The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-03-16
WILSON FULLY REDEEMED
HIS CAMPAIGN PLEDGES

, things were promised in the Demo
cratic platform.
New Jersey had been a machine
ruled state for years and nobody took
platform promises seriously. Nobody
expected them to be redeemed. Al
political party platform was like
street car plaform-something to get
in on.
Promises Carried Out.
When the election was over New
Jersey found that it had a Democratic
Governor, Senate Republican by 12
to and lower house Democratic by
AZ to IS. OF course the Republicans,
controlling the Senate, could block
any legislation they desired. They
determined at once to stop all the
bills of the Governors program and,
what is more, the old-time Democratic
machine 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
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 re-
form laws.
That the redemption of those plat
form promises was due solely to the
courage and practical common sense
of Governor Wilson is admitted by
everybody in New Jersey, Republican
or Democrat, friend or foe.
These are some of the laws that
were passed by that legislature: All
nominations from President down to
constable to be made in direct pri-
maries held by the state authorities,
that eliminates the power of bosses by
abolishing the old party machinery,
that provides for all elections to be
held by officers who have passed a
civil service examination to show
their fitness, and that requires voters
to sign their names so as to make a
repeater" liable to punishment for
forgery.
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 it is
paid. The employees are benefited be-
cause they do not have to wait for
years to get JUSTICE the employers,
because it enables them to know what |
they have to pay and relieves them |
of heavy legal expenses.
A corrupt practices act that regu-
lates 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. A candi-
date for Governor may spend $4,000,
under this law, and no more. Candi-
dates for Congress may spend $1,000,
candidates for county offices, $500,
and so on down the list. The law
goes further and prohibits intimida-
tion-it prohibits printing political
sentiments on pay envelopes, it pro-
hibits the posting of political hand
bills in factories, and all other means i
that employers may take to influence
their employees in politics.
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 machin-
cry to make it effective.
A law was passed prohibiting the
cold storage of food longer than ten
months and providing for the sale at
public auction of all food stored in
violation of the law.
other Pieces Of Legislation.
These we're the things promised. |
These we're the things performed. But
the performances we're not limited by
the scope of the promises. That same
legislature, under the firm guiding
hand of that same Governor passed a