Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-16
TAKES A SHOT At
WILSON LEAGUERS'
Clarence Sackett Believes the
Organization Is Detrimental
to Democratic Ideals.

| Clarence Sackett, who, during the
campaign of woodrow Wilson for
governor and again for President of
| the United States, accompanied the
candidate on all his tours as official
stenographer of speeches and re-
porter of general proceedings, being
an exceedingly ardent Wilson man
and devotee of his cause, has the
following to say in a communication
to the Evening Star over his own
signature:
1T am very much amused at
| the frantic efforts of handful OF
men who constitute the Wilson
League to land one OF their number
In the office now SO ably filed by
Doctor Herold. According to the
daily prints they are telegraphing the
President and Senator Hughes how
they stood by them last fall and how
| they got 5000 votes for Senator
Hughes in Essex county. Senator
Hughes is not under obligations to
them for a vote In Essex county.
Senator Hughes may thank the work
of the Progressive Democracy of Es-
sex county for his 5000 votes in Es-
sex. I happened to have been one of
the most active workers in that cam
paign, and make the assertion that
the Wilson League not only refrained
from any participation in the Pro-
gressive Democracy fight at the pri-
maries last fall. but some of their
members conferred with the Bull
Moosers," looking toward a Progress
sive Observation-Disclosures Repub-
lican fusion, and one of them actual
ly stumped the city in the election
campaign in the interest of the Re-
publican candidate for mayor. So in
that campaign they were Democrats,
Bull Moosers and Republicans.
Yes, Progressive Democracy in Es-
sex county, never very rampant,
judging from the returns, is indeed
languishing, thanks to the. Wilson
League. Not, however, because of lack
of recognition by the Washington adj
ministration, but because of too much
recognition of an organization which,
according to Chairman Grosscup, of
the Democratic State Committee, was
pronounced by then Governor, now
President, Wilson, a year ago last
summer, to have outlived it's useful
ness, at the expense of the men who,
in the real cause of Progressive Dem
ocracy, unselfishly did the work that
the governor wanted done, not one of
whom have since had a nod OF recog-
milton.
That is why Progressive Democracy
in Essex county. never any too
strong, is weaker today than ever.
Indeed, the Wilson League. while 1
write, is doing he cause Of harmo-
NOUS Democracy in Essex county in
general, and the cause of Governor
Fielder In particular, more harm than
good. and for this reason: They have
Endorsed an Assembly ticket COM
posed. not of members of the Wilson
League, but for the most part of
members of the Fielder League. Now,
Of course, If the governor is to be
nominated, as every good Democrat
hopes and believes he will, he must
have the organization votes. There
is no question about that, for even
so popular a candidate as Mr. Wilson
in 1910 could mt have won without
the organization. Indeed, he was the
organization candidate. The MEM
bers of the Fielder League generally
recognize this fact, but the men most
prominent in the Fielder League are
the men who run the Wilson League
barring. of course, the president of
the former, former Judge Davis, who,
l believe, has no utilization with the
latter.
So he who runs may read that
this handful of Wilson Leaguers are
spurning organization votes in one
breath and embracing them through
the Fielder League in the next
breath. And they are simply using
some good men who are honestly and
sincerely Progressive Democrats as
candidates in a way that in the ma
ture of things cannot do the Fielder
cause any good, even if it is a neg
ligfble quantity so far as doing him
any harm is concerned >,