Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-28
OPENS BATTERIES
ON GOVERNOR
AND SECRETARY
Former Assemblyman James
Baker Treats of Incidents
in Sarcastic Vein.
STATE HOME FOR GIRLS
SUBJECT OF HIS THEME
Writer Takes UP Other Matters
and InduIges in a ''ProIix-
ity" of Expression.
Especial to the Evening star.I

JERSEY CITY, April 2S.-In a long |
communication addressed to Gov |
ernor James F. Fielder and which |
he describes as an open letter to the |
Governor. former Assemblyman |
James Baker, of Jersey City, deals !
with recent happenings in sarcas-
tic vein. He treats rather pointedly |
with the Governor and also takes the /
latter's private secretary, Edward L. |
Hermann, within the scope of his /
criticisms.
For the purpose of further identi- |
fication probably or for location, per-
haps, Mr.. Baker dates his letter in |
this manner: at home, No. 467 Ber- !
gen avenue The communication
follows:
My Dear Governor May | not ex-
tend to You the tribute of my pro-
found congratulations on what | !
deem to be the most laudable act of
your administration, viz, the removal
by the Legislature, upon your recon- !
mendation, of the board of trustees of
the State Home for Girls? For ex-
pedition in legislative action ] think
that history will be searched in vain
TO find its parallel. II clearly and
most conspicuously shows what can
be accomplished by legislative per
formance when inspired by a wise
and courageous executive. | am sure
that 1t will occupy something more
than u foot note upon the page of
the history of our State during the
present year.
In Offering you the fullest measure
of appreciation | cannot rid myself
of the thought that a modicum of
praise is due to the estimable lady
who made this history possible, Mrs.
r. V. II. Mansell, the matron of the
home. In making this statement l
know that | am uttering the truth.
And at the risk of being accused |
of redundancy, | most solemnly as
servate that Mrs Manselrs refusal to
abdicate her position gave you the
opportunity, first to appoint the inves- |
tigating committee, and secondly to |
accept their judgment that those re-
sponsible for her retention should be
officially deca 4 /
Had she hen she in
tended to there would have been no
inveet lgtstlssa@aa no subsequent leg
islative alacrity in giving you the
means of naming a new board to su-
pervise her actions.
"You must be very grateful to the
dear lady, for II is not so long since
that she had n most positive deter
mination to retire voluntarily, and |
was dissuaded from doing so by those
who at that time appraised your gu
bernatorial prospects as being eX- /
tremely precarious.
Asked to withhold Resignation.
at was within two weeks previous |
TO your election as Governor that the |
telephone wires between Trenton and I
Jersey City were worked to have Mrs. |
Mansell withhold her resignation.
"You must have had some knowl- |
edge of this, for the gentleman who |
sought and secured my services in the |
matter was a person who then. as |
now. occupied a confidential position |
in the Governors office at Trenton.
His plaintive representation to me |
was that | should insist that Mrs. /
Mansell remain because her reSigna- |
ton at that time would provoke some /,
newspaper comment upon her conduct |
as matron, which, when handled by |
hostile and partisan press, could be |
made the subject of an attack upon |
your administration.
whether the fears o. your conf |
dental clerk were well founded or not !
can only DE a matter Off conjecture. |
The obvious fact is that Mrs. Manseli |
did not resign for the reason that, like |
myself she had something more than |
q casual interest in the success of the |
Democratic candidate for Governor
"In compliance with eXactitude as |
to the time that this telephone col |
loquy took place, let me remind you !
that it was also contemporaneous with |
your private secretary's importuning |
{, well-knoWn leader in the First ward |
of Jersey City to give you the benefit |
of his miscellaneous activity in fur |
thering our candidacy.
1.-THE name of the political leader |
may cause you some wonder. And in
order that you may be saved some
mental effort on the subject, let me
suggest that a glance at the history
of your senatorial conduct CAST term |
will convince you that he is the same
gentleman whom you had removed as
q public official Of Hudson county, In
obedience to the behest of the CIVIC |
Federation, an aggregation OF citizens
whose activities would make excel ent
material for a theme at the hands OF
the late Mr.. Dickens.
you may, with genuine pleasure, |
recall that this particular official has
since been thoroughly vindicated by a |
legal tribunal.
Now, Governor, you must surely |
remember this unfortunate official, for |
he was among those who were in |
dicted by a famous elisor grand In |
quest, of which your first appointee to |
official station was a most conspicu- |
GUS member.
Impairing Political Prospects.
Now, having established quite |
definitely the time that Mrs. Mansell |
consented to remain as matron rather |
than jeopardize your chances for Gov |
ernor. | shall resume by emphasizing |
that she was prepared to suffer i'm |
notation rather than do an act which !,
would impair the political prospects |
of you or your friends.
For this act of womanly courage
she was made the target of an inves- |
tigation by committee appointed by |
you.
"There are numerous ways of evil |
dencing gratitude, and must say
that YOUR particular way has the ele- |
ment of uniqueness at least.
mot that L, as a member of the |
board. objected to an investigation. |
In fact ] courted it from the begin /
ming. and my only regret is that you
did not request the investigators to
enlarge their scope-not only investi-
gate the State home, but go further
and include at least one other penal
institution of the State.
You had official knowledge that a
month previous to the appointment
of the committee to investigate the
home, fatality occurred In one of the
State institutions, which would cause
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