Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-11

The former Governor said, in part:
| enter the campaign under conditions
different from that ever confronting Re-
publican candidate. The nomination has
come at the free choice of the voters,
without the Intervention of a convention,
without an active campaign on my part
and without any influence or effort, except
such as was voluntarily given. am
guilty of no affectation when | say that
/ am actuated by no selfish ambitions. 1
have had all the honor that the Guber-
material office can give. l know how bur-
densome it's patronage and how exacting
its duties, and IL elected l shall assume
that the people want me to perform those
duties in person and not by proxy. |
shall assume that | shall not be called
upon and that shall not be expected to
spend the peoples time in campaigning
for some future ambition or in delivering
Chautauqua lectures to exc out an made
quate salary for the support of myself and
my family.
| said, In submitting my name to the
primaries, | was willing to respond to the
call for service, If such a call there was.
l reiterate that declaration, and In this
campaign SHALL from time to time. state
the kind of service / think New Jersey
needs. believe In construction, but not
In destruction. I believe in progress, but
not In revolution. | believe in achieve
ment rather than mere agitation. be-
lieve that the people want things done
more than they want to listen to poll
ticians' quarrels. Wherever ! can help
citizens of New Jersey, or an industry OF
New Jersey, or an enterprise or New Jer-
sey. that / am going to do, and In so
doing | shall recognize no class distinc-
tions. / regard the working man, the
merchant and the manufacturer. the law
yer and the doctor and the farmer and
the minister all as part of the people, and
i shall endeayOr to persuade them TO work
together rather than SOW the seed of dis
sension for political effect. | stand for
equal opportunity for all before the law
and for the restraint of him who tries to
interfere with his nelghbor opportunity.
| am in favor of reform-emphatical
so; but l believe that reform can be
worked out without injury to the inno-
cent. Ninety-eight per cent. of the peo-
pie are honest, and, perhaps, per cent.
are erring, and | think the time has
come when governments should do some
thing to help the 9S per cent. of honest
citizens, as well as hurl its empty legis-
lative thunderbolts against the 2 per
cent. who may be dishonest. When L
advocate a change 1t will be to help some
body-not to injure somebody. l am for
the safety of human life and shall do
my part in providing safety at railroad
crossings or at trolley crossings, but /
shall do that, not for the purpose of soak
ing the railroads, but to protect human
life.
beea largely in Republican hands since
1898 That party was called to power to
clean house and to rid the State of gam
bling and corruption, extravagances ana
autocratic rule When the Republicans
took control the revenues of the State
were 81, 1926, 900, and when we turned the
State over to the Democratic party the
revenues were SS6370O0. When the Re-
publicans took control the race track
gamblers were dominant, the State was
a hiss and q byword, corruption existed
- 60 tho aChnn1 m0nipG
had been used to avoid a State tax, the
principle of home rule was everywhere
violated When the State was turned
over to the Democrats in 1909 everyone
of these abuses had been remedied: When
we took control In 1893 the contributions
of the State to local purposes were $685.
600. In 1909 when the Republicans re-
tired from the State government, there
was contributed by the State for this
purpose $4,492,0O0. I mention these few
facts lest we forget.
When the time was ripe the Republican
party put upon the statute books the
corrupt practise act direct primary act
employers liability act, public ntillty law;
law against the issuance OF watered
stock. Increased railroad taxation, State
control of potable waterfall of them
measures Indeed. aside from
the act providing for commission govern
ment of cities, the initiation of which
came from the Civic Federation of the
State, there isn't today an important re-
cent statutory policy in our entire body
of laws that was not conceived and en-
acted under Republican administration.
Not a single new principle of importance
has been added by the Democratic party
since its advent to power. Every one of
the boosted achievements of a Democratic
whose egislati tive efficiency
was really the work of Republican
Senate. is simply an extension of the
principles already upon the statute books
before l. came into power.
/ appreciate the difficulties that con-
front one who attempts to plan a cam
paign that contemplates present and
future welfare rather than the exigencies
of the political today; but no one will
accuse me of being fair weather SOL
der under present conditions. l have
taken the chance Of d hard battle, and
free from the temptation that certain
success might offer | am ready to out
line 4 program that. if it Is not adopted
today, must in some form be accepted If
New Jersey is to remain a progressive
State and make the most of her oppor-
tunities
A State policy that begins aud ends
with one administration is neither effec-
tive <nor progressive. | inaugurdted, for
example, the State control of our potable
water supply. The population of New
Jersey is rapidly Increasing. Our water
supplies were running to waste or were
being appropriated by private corpora