Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-04-02
W|T7PENN WILL
NOT ENTER RACE
Decides to Withdraw as OPP
ponent to Wedin for Con-
vention Delegate.
MAYOR TOLD NO WILSON
MAN CAN BE ELECTED
County Committeeman Fear
Split in Body if He Carries
Out Plans.

JERSEY CITY, April 2.-Mayor
Wittpenn will not oppose Sheriff wedin
as a Wilson candidate for deIegate-at-
large. This decision was reached yes
terday after a conference with former
Sheriff James J. Kelly and Chairman
James Hennessey, of the Democratic
County Committee.
h conference was held in the
Mayors Office in the City Hall and
lasted two hours. City Clerk John
Morris, who is secretary of the execu-
tive committee of the county commit
tee, was present part of the time.
Morris thought the Mayor should
u il for no other reason than ''to
take some of the conceit out of the
sheriff." as he put it, but Kelly and
Hennessey decided otherwise. They
told the Mayor that If he announced
his candidacy it would mean a di-
vision in the county committee and
cause a serious split in the party.
Opposes Mayors Candidacy.
Kelly was more frank than Hennes-
sey. He told the Mayor that he did
not think his candidacy would meet
with popular approval. This blunt
statement was not pleasing to the
Mayor, and when Kelly said that the
indications were that no matter who
the Wilson delegates are they will be
beaten he expressed surprise. Kelly
is lined up with the anti Wilson forces
and while he is with Mayor Wittpenn
in his fight to control the committee
on other questions, he will oppose the
Endorsement to Wilson delegates just
as he opposed the Endorsement to the
Governors candidacy at the recent
meeting of the executive committee.
Mayor Wittpenn concluded that per-
haps after all it would be just as well
IL he did not seek election as delegate
at-large. He will direct all his efforts
to the task of getting control of the
county committee with the idea of
making himself county leader.
From what can be learned, the May
or will have his work cut out for him
in this undertaking. Much dissatis-
faction is being expressed not alone
by members of the county committee,
but the ward leaders who comprise the
executive committee. They complain
there is altogether too much outside
interference.
Mayor Wittpenn seems to think that
we are a lot of fgureheads,' said a
member of the county committee. HE
calls a few of the members of the
executive committee together two or
three times a week in his office, and
tells them what he thinks ought to be
done. These committeeman fall for the
Mayors line of talk and they in turn
try to pull the wool over the ayes of
the other members of the committee
who are not invited to these confer
ences. Then the county committee is
expected to fall in line.
MANY of the committeeman have
begun to wake up and assert their in
dependence. This was shown at the
last meeting of the committee. Mayor
Wittpenn may be able to control GER
tain members of the executive COM
mittee who hold jobs under him or
who expect places, but he will find he
cannot make the county committee do
his bidding.
Won't Stand for Wittpenn.
0OVeTIlOT WILSON Will SCOT discover
that Wittpenn has sold him a gold
brick. He will not be able to deliver
the goods. The county committee will
not stand for Wittpenn. He may be
able to land a fey jobs but when it
comes to keeping his part of the agree
ment there will be nothing doing.
Wittpenn cannot make good. If he
lands Job Lippincott as assistant sec
rotary of state, he will have less chance
than Eel of getting control of the
committee.
"Why should Mayor Wittpenn usurp
the power of the county committee
and say who should and who should
not have the appointment allotted by
Hudson County? The county commit
tee as a body is getting tired Of this
sort of thing, and If it continues there
will be a revolt that will mean some
thing. Why should the party organi-
zation be ignored and men put in place
who have done all in their power to
break up the party?"