of
life would seek to tear or Sestroy that
fibre. Where radical remedies are
necessary it ought to be shown that
they are justified by the law of life
and health itself hat they will be in
tiispensable means Of preserving their
fibre from diseases and deterioration.
Every man with the least touch of
statesmanlike temper will approach