Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-05
BIG GUNS IN
BATTLE ROYAL
OVER THE RIVER
Senator Colgate and Commits
sioner Byrne, of Jersey City,
Cannonading Each Other.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
is OBJECT OF ATTACK
Byrne Issues Challenge, Which
the Essex Man Promptly Ac-
cepts and Merry War Is On.

| Special TO the Evening Star.
JERSEY CITY, Dec. BIT is a tit
for-tat game between the Chamber of
| Commerce, or the representatives
thereof, and Commissioner Henry
: Byrne, and, so far as controversies
/ go, is considered about as warm and
as interesting a proposition as could
! be wished for by the most ardent
lover of hot propositions.
| Every minute something happens
| in the verbal and epistolary battle
, that relieves the nlonotony of war
I news and tends to add to the gaities
of nations.
Conspicuous figures on the firing
lines, With neither fighting from
trenches, are Senator Austen Colgate,
! president OF the Chamber of Com
merce, and Commissioner Byrne.
Senator CoIgates interests in Jersey
City and Hudson county are as great
as his interests in Essex county,
which he represents in the upper
! house at Trenton. The main factory
of the Colgate Company is located
here. Commissioner Byrne is a man
of means reputed to be the heaviest
taxpayer In Jersey City. He is very
wealthy, and by the same token
SOlSdIS is never snort OIL
J change. He commands a heap of
| money
| AS the conflict is not between pow
ertystricken warriors, the S. o. S.
signal is not likely to be called nto
requisition.
Commissioner Byrne, semmingly,
| has as much use for the Chamber
of Commerce as a German has for
an nglishman just about this time.
Re declares the Chamber Of Com
merce is Joke" an incubus" a
swell headed" institution, a mis-
chief maker" fake" a nuisance" :"
! and numerous other unpleasant
things. The members of the Cham
ber of Commerce do not agree with
Commissioner Byrne in his deduc-
tions and do not hesitate to go on
record in disapproyal of his utter
ances.
J A few days ago the commissioner,
tired of talking, got down to the let
ter writing stage and penned a
4 lengthy missive to President Colgate
! in which he challenged the latter
to point nut a single instance where
the Ch+snber OF Commerce had been
instrumental IN benefittng Jersey
+ City. He would give $500 to any
charity that the president might sug-
! gest if he could produce the evidence
of single benefit. AS for the Cham
( Der of Commerce itself, the commits
sioner reiterated his abhorance of it,
declared he was proud that he was
not a member of it and equally as
proud that he had never been a
member of the body
1t was up to Senator Colgate to
shoot back, and be it known that he
is a high officer in the New Jersey
National Guard. and is every inch a
fighter.
This is the way the Essex senator,
in his role of president of the Jersey
City Chamber of Commerce, fired
back at Commissioner Byrne, atten-
| ton being called to the Chester
fieldan and affectionate manner of
| addressing him Dear Henry"
Director Henry Byrne, City Hall,
Jersey City, N. j.:
Dear Henry-Your letter OF the I'd
inst. addressed to me as president
of the Jersey City Chamber of Com
merce, has been received. There is
no use for you to get excited over
the doings Of the Chamber of Com
merce. You are a member of that
organization yourself and are in
arrears now to the extent of $37,
which we should be glad to receive.
About the $500 offer You say you
win give $500 ''if you show me a single
instance wherein this city has been
the better because of the existence of
the Chamber Of Commerce"
From the tone of your letter we
cannot show you anything, but il you
will appoint three reputable citizens
not directly or indirectly associated
with you in your political life, as
judges, and deposit the $500 with
them, we will endeavor to win 1T, and
should we receive the money we will
give one-h half to st. Francis Hospital
and one-half to Christ Hospital.
Hoping these terms are agreeable to
you, | remain,
Yours very truly,
AUSTEN COLGATE,
President j. c. Chamber of Commerce.
1t being his turn to bat, comes to
and as the war is on, refers to the
senator by his military title
Colonel Colgate Is wrong when he
says / belong to the Chamber of Com
merce. I never joined it after the
Board of Trade was merged with the
Chamber of Commerce, and conse-
quently l cannot owe any dues. I
never attended any meeting of the
chamber, and 1 would not belong to
it under any circumstances.
"As to my offer to give $500 IL 1t is
merce ever accomplished any good,
that offer stands in the way l made
it. 1t cannot be ducked. I will not
appoint any committee of three to
Judge The public can be the judge.
/ would not recognize the Chamber
of Commerce to the extent of naming
a committee of three. I stand by my
offer, and l stand by the statement
that the Chamber of Commerce is a
joke and that it doesn't amount to
anything"
Secretary Walter Muirhead Of the
board of directors of the Chamber Of
Commerce, speaking of Commissioner
Byrne's membership status, says that
Mr.. Byrne is carried on the books
as member.
"When the title was changed from
the Board of Trade to the Chamber
of Commerce notice was sent to all
members. which of course included
Mr. Byrne," he said. "Mr. Byrne has
been a member of for some ten years
or more, and when the change in
name was made, nearly two years
ago, Mr. Byrne, as far as our records
show, made no objection to the
change and didn't resign his mem
bership. Indeed, this is the first case
that has come to my notice in which
the change of title has been ques-
toned"
Commissioner Byrnes reply to this
was:
"Weli, all can say is that l do
not keep the books of the Chamber
of Commerce. ] am not a member
and never was That is all care
to say on that point"