Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-10-14
METUCHEN CLUB ROW
OVER WITHDRAWAL OF
PRENTISS FROM RACE
Continued from page ~

Continued from page ~
members stating a desire to get at
the very bottom of the withdrawal
of Prentiss arrived early. They
planted themselves at the entrance
TO the building and as fast as a gov
ernor came along the committee
opened up a rapid fire of questions
and things we're getting lively enough
to attract a big crowd and the po-
lice.
Somebody proposed that it was not
wise to air Progressive differences on
the public street and the crowd had
better get in under over. The club
rooms were locked SO the crowd
went en- mass into the court room
of Magistrate Weber where the loud
noise and wrangling continued.
Hearing the din passersby stopped
and asked what court ase was going
on at that hour Of the night. Dem
ocrats and Republicans who were
wise to the fracas took delight in
saying ooh, j. Frank Fort has been
trying to use his big stick on Charlie
Bloomfield, Mark Prentiss and the
rest Of the Middlesex Bull Moosers
and they won't stand for it." and
then all hands would tee-hee as the
noise inside grew louder.
Dinwiddic Gets Busy.
The court was crowded and some
body managed to get the club rooms
opened and the crowd moved up
stairs. Meantime somebody told
President Dinwiddie, who beside be-
ing head of the local Progressives Is
chairman of the Middlesex County
Progressive Committee and candidate
for presidential elector on the Roose-
welt party ticket, Of the alleged con-
versation i've the telephone between
Bloomfield and Colby. Dinwiddie got
on the wire and talked long and
earnestly with the former senator
from Essex.
Things were getting hotter and
hotter in local Roosevelt headquar-
ters with all hands keyed up to about
as high a pitch as 1t was possible to
get them. Finishing his talk with
Colby DinwiddIe came in and took
his chair with eyes fairly blazing fire
wanted to know what all the rumpus
was about. Turning to Bloomfield he
said,
"Mr. Bloomfield you called me up
on the telephone yesterday and lear
ly blew the roof off the house, now
tell us what is the matter"
Matter" yelled Bloomfield, "the
matter is we want to know, we de-
mand to know by what right, by what
authority, John Franklin Fort,
George l.. Record. Edmund e. o.
borne, or any other member of the
board of governors of the Raritan
Roosevelt Club had by misrepresenta-
| ton or otherwise to yank a real
dyed-in-the-wool Progressive off of
our party ticket and substitute for
him a nominee of any other party.
We demand to know who engineered
this deal and why it was pulled off,
and mark you Mr.. Chairman this &C
tion may mean failure to the entire
Progressive ticket"
For a minute nearly everybody
tried to talk at once. When quiet
was restored Mr.. Prentiss begged OF
the club that each member try to
| keep as cool as he was not having
any unpleasantness owe his with
drawal as he was satisfied 1t was for
the best.
ut Is not you as an individual to
be considered, the interest of the par
ty is at stake. Here we are without
a candidate on our ticket for con-
gress," said Mr.. Edgar and a chorus
OF voices agreed with this.
Prentiss Tells His Story.
Prentiss was asked to tell his
story first and he related how he
had first been tipped off to back
down, but had refused. Then came a
little stronger tip and he still stood
pat. Then 1t was put up to him that
he couldn't possibly win, and he was
ordered to appear before the State
Executive Committee Thursday.
There Prentiss said it was put up to
him so strongly by the powers that be
that Brown was a better man than
he, even if a Republican, that he be-
gan to feel as If his stock was get
ting low. When it was told that the
fellow members of his w club were
up against him, Prentiss said he felt
that was the last straw.
Time and again as Prentiss talked
he was interrupted by arguments
and cross arguments. But the shock
of the evening came when D~inwiddie
directly charged that Saturday
morning he had talked with George
w. Perkins in the presence of Elihu
Hooker in National headquarters ann
that Perkins had told him in the
presence of Hooker that he had had
no relations with Prentiss whatever
confidential or otherwise. 1t had
been said of Prentiss time and again
and he had not denied it that he was
associated at National Headquarters
with Perkins In a strictly confidential
capacity.
Dinwiddie said as he leaned back
in his chair that it was now a ques-
tion of veracity.
"Then you mean to say that Prem
tiss is a liar," exclaimed Bloomfield.
eff he Is, then let's find it out let's
get at the bottom of this thing right
now"
1--WE will Brother Bloomfield. We
will have it out. BY the way Colby
told me tonight that he had never
made the statement that you had
attributed to him.
"Then l must be a lar" exclaimed
Bloomfield. "Well, I'll go with you
any day you set SO hat we can see
who Ia a liar," remarked the chair
man. When the sulphurous atmos-
phere had cleared again for about
the twentieth time. Charles A. Prick
lit, who was ones chairman OF the
Middlesex County Republican Com
mittee broke into the discussion to