Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-10-29
METUCHEN NOT 50
WARM TOWARD THE
PROGRESSIVE CAUSE
Review Of Political Situation There
Shows the Effect Of Outside Inter-
venton-- n'erest in Local Ticket.
he EVENING NEWS.

AAOs NhCht WI me tTOS tS-
sive party movement SO far as this
community is concerned, and espec-
tally with relation to county and
local politics, is not the success that
over enthusiastic Progressives would
have it. AS elsewhere in the coun-
try, the Progressive movement
amounts to little more than big
factional fight in the Repubucan
party. The Third party movement
here, so far as being for Roosevelt
and johnson Is concerned, is In a
very healthy condition, but not a
man has been found who knows of
single Democrat over anxious to
leave his party and join the Progress
sives. There may be few "Demys"
with serious intentions of voting for
some OF the local Progressive candi-
dates, but they are not shouting their
intentions from the housetops.
This Progressive movement Is
strong, but six weeks ago It was
stronger. If the election could have
been held six weeks ago the showing
would have been a lot better than it
is going to be next week. Some OF
the enthusiasm that was SO manifest
at the beginning has worn off and
there is little doubt that Metuchen
will give Woodrow Wilson a major
ity, but 1t will be nothing like he
got when he ran for governor. So
far as Roosevelt and Taft are con-
oerned 1t is pretty generally conced-
ed that the President will run third.
Congressional Situation.
With regard to the congressional
contest 1t can be truthfully said that
If Mark o. Prentiss had not with
drawn, or consented to be with
drawn or been forced to withdraw
(there is a healthy difference of
opinion as to which it was) Con-
gresham Seully would have had
much difficulty in getting majority
in Metuchen. AS it is now, Scully
is going to have a walk-over While
some will not have 1t SO, this with
drawal of Prentiss has left very
bad taste in the mouths of some Pro-
gressives and if it did nothing else
it brought directly before the Third
party men the names 6 John Frank
lin Fort and George l.. Record. The
mention of these names has the
same effect on some Metuchen peo-
pie as the waving OF red rag In
front of bull has on the bull. And
this little mixup over the congress
nomination is going to affect the
county Progressive ticket.
Among certain people, former
Judge Adrian Lyon had much
strength, but when Rev. James Gil
bert Mason tossed his hat in the ring
and accepted the Prohibition nomi-
IS alton for state senator he spoiled
Lyons chances for carrying the
"brainy borough" He is going to
get some votes that otherwise Lyon
could have gotten. Those In Me-
tuchen, regardless of politics, who
know John F. Ten Brock admire
him and with Mason and Lyon elm
mated ne would defeat DR.. William
E. Ramsay. The Democrats are sit
ting tight and saving wood and Ten
Brock, Mason and Lyon will so
split the Republican and independ-
ent vote that DR.. Ramsay will carry
the town.
The assembly situation is hard to
figure out. Nobody denies and many
admit that the Progressives have
named three ideal candidates. James
A. Edgar Is a favorite and SO is
William Hamilton on the Republican
ticket. 1t is quite likely that there
will be lot of cutting over the as
sembly candidates but the chances
favor the Democrats even though
the candidates are not any too
strong.
James M. Petit, the Progressive
candidate for coroner. will get
complime entary vote here because he
is town man.
The Local Ticket
II ever the local political situation
was complicated 1t is in this year of
1912. And some of the complication
is due to the fact that the Republi-
cans, on "orders" from New Bruins
wick, did a double back action flop
and at the very last minute put up
ticket that has been largely looked
upon as a joke and is branded as
nothing more than a plan of "wip-
ing the local Progressive ticket of
the map" Early In the game the
Rer.~1iican leaders put 1T up to the
Progressives that there was no need
of Republican ticket If the Progress
sives named good slate. Here 1t
is we'll to state that the Republicans
could not fill out a ticket to be voted
on in the primaries because nobody
in particular was anxious to have
his name printed on the Republican
ballot. The ProgressiVes, without
looking into the political qualifca-
tions, named what is pretty general
ly conceded as one Of the best tic
kets put up by any party in long
time. There are Republicans on it.
But when the voters came out pri-
mary night 1t was found that there
had been concerted action by about
six Taft men who had written the
names of these men on the Republi-
Continued on page 81