Gilpin observer., 1912-07-04
WILSON'S RECORD
AS GOVERNOR
He Has Shown Courage and
Practical Common Sense.
PROMISES TO PEOPLE KEPT.
Every Pledge Enacted Into Laws
Along With Many Other Reforms.
Wilson as Governor Fair Sample Of
What He Will Do as President.

"iSon SoVGTnoT d Sdn1pt0 "
What He Will Do as President.
BY JUDGE THOMAS H. OWEN.
Muskosse. Okla.
The Democratic state platform In the
New Jersey campaign of 1910 promised
Eve particular reforms, each of them
radical and each of them apparently
academic. They were: A new election
law to take the control of nominal
tions out of the hands of the bosses:
IN employers liability law, just to
both employer and employee; q cor
rupt practices act. to stop the wrong
full or excessive use of money in cleo
| tions; u public utilities commission.
with actual and not merely theoretical
power. and IL law regulating the cold
storage of food These five things
were promised in the Democratic plat
form
New Jersey had been a machine
ruled state for years. and nobody took
platform promises seriously. Nobody
expected them to be redeemed. A po-
litical party platform was like street
car platform-something to get in ON
What They Said Would Happen.
When the election was over New
Jersey found that it had a Democratic
governor. u senate Republican by 10
! to 0 and lower house Democratic by
( 40 to 1S. or course the Republicans.
/ controlling the senate, could block any
legislation they desired. They deter
mined at once to stop all the bills of
! the governors program. and. what is
more. the old time Democratic ma
chine leaders decided not to let the
/ bills pass the lower house. That was
| the situation when the legislature met
| in January.
| When it adjourned in April every
I one of the five promises made in the
Democratic platform were laws on the
statute books of New Jersey, and
along with them were several other
new reform laws
Credit Duo to Wilson.
That the redemption of those plat
form promises was due solely to the
courage and practical common sense
of Governor Woodrow Wilson Is ad
mitted by everybody In New Jersey.
Republican or Democrat, friend or foe.
These are some of the laws that
were passed by that Legislature: An
election law that provided for all NOM
nations from president down to con-
stable to be made In direct primaries
held by the state authorities. that
eliminates the power of bosses by
abolishing the old party machinery.
d. oil ~lN h..
held by officers who have passed
civil service examination to show their
fitness and that requires voters to
sign their names SO as to make a ''re-
peater' liable to punishment for for
gerry.
An employers liability law that
does away with damage suits. When
an employee Is injured the law says
just how much damages he Is entitled
to for that particular injury. and 1t is
paid. The employees are benefited be-
cause they do not have to wait for
years to get Justice: the employers. be-
cause 1t enables them to know what
they have to pay and relieves them of
heavy legal expenses.
Some Of the Laws Passed.
A corrupt practices act that regu-
Iates the expenditure of campaign
funds. requires publication to be made
OF all contributions and expenditures
and makes the penalty Of violation the
forfeiture of the office. candidate
for governor may spend S2.5OO under
this law and no more. Candidates for
congress may spend 1900. candidates
for county offices $500. and so on down
the list The law goes further and
prohibits intimidation IL prohibits
printing political sentiments on pay
envelopes; 1t prohibits the posting Of
political handbills In factories and all
other means that employers may take
to influence their employees In poll
tics {
A public utilities commission was
created with complete power to regu-
late railways. street car lines. tele-
phone companies and all other public
utilities In the interest Of the public a
power backed up with the machinery
to make 1t effective.
A law was passed prohibiting the
cold storage OF food for longer than ten
months and providing for the sale at
public auction Of all food stored In vio-
lation OF the law.
Performances Not Limited TO Promises.
These were the things promised
These were the things performed
But the performances were not limited
by the scope Of the promises. That
same legislature under the frm guild
Ing hand Of that same governor passed
a law providing for the commission
form Of government for cities. with the
Initiative. referendum and recall Of ad-
ministrative officers: law nbolishing
convict lnbor In the state prison; law
providing for adequate protection OF
factories from fire. q lazy nllnwinr the