Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-03-14
Democrats Vote for Meas
ure. DisClaiming
Responsibility.
WILSON THREATENS To
STUMP NEW JERSEY
Seeking Defeat of Every Man
Who Opposes Primary
Measure.
TFrom a Star Correspondents j

[From STAFF Correspondent
TRENTON, March IA. - Governor
Wilson was unable at the general con-
ference yesterday to win enough votes
to insure the passage of ,he Geran pri-
mary election bill.
After struggle continuing through
out four hours, during which, it is said,
the Governor in turn begged. argued
and threatened, a vote was taken on
le bill.
1t resulted in twenty-seven members
of the conference indicating assent to
the bill and eleven members voting
against it.
Many of the assemblymen who voted
in favor of the measure openly declare
that they are not in accord with all its
provisions, but voted. as they did be-
cause the Governor was so insistent,
thereby putting the question Of re-
sponsibility entirely up TO the Gov
ernor.
AS the gathering was conference,
and not caucus" the majority vote
IS not regarded as binding upon the
minority. This view of The vote leaves
the ultimate fate of the bill very much
In doubt, as thirty-ol votes Will be
needed to pass 1t, and three of the -four
absentees are said to oppose 1t.
1t is said, also, that the forces of the
majority will be weakened when the
provisions of the substitute bill, intro
duced late last night by Assemblyman
MCGOWAN, are better known. On be-
half of the substitute measure it Is
asserted that it fulhlls all party
pledges, without destroying; as does
the Geran bill. party organization or
power
Governor Did Most Taikins.
The Governor was one of the first to
enter the Supreme Court room where
the conference was held. He did most
of the talking during the long session.
Earlier in the day he summoned by
telegraph to his Office Hudson as
semblymen for a private confab. Ha
had received word that most of them
were favoring the substitute bill.
Many of the Essex and Hudson as
semblymen were opposed to the clause
party designation on the proposed bal
lots. They fought for what they con-
sidered their rights, telling the gov
ernor that a ballot without party desie
nation would destroy parties The
gubernatorial ear was deaf to this ar
gument He said that unless the
Geran bill was reported in its present
FORM and passed by the House, he
Governor Woodrow Wilson, would
take the stump next fall and beat any
man who opposed the measure
The Governors threat to mark, label
and remember these opponents was
couched in characteristic Wilson Ian
guage. Middlesex, Monmouth, Sussex,
Essex and Hudson had representatives
who differed with the Governor, but
after his speech many of them voted
the way he wanted them to, explaining
that they were willing to let the re-
sronsibility rest upon the Governor
Reporters Shut Ont.
The conference of the steering COM
mittee last week was held behind
closed doors, and when the Governor
was asked if he insisted the second ses-
sion be a secret one he declared nothin &
was further from his thoughts. IF I
had my way you would all be here, .
the Governor declared, addressing the
reporters, who were anxious to attend
the conference. II am only a guest
here" he added, and then the doors
were closed and thirteen of the Gov
ernor's personal friends In the delega-
tion voted No, and that in his prefer
ence was sufficient to bar "pitiless pub
iicity" from the conference. With only
the Governor and a majority of his per-
sonal friends present it is said he
made a remarkable speech. In part he
said:
''You can turn aside from the
measure if you choose, you can decline
to follow me, you can deprive me of
office and turn away from me, but you
cannot deprive me of power so long as
steadfastly stand for what I believe
to be the interests and legitimate de-
nlands of the people themselves. beg
you to remember in this, which prom
ises to be an historic conference in the
annals of the party of the State, you
are settling the question of the power
o. impotence. the distinction or the
ignominy of the party to which the
people, with singular generosity,
have offered the control of their
affairs
The vote by which the majority re-
port of the steering committee on the
Geran bill was sustained was as fol-
lows:
Yeas-Agnew. Balentine. Boettner
Booraem, Brodhead. Bum, Davidson
Donnelly, Egan. Ford, Geran. Hen
erickson, -Hinners. James. Kenny.
Lafferty. Lamonte. -Iacksey, McGrath,
Mclaughlin, Meyer. Mylod, Newman,
Ramsay, Simpson. Strietwolf and
Walsh. o.
Nays = Backus, Bracken, Brown,
shristie. Leveen, Martin. Matthews,
fContinued on Second Page.)