Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-11
Edward Casper Stokes's Opening Campaign Speech

ernment not to rule but to serve, and
| that nation is the strongest in which the
ernmental functions. He wanted to make
| Germany a sea power. He was too wise
| to attempt it by imperial edict. He de-
veloped the interest of the people In the
sea. He had boat races and offered
prizes, and a boy from the country came
down to the shore with his little boat.
entered the races and won prize in his
would take him by the hand and thank
him for his enterprise and say to him
| II expect YOU here next year with a
bigger boat, and that boy would 90
friends what the great emperor had said,
and he would strive to do better and
bigger things next time. You can't beat
a nation with that kind of a spirit.
| Over in Germany the government
recognizes the hopes and needs and am
billions and aspirations of the people. 1t
| is trying to be of service. After all. it
| is not what we do for ourselves, but
is why the people love Abraham Lincoln,
because he helped his fellow man and
made freemen out of slaves.
The Republican party has been the
party of human rights ever since Lin
coin, on the first of January, 1868, wrote
| the word Liberty" across the banners
of his armies. If elected Governor
, shall coordinate all humanitarian fune-
| of Service. / shall administer it in
non-partisan way and / shall expect
the cooperation of all good citizens fire.
| spective of party.
since our constitution was formed. Then
| legislation could be generally applied
| throughout the State. Today Newark,
with its $4,000 population. wants different
| legislation from my home town of Mill
vile, with 1900 population, and we are
| piling up more statutes because we are
compelled to pass specific laws under a
general title. If it were not for local
| legislation the value of laws would be
tremendously reduced, our system of laws
| would be much clearer and litigation less
expensive and frequent and the legislation
at Trenton would be less befogged More
rule at home and less rule at Trenton is
desirable reform. Broader municipal
charter under which the large cities may
have their own local legislative bodies and
within reasonable State limitations pass
| their local regulations Such charters have
become "A necessity. None of these con-
ditions existed 100 years ago, and that is
why we need a flexible constitution so
that we can make proper provision for
the new day. The short ballot, the sep
aration of State aud municipal elections
and municipal home rule are impraeticable
except through constitution treatment. /
favor. therefore, flexible rather than a
fixed constitution TO meet these changing
needs. and our platform provides for a
constitutional amendment TO make it pos
sible to amend the constitution as often
as public necessity requires instead of as
now only after fvetyear intervals.
The organic law is the foundation of the
State, and should not be lightly changed;
otherwise 1t becomes a mere statute that
can be amended and repealed by legis-
lative fiat. 1t should, however, be. flexible
enough to enable US to adopt the best
which political and economic science
evolves In the light of advancing intelli-
gence.
A constitution that authorized nothing
but toll roads would be reactionsry under
present conditions If you made new
constitution today Ii would be out OF
date in the advance of tomorrow. When
you go to the polls in November you VIII
have a ticket of enormous size, containing
candidates for different offices, many OF
whom you do not know, whose fitness you
cannot well determine. When our fore
fathers framed this government there
were fewer offices and fewer candidates,
and they held elections under conditions
that gave them a shorter ballot with the
the candidates of which they were more
or less familiar. A shorter ballot IS pos,
sible either by reducing the number OF
offices or by separating your. state from
your municipal elections and by providing
for Assembly districts
The business of this country conld NOT
exist today without that modern device
known as the corporation, and. as Roose-
welt has said, we could not. hold our own
in competition with the other nations spI
the world unless we nave enterprises pies :
enough to do it, We are not afraid OF
business because 1t is big. We only OBJ
ject to it when it Is wrong. We want
to regulate business, not strange 1t.
Business makes work and wages. If
there is no business, there is no work or
wages.
The corporation problem hasn't been
settled because 1t has been made the
football of politics. 1t has not had the
courageous treatment of the statesman,
and 1t never will be settled until II has.
A corporation is simply a number of
people engaged in partnership. The city
of Newark is a corporation, Its $4,000
people are its stockholders. It's city of
hcials are its managers A corporation
is neither right nor wrong. Its man
ayers make It right or wrong, and If the
officials Of your city fail in their dutAl
you punish them by removal or by failuryi
to re-elect, but you don't line and punish
the people whom they have betrayed A
corporation may consist of 1000 or 1000
or $4,000 or 100000 partners. whose stock
or bonds are evidences of their partner
ship One of the railroads that runs
through your town has $1,000 stockholders
They own it. not its officers. Thirty
seven thousand of them are women II
the officers of that road mismanage IT,
IL they abuse their power, IL they treat
the public wrongfully, they should be