Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-31
In the Field of
Politics

II was rather a poor percentage Of
members that responded to the South
End Wilson Leagues call to indorse
the candidacy of Mayor H. Otto
Wittpenn Thursday night. Out Of the
leagues ITO members only twenty
five appeared, and even at that
there were several who were OPP
posed to the league going on record
for any one man so far in advance
of the primaries. John l.. Armitage,
president of the Woodrow Wilson
League of Essex County, and
henohman of the Jersey City mayor,
was at the meeting. but he declined
to say much, declaring that his stand
for a certain candidate was too we'll
known. The gubernatorial aspirant
has a loyal follower In former Judge
Thomas S, Henry, who is going to
resign the presidency Of the South
End League to go on the stump for
Wittpenn.
It is apparent now why Mayor
Wittpenn's press bureau suddenly
stopped turning out press notices
The mayors desire to break into
print every day has cast SHADOW
on Assistant Secretary of State JOB
H. Lippincott and has started an IN
vestigation by Governor Fielder into
the charges that the assistant secre-
tary had converted his office into
Wittpenn headquarters and thatcierks
in that office were being employed IN
turning out political literature to
boost Wittpenn. 1t is said that dur
ing the five days of the special ses-
sion of the Legislature, Press Agent
Idppincott spent practically his en-
tire time in the lobby of either the
House or the Senate, being able appa-
rently to devote but little time to MS
duties as assistant secretary of state
and commissioner of motor vehicles,
for which he receives from the state
a combined salary of $4,000 year.
There are hundreds of pepople in
Essex county who, although the jury
bill fight in the Legislature Is now
matter of history, are still unable to
understand what 1t is all about and
what the Legislature has done In re-
gard to jury reform.
The long-drawn-out fight is dis
tinctly a victory for the opponents OF
judge-made juries. While the cham
cellor-sherfff bill may be held I'M
constitutional, in view of the fact
that Governor Fielder, as senator
from Hudson, voted for 1t and signed
1t as acting governor, and, while
it may be defeated at the referendum
election, the object of jury reform
has been accomplished, nevertheless,
in the passage of the Fielder court
Supervision measure. This change
will continue If the chancellor bill is
beaten at the polls.
.
The Progressives will have none OF
Frank A. Munsey's plan for amalga-
nation with the remnants of the Re-
publican party, it appears. 1t the
dollar dinner in Camden this week
the plan was very decisively turned
down on the basis that the Progress
sive party is new party, and rad
ical departure in principle from any
of the old ones. And the people down
| lUdI way dl6 SlAOli6 LII AOAilCA oShT
ator Everett Colby, of Essex, for their
next Governor. They gave him a
great ovation when he arose to speak,
but they couldn't, no matter how hard
they tried, induce him to definitely
acknowledge that he will be candi-
date That answer will be given on
June 2, when Mr. Colby will entertain
a number of the Progressive leaders
at his home in West Orange.
Now that former Congressman
Charles N. Fowler has announced
that he is a candidate for the guber-
material nomination, it will be re-
membered that he was suggested
several months ago as a compromise
candidate to bring the Republicans
and Progressives together Mr.. Fow-
| Ter so far Is an independent, but he
is progressive in principles, and may
poll a good many Progressive votes
1t is declared by some that he has
announced his candidacy at this time
to get in the running before former
Senator Colby announces himself.
Notwithstanding all this talk of the
Progressives about spurning the Re-
publican offers for amalga1nation,
there are a good many hard-shell G.
o. P. men who believe that this will
inevitably have to result. Former
Governor Stokes is one of them. 1t
is his hope to see the two parties
get together, and he was not back
ward about expressing it at Perth
Amboy this week when he fired the
opening gun for campaign designed
to bring the two parties together. He
has the support of large following
of Republicans in Essex.
A Missionary Bird.