Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-03-29

The much advertised testimonial
dinner in honor of Mayor H. otto
Wittpenn, of Jersey City, turned out
to be pretty much of frost-for
Mayor Wittpenn The aspirant for
gubernatorial honors came here ex-
pecting to receive a rosy reception
from several hundred guests and to
hear himself exploited by State Chair-
man Grosscup, United States Sena-
tors MARITIME and Hughes, Congress-
man Scully and others, but the reality
didn't measure up to the expectations.
Instead of several hundred guests,
exactly 100 arose to greet him, and,
instead of hearing his own praises
sung, he heard President wilson
lauded by each of the four of ten in
vited speakers.
It must have brought little lump
into his honors' throat as he Travelled
back to Jersey City, especially be-
cause it came so soon after the Essex
County Woodrow Wilson League re-
fused to indorse him. He expected 10
see several members of the league at
the dinner, but John L. Armitage, Its
president, was the only member there'
and he did not appear as a repre-
sentative of his league
80
wittpenns stand on the jury
reform measure is going to cost MN
a few votes, it now appears. II ne
hadn't been rebuked by Wilson when
he asserted his position on the REFER
endum clause the discussion on
whether the President favored the
Jersey City mayor or Governor
Fielder for the gubernatorial nominal
ton would hardly have been invoked
in such a strong manner at this early
period of the campaign.
Now that the whole matter is up in
the air and President Wilson refuses
to definitely tell whom he favors, his
followers are rather in quandry.
One instance is the Woodrow Wilson
League of Essex County, whose menu
bers refused to indorse Wittpenn py
a. vote of IA to 2. Wittpenn is anxious
to gain firm foothold in Essex be-
fore Fielder or Katzenbach have a
chance to come in, and the indorse-
rnent of the Woodrow Wilson League
would have been big boom for him.
He was so anxious to hear of the
clubs action that he had messenger
at the door to convey the news TO
him. and he was probably very much
surprised when the messenger told
him what had happened
Mayor Julian A. Gregory, OF EASY
Orange. treats the Wittpenn boom
with disfavor. In letter to the Jer-
sew CITY mayor he makes It known
that. it needs a strong man ito Keep
political knavery, trickery and Chi
canery' out of the Legislature, and
he implies that Wittpenn IS not
strong enough.
President Wilson's proposed travels
hid fair to rival the famous tours of
his predecessor. While he is waiting
word from Secretary of War Garrison
TO rush to the flood district in Ohio
he is keeping his other eye on the
Legislative situation in New Jersey
and is planning to come here for a
campaign in the interests of the jury
hill. Outside of the "Seven Sisters
corporation bills, this is the Presi-
dents pet measure in this State, and
he is bound to see 1t go through.
while he does not plan to include the
whole state in his personal cam
paign, he will personally appear in
Essex and Hudson and tell why the
bill should be considered in an extra
session of the Legislature.
The President is active in pushing
the jury bill because it was one of the
party platform pledges. but he does
not explain why he kept out Of the