Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-11
HAD NO MEANS
TOSTOP FRAME
SAYS FETT|NGER
Commission League Secretary
Goes Into Long Explanation
of Petitions Phases.
COULD BE FOOLED,
AS ARE NEWSPAPERS
Does Not Believe in Prosecuting
Anyone or Going Into Court
Just for Revenge Alone.

Secretary Theodore S. Fettinger, of
the Commission Government League,
had this to say today in regard to the
situation involving the much mixed
UP petitions asking for a special cleo
ton on the commission rule PROPOSE
ton:
80 far as | know, and 1 have been
in pretty close touch with all the
movements of the campaign of the
Commission Government League and
with the work of securing the petit
tions, there has been no attempt on
the part of anyone associated in the
work of securing petitions to deceive
the city clerk or anyone else III any
way, nor to do anything in connection
with petitions that was not common
to petitions in general. in fact, we
think we did more when we fent 10
the trouble and expense of having
each set of petitions, whether 1t con-
tanned one or fifteen, attested by the
person bringing in the petition.
This was done in the case of the
canvassers employed, as well as with
our own people.
I'VE are free to admit that we could
not place the same confidence in the
list supplied us by canvassers, be-
cause we realized that when men are
out of employment and sometimes
have families to support they may be
led to practise deception to secure
money.
However, the fact that the men we
employed came to US from regularly
organized employment bureaus, such
as the Bureau of Associated Charities
and the Municipal Employment
Bureau, we took it more or less for
granted the men were worthy of en-
ployment and that they would treat
us honestly.
Every list turned in was scanned
to see If any Irregularities were mani
fest; questions were frequently put to
the men as to how they secured the
signatures and where, and their stor-
les were, of course, probable; then
they We're required to take the oath
that all the signatures were genuine
and that they had asked the signers
whether they voted at the last cleo
tion.
IF, in face of this there were
'frame-ups, We have been imposed
upon as any other organization might
be imposed upon-~just as newspapers
are imposed upon, just as manufac-
turers and merchants are imposed
upon, and there would be nothing ex-
traordinary in the fact
IF we had not thought there might
bC oODiG SuCu lillpOS1lIO11 DTdtCIiSSu
We would not have gone to the
trouble of securing 1000 more names
than the law required. 1t was %
overcome just such possible defects
in our petitions that additional
names were secured. We did not an
ticipate having a perfect list of
names. such list has probably never
been signed to any petition SO large
as this one.
I'VE did not anticipate, however,
that anyone would sign petitions and
turn them over to the unfortunate
men we employed to be turned in to
us and be sworn to for the fun of
the thing, and if anyone committed
such an act, it is altogether likely
he will have more fun than he count
ed on.
1--WE had not thought of prosecuting
anyone who may have framed us up
in any way, because we could not see
what could be gained for 1.-THE peti
tion or for anyone concerned with it,
by going into the courts for revenge,
on anyone who might have tricked
us for pecuniary gain, but if anyone
can be found who deliberately worked
frame-up for his own amusement,
OF simply for the purpose of deceiving
us and invalidating the petition, you
may depend upon il drastic action
will bit taken speedily to show up Of
tenders of this sort"