Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-09-20
TUESDAYS PRIMARY
IS MOST IMPORTANT
IN HISTORY OF STATE
People Are Called
TO Select Own
Candidates..
THE SITUATION
fFrom the NEWS CorrespondentJ

Trenton, Sept. 20:-New Jersey
will have on next Tuesday the most
important primary election in it's
political history. Not only will 1t be
the most important. but in several
ways it will also be the most unus-
ual one. The voters of the state will
express their preference for United
States Senator, a privilege which has
been theirs only once before; candi-
dates for Congress will be chosen in
the twelve congressional districts;
nominations will be made for the
State Senate In Burlington, Cape
May, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic
and. Sussex counties; candidates will
be named for the sixty seats in the
sRouse of Assembly; in several coun-
ties tickets will be named for the
small board of freeholders prepara-
tory to the Inauguration of the COM
mission form of government in
those counties. and besides all this
candidates will be selected for many
local Offices.
The primary voting will be
charged with the greatest political
significance. The candidates chosen
for the Legislature will go into the
campaign for the November election
on platforms which will involve their
stand on the United States Senator
ship and one Of the big factors in
the campaign will be that every
member of the Legislature elected
will have a vote next winter for a
United States Senator to succeed
Senator Bpiggs. Another factor will
be that the Legislative candidates
successful next Tuesday in their re-
spective parties, will with the pre-
sent members of the Senate and in
the case of the Democrats with the
Governor, make up the State Con-
veutions, both of which will meet In
this city Tuesday, October 1, to
draft the respective state platforms
and also to choose the electors who
will cast the official vote of the
state for President and Vice-Presi-
dent.
The polls will be open next Tues,
day in every election district in the
state from 7 a. m. to 9 p. m. for the
urinary voting. 1t will also be the
s-T"pf registry day all over the
.L but the registration will be
70. the November elections only.
Interest in the United States Sen
atorship contest on Tuesday will
center chiefly in the fight between
the AntiWilson men headed by
James Smith, Jr., who aspires to
Senatorial honors again, and former
Congressman William Hughes, OF
Paterson, the candidates of the Will
son forces.
The Importance Of the New Jer-
sey Senatorial fight to the Demo
Gratis and it's bearing upon the candi.
dates of Governor Woodrow Wilson
for the Presidency is shown by the
fact that the Democratic National
Committee interferred and induced
former Judge John W. Wescott, OF
Camden county, to withdraw in IA
vor of Hughes after George w
Young and State Senator William G.
ss,Gebhardt had eliminated themselves
While Frank M. McDermit, the New
ark lawyer is still in the race, his
candidacy Is not taken seriously and
his vote on Tuesday will be so small
as not to be worth considering.
Pick Hughes to Win.
The majority of State House poll.
ticians are predicting that Hughes
will win the nomination. He is 6
good vote getter, having more thar
once carried his congressional dis
trict, the old Sixth, which normally
is Repu tlicah. Hughes made a .good
record as member of the Ways and
Means Committee in Congress ane
his strong advocacy Of the eight
hour law has made him more or less
solid with tie labor vote. 1t was
these facts which led the NationaI
Committeeman and the Wilson men
in this state to prefer him over Wes-
cott 1t was figured that, without a
doubt, he would make luch better
run than the Camd junty man
Smith is making the figA Of his life
and there are some who think he
can win the nomination. He is wag-
ing an active campaign, even to the
extent of sending out personal let
ters to Democrats all over the state
The former Senator, however, IL
handicapped by the fact tho he If
charged with being one oI the old
line bosses who have been emphatic
ally discredited by the Progressiv-
ism which under the lead of Cover
nor Wilson has brought new life to
the party, Smith has renounced his
old time tactics and has endorsed
the direct primary principle and de-
clared himself to be Progressive