Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-08-15
EFFORT To DUST
Mr.. NUGENT LED
BY GEN.. COLLINS
State Chairman Accuses Com
mitteeman of Being Too
Ambitious.
CALLS HIS ACTION AT
RECENT AFFAIR ABSURD
Gives Out Statement, Showing
Animus of Elizabethan's
Activity.

Especial to the Newark start
BELMAR, Aug. 15.-Declaring that
the report of his. toast to Governor
Wilson was maliciously magnifed. Mr.,
James R. Nugent, in response to a re-
quest for facts, has issued a statement
from his summer home here, charging
General Dennis F. Collins. of Eliza
beth, with taking the lead in the fight
to depose him as chairman of the State
Democratic Committee. The general,
he says, would like to be chairman.
The statement follows in part:
ASK General Collins about the din
ner he gave in my honor in the Hotel
Stirling, in Trenton. Immediately after
he was made brigadier-general. He
knows what 1 did to get him the posi-
ton he now holds in the National
Guard. He knows that he made an adj
dress at that dinner in the Hotel Stir
ling in which he attributed his election
to my efforts.
81 told Collins what l thought of him
at the Coleman House in Asbury Park
last Saturday. He shriveled up and
appeared about that SMALL (Here
Mr.. Nugent indicated with his hands
how small Collins appeared. and in ac-
tual measurement the size was about
three inches in diameter).
His Action Ridiculous.
HE came out there on the porch of
the Coleman House and called for po-
lice protection. His action was ridicu-
lous. There was no violence shown.
collins ran out on the porch and de-
clared that he was in danger of bodily
harm and he wanted police protection.
Little Joe Wright, of Newark, saw
him. Joe is a diminutive chap. but he
saw the absurdity of the move made
by Collins and he asked Collins what
a great big brigadier-general like him
wanted with police protection. Collins
acted childish.
"It makes no difference what he may
say in regard to the part he played in
calling the committee together for the
purpose of BUSTING me. 1t makes no
difference what attempts he may make
to cover up his position and to pretend
that he was not concerned. He was
the man who started the ball a-rolling.
The general Is ambitious, you know.
He would like to be chairman of the
Democratic State Committee. He want
ed to be chairman, n he saw an OPP
portunity to TAXI a mean advantage.
You know the developments.
erhought 1t strong Play
Two members of Genera Collins's
staff were with me when I said what I
said regarding Governor Wilson. What
I laid went back to the camp at Sea
Girt the mex day. The move to get
the committee together was all Matched
out in the tent of General Collins. Why,
anyone who knows Collins knows his
motives. He has been playing up to
Governor Wilson. He saw an oppor-
tunity to make a strong play, he
thought. and the letter of the commit
tee to me followed.
Tn regard to that letter 1 would like
to say that the press of the State pub
lished 1t before 1 received 1t. 1t was on
Thursday that it was drawn up and
signed, and l did not receive 1t until
four days afterward and until after
the press of the entire state published
it. According to Secretary Devereux,
the letter was addressed to me in the
handwriting of General Collins. l was
not even shown the courtesy of receiv-
ing the letter before 1t was turned
over to the papers of the State for pub
lication. How that came o no
doubt General Collins best can tell.
81 believe that the papers should be
fair in reports. especially in reports
regarding an incident such as ccurred
at Neptune Heights. The stories APP
pearing in the papers were to the effect
that I was in company with two wom-
en-. That is true. But 1t was not
stated that one of the two women was
my wife. The other was her friend. 1t
was a little party we were having in
celebration of the presentation to me
of a loving cup by some of my friends
along the shore here. (Here Mr.. Nu-
gent showed a handsome gold loving
Cup suitably in~scribed.) Some of those
N Tie party were jibing me about
State politics and proposing toasts to
Governor Wilson. I voiced my senti-
ments and proposed a toast to the
Governor. The next day at Sea .Girt
the story was magnihed and bal
looned ard If you have any political
foresight you can readily see why 1t
was done, where it was done and who
was the most interested party in the