Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-26
CLERK CONNELLY
PITCHES INTO
Mr.. FETT|NGER
Says Commission Leaguers'
ignorance Is Responsible for
Trouble and Expense.
RESENTS INSlNUATIoNS
AS TO ELECTION METHODS
Fettinger Falls Back on EEK
perienced" Politician and Star
in Excusing His Utterances.

City Clerk James F. Connolly and
representatives of the Commission
Government eLague clashed today in
the department of elections in the
City Hall. Incensed at criticism made
yesterday by Secretary Theodore s..
Fettinger of his methods of verifying
and satisfying himself as to the gen.
uineness of the names on the COM
mission government petition, the city
clerk sailed into the commission gov
ernmentites and administered a wig
ging in ringing tones.
He charged the representatives of
the Commission Government League
with ignorance and declared they had
caused the city an expenditure of an
additional sum by their ignorance in
preparing the petitions calling for an
election. He declared he never had
and never will be Influenced by poll
tics in the performance of his duties
as city clerk, and defied anyone to
say so-and go unanswered
The only representatives of the
Commission Government League
present at the time were Louis B.
Lesser, who has been in attendance
at every session of the investigation
in the capacity of attorney, and
henry Scnuldte.
Neither attempted to defend Mr..
Fettingers statement. Both said the
expression of Mr.. Fettinger was pure
ly one of an individual and in no way
did it present the attitude of the
league as a whole. They felt, they
said, under such circumstances, they
were not obliged to come to the front
t. defend their secretary.
Mr.. Connolly went to the depart
ment of elections promptly at 8
o'clock. All the clerks were at work.
The copying of names suddenly
ceased when Mr.. Connelly's ringing
voice was heard throughout the room.
Addressing himself to Messrs. Les
ser and Schuldte, he said:
1t has been said by Mr.. Fettinger
and reported in yesterdays issue of
the Evening Star, that these petit
tions are undergoing a close scru-
tiny than other petitions that have
been filed with me in the past. |
want to say to you right now that
this Is not SO. Every petition filed
with me by a candidate for office
has undergone closer scrutiny. I
want you to understand that. =
If yol had any knowledge of the
affairs of my Office you would know
thai. When a number of candidates
file petitions for office, you must
know that the heads of the county
political organizations send their
representatives to the city hall to
copy every one of those names. Then
the lists are turned over to their dis
tricts representatives and each sigma
ture is individually investigated.
Il want to tell you gentlemen" Mr..
Connolly continued, that your ignor-
ance is responsible for the city being
put to additional expense other than
the expense that will be attached
to holding this election. You went
ahead with your petitions and had
ten and twelve and in some instances
fifteen and twenty names to a petit
ton. To each one you have made
out an affidavit. Because of that
procedure this staff of clerks, :"
(sweeping his hand in the direction
of the clerks) will have to be paid
for several days work.
''In your enthusiasm" the city
clerk went on, you went ahead
blindly You didn't ask yourselves
whether you were doing the work
properly or not. You didn't consult
me about the work Had you done so
[ would have been glad to advise
you But you never came near my
office 1t wasn't my place to go to
you. Had you consulted me, the spe-
cial election could have been called
within three days and the city saved
a considerable sum of money.
Had you taken small cards and
had the names and addresses signed
on these-one name on card-this
work the clerks are doing now could
have been avoided.
"Then too, you have made out
afidavits to each and every petition.
There was no necessity for that. The
law doesn't provide for that. Under
the Geran act, providing for petit
tions of candidates for office, an af-
Gdavit is necessary. That afi1davlt
must be signed by one of the signers
of the petition But your affidavits
have been made out mostly by MEM
bers of the league, and in some in
stances by persons who are not mem
bers of the league. There is nothing
- in the Walsh act that provides for
the making of affidavits to petit
items" the city clerk declared