Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-05-24
ASFSYOTES,
SLINGS MUD
Governor, Made Desper-
ate, Issues Final Appeal
for Jersey Ballots.
Continued from First Page.)

either for better or for worse. 1t would
De unoecoming in me to commend 1t to
you or TO seek to give 1t color by my
own exposition of II.
But | consider 1t my privilege n my
outy. as your servant and representative,
TO speak of certain matters thai enter
very vitality into this contest.
throughout many dark and dishearten-
ing years prior to the autumn of 1900,
the masters of our State government
We're. on he Republican side, the noto-
rious Board of Guardians" made up
now of this group of politicians and
again of that, but with one or two char
Ter and permanent members, like the
treasurer OF state, and on the Demo-
cratic side, Mr.. James Smith, jr., once
a senator of the United States. While
thelr control of the Legislature of the
state was maintained there wal small
chance of getting anything put on the
statute books that they deemed hurful
10 their own political interests; and they
deemed anything hurtful o that interest
tnat was no desired by the great cor
pofatlons and moneyed interests which
supplied them with campaign funds.
But one measure, long ardently pressed
Tor by the Democrats and the liberal
k~epubheans of the State, did at last, In
the session of 1907, slip through the
Legislature, when the Democrats. had q
majority OF one In the Assembly. That
was the statute which gave the voters
OF this Satte the right to express their
preference at the polls as o wtho should
ge selected as senator's of the United
states from this State. Just before my
election as Governor, the Democratic
voters of the State expressed their pref
erenee for Mr.. James e. MARITIME. The.
1rst question presented TO me as Gov
ernor was whether that preference
should be respected or not. Mr.. Smith
insisted that 1t should be d~iSregarded,
n that he should be sent to the Sem
ate. He had known before my nomina-
f1nn that / would mot 0unnnrt hie IN fadi-
dacy, and had declared that he would
not be a candidate. My election as Gov
ernor mae me the responsible spokesman
and leader of my party. 1t would have
been disgraced and discredited had 1t
faile to reeem its PIECES and sustain the
great principle of popular choice which II
ha fought so hard TO establish. | strove
by every honorable means In my power
TO bring about the election of MIR. Mar
tine, as every Democrat was in honor
gound to do. l won. Mr.. Smith was
Overwhelmingly beaten. and everybody
breathed more freely, to find that laws
n party obligations meant something.
1t was a death blow to both machines.
The most noticeable champions of Mr..
Smiths candidacy had been the newspa-
po.s MED by Mr.. David Baird, of Cam
den, one of the Republican Guardians.
What followed was easy. The power
In bolh parties that has held the legisla-
ton back from ding what the opinion of
the State demanded was broken and the
Legislature moved forward with zest.
Elections were freed from machine con-
troll by the Geran act, and from corrupt
manipulation by the corrupt practises
act. Power to control the great public
service corporations which had controlled
Mr.. Smith and the board of guardians
was conferred upon the Public Utilities
Commission and law put above private
interest. The Walsh act was passed.
which gave the urban municipalities of
the State the right to put their govern
ments In the hands of responsible com
missions when they chose, and so do away
with the ~hide-and-seek of their presenut
complicated town and city government by
which political machines and favored con-
tractors had so much profted. Such
measures had been often promised blu as
often defeated by the managers between
elections.
The employers liability and working
mems COMPENSATION act was passed, and
the act obliging the railroads to pay their
employees twice a month. instead of only
once, so that Justice might be secured
for those who did not contribute to cam
paign funds and had only the law to
depend upon for their defense. No, disin.
t~erested person doubted the Justice of
these acts. but disinterested persons had
not often been alleged to determine what
the legislation of the State should be. An
act empowering justices of the Supreme
Court to empanel special grand juries and
call upon the encouragement of the State
to undertake prosecutions whenever the
sheriff of a county had brought himself
under suspicion of illegal practlses was
another measure In the series intended
to bring about a political emancipation.
l will not prolong the list. 1t is famil-
lar to YOU. These acts passed the Legis-
lature with surprising, with refreshing
ease, though one house was Democratic
and the other Republican. The mower
of both machines was broken with the
downfall of one of the partners. But t
was a great shock to those who had been
accustomed TO dictate what should and
what should not be done at Trenton
The president of the Public Service
Corporation is said to AVE shown an
cry surprise when he found that legls-
lative action had escaped from his die
tatioB, and to have scolded an indie
pendent Republican senator very round
ly for so far forgetting the many obli-
cations of his party guardians to that
great corporation as to vote for a
measure which placed public authority
in a position to restrain private interest
in behalf of an equitable and adequate
service
This is the wohle ground of my Offend
ing. l insisted that the party should
keep faith with the people, in the mat
ter of the senatorship as in all others.
nored In order that he might be re-
turned to the Senate. He seeks revenge,
as do the guardians and all others VINO
have been deprived of their private con-
power and rule again as they pleased.
] stand In their way, because / kept my
W promises. every one, public and
of the party should be kept as well.
What therefore, is the present situa-
ton? What Is happening now? What is
is obvious to the whole country, and a
very unedifying spectacle 1t is. But
what Is happening In this State within
the Democratic, party is not SO obvious.
1t is. indeed, being done very quietly
and very secretly. because it is being
done by Mr.. James Smith, Jr., who
knows no other way of acting in politics
and who has no suggestion to make to
the voters of the State which he can
quite venture to make in public. He
does not, I understand, avow himself as