Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-13
KEARNY Rejects
COMMISSION RULE
BY BIG MAJORITY
Vote 1922 to 722 Against
Proposition; Contest Will
Cost Town 81 200.

BY an even majority of 500 votes,
commission government was turned
down in Kearny yesterday. The final
result Of the special election showed
1872 votes had been cast for" and
1,222 against" The total number
cf votes cast was 1854. Twenty ball
lots were rejected. The advocates of
the new form of government sue
ceeded in carrying only two districts
str Of twelve. Every ward in the
town was carried by the "antis.'
The advocates just managed to Sc
cure enough votes to have the cleo
ton a legal one in case-with the
number of tallies they received-they
were in the majority. The vote for
the adoption of the Walsh act to-
tailed 1872 less than the number of
signers on petitions circulated by the
Kearny Commission Government
League, which organization was re-
sponsible for the election. The total
number of signers was S84. Every
name on the petitions was canvass
ed carefully by Town Clerk William
B. Ross before he agreed to call the
election.
1t will cost the town about $1,000
for the election. In the First Ward,
where lives Edward J. Gaffney, presi-
dent of the league, the proposition
got its hardest knock. In Gaffney's
own district, the third and highest
district vote In opposition was en-
rolled. The ward vote was 135 for
and BIG against" Gaffney's district
gave 81 "for" and 10 against"
Only Two Districts in Favor of It.
In the Third Ward, where Walker
w. M3Carroll, John M Gillespie and
Merton c. Leonard, leading members
of the league, reside, the measure was
undeniably cast into the discard. Not
one of the three districts favored the
proposition. 1t was in the Fourth
Ward that the. only districts in the
town put across a majority for"
By a meagre five votes the measure
was carried in the second district and
again in the Third district by scant
majority of nine.
In not one of the other districts
was such slim majority accorded
the ants. The officials of the town
were elated at the result. They
spent several hours after the returns
were finally known receiving the con-
gratulations of their friends. Even
those who had favored and voted
for the adoption of the Walsh act adj
mitted the defeat was a clean one and
a clear evidence Of the sentiments of
the voters.
The vote throughout the town dur
ing the day was decidedly light. AS
9 matter of fact the advocates of
commission rule feared In the late
afternoon that a sufficient number of
votes would not be polled to legalize
the election. During the last two
hours of the polling time the election
boards were worked to the limit.
They managed, however, to record
every vote by closing time.
Result Known Early.
It took about an hour to count the
ballots in the places where the heav-
lest vote was registered. In the lighter
districts the counting was done in rec
ord time. Every election board had
been officially heard from by $3.50. The
polls closed at p. m.
The counting was under way only
a short time when it was plain to be
seen that the result would be a mat
ter of how large the majority would
be against the adoption of the act.
The general sentiment in the town
last night was that the league would
never against attempt to foist COM
mission rule on the people of the
town.
The vote by districts was as follows
First Ward.