Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-10-23
STOKES GUEST
OF F,INANCIERS
AT LUNCHEON
Republican Candidate for Governor Has QsIe Little Time
to be at Home IIIAI Deny Any Significance In Meeting


So the story started and finally
became more or less public. The
News thought it was worth while In
vestigating as an interesting feature
of the campaign. But right at the
start this newspaper was discouraged
in its quest.
The host at the luncheon was seen
He admitted that the event was
pulled off" but he declared II
didn't amount to anything, and
wasn't worth mentioning. The guests
were interviewed. Some of them
said they had nothing to say, one
urged the reporter to forget it,
and still another declared it would
be inadvisable to say anything about
it in print, for cit might be miscon-
strued."
Not News Item, Says Host.
Eyes, there was such luncheon, -
said the host, Mr.. McGraw, at his
Office at 239 West Thirty-ninth street,
but that's not news, you know.
Why, 1t happened ten or fifteen days
ago, should say. You can't make
news out of something as old as that
in an up-to-date newspaper like the
News.
''Let me see. I've been away for
ten days or so. | can't recall the
exact date, but was the day Stokes
spoke in Newark. That was the
tenth, was it? Then the luncheon
was on the tenth. So there's no need
of saying a word about it.
"Oh, no; there was absolutely no
significance about the luncheon.
just thought it would be nice to
have lot Of Jerseymen meet Stokes
-Jerseymen who thought it would
be a good thing to have Republican
Governor once more. | was down to
Princeton on a little private business
one day and went over to Trenton
and dropped in ON Stokes.
Governor | said, aren't you
coming over to New York to see your
friends?' He. said he would like to
II he was feeling well enough, and
he'd come on the day he was to
speak in Newark.
$50 when | got back here I called
up some of my Jersey neighbors and
friends and invited them to meet
Stokes. Everybody who was there
was a Jerseyman part of the year
at least, and all do business in New
York except Heilner, who is Phil
adelphian. He's neighbor of mine,
though, in my summer place at
Spring Lake, and he just happened
to be in town.
Yes; | asked Hilles to be pres
ent, but he couldn't come. You say
you heard Mr.. Harding was present.
Well, he wasn't. Yes; | did invite
him, but there was some reason-I
don't remember just what-why he
was unable to be present.
WAS there "a vacant chair at the
table? | believe there was. Who
was it for? Let me see. I'm not
sure. Oh, yes; we expected Mr.
Bugbee, Mr.. Stokes chairman to be
present, and he didn't come.
Now that's all there was to it,
so you can see for yourself it is not
worth while mentioning in your pa
per. In fact, your paper ought to
be supporting Stokes. He's a real
progressive, and so am l."
Affiliations of the Guests.
Mr.. McGraw having apparently fin
ished telling all there was to tell,
1t was suggested to him that there
was a story in circulation about the
luncheon, in which other details were
alleged. The story was repeated to
him in substance, and he was told
that some people thought there was
significance in the fact that the
guests were either connected with
the railroads or with the banking
business and had other very wide
connection.
Mr.. Williams is senior member of
the firm of Williams & Peters, is
trustee of the Atlantic Mutual In
surance Company and of the Fulton
Trust Company and a director of the
Automatic Coin Wrapping Machine
Company, the Blassburg Coal Com
pany, the Equitable Life Assurance
Society, the General Bakelite Com
pany, National Park Bank, North
River Coal and Wharf Company and
the Pennsylvania Coal & Coke Com
pany and the Pennsylvania Coal
Company. The coal companies with
which he is connected are affiliated
with two or three railroads.
Mr.. Heilner is president of Percy
Heilner and Son, Inc, Of Philadel-
phia. His firm is one of the largest
shippers of coal In the country, and
uses almost exclusively the lines of
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
Continued on page 12.)