Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-04-19
TO GET
RID OF RIDDLE
IS BIC RIDDLE
Assembly Bill e34, Signed By
Governor, Affects All Walsh
Act Cities.


ATLANTIC CITY. April 1s.-Gef-
ting rid Of Mayor Riddle may prove
to be a sorry riddle to duly electsn
officials in every municipality operat-
ing under the Walsh commission gov
ernment act. if the recall feature OF
Assembly bill No. 834. fathered BY
Assemblyman Runyon, majority lead
er in the House, and enacted into Law
by the signature Of Governor Fielder,
Is taken advantage Of.
And this feature Of the law is being
taken advantage Of down here, jus
TO get rid of Riddle. The wonder ex-
pressed is how Governor Fielder was
ever induced to approve this bill
The only consolation that Atlantic
City people friendly to Mayor Riddle
and also advocates Of commission
rule have is that the governor, in
joining the all around hitting game
against Mayor Riddle, has placed his
Jersey City friends in the same
perilous positions that the Runyon
bill landed Riddle.
That Assembly bill S34. as a law.
Is vicious, because OF its troubls-
making propensities, cannot very
sensibly be denied. It gives extraor-
dInary powers to the few and prac-
tieally eliminates the offiee-holder re-
called by the few. The recalled official
mas one chance in thousand Of ever
being candidate for reelection.
Already petitions are out for re-
call of Mayor Riddle II the whole
! thing is frame-up, who Is respon-
sible? Jersey City. Hoboken, Trenton.
Orange, Irvington. Bayonne. New
Brunswick. and all other Commission
government municipalities will fesi
the same blow. consciously or uncon-
sciously dealt.
Therefore the people of this CITY
by the sea, while mourning over sor,7s
things, are naturally rejoicing over
the fact that those who helped to dis
COMMIT them are in the same rocking
boat.
Assembly Bill Ss4. signed bv oov-
ernor Fielder, is revolutionary In il
/ provisions.
Under it a recall petition" signed
by at least twenty-five per cent. OF
the electors, may be filed by the
agent or agents" designated I'm the
pettion with the city clerk demand
ing the recall of the Commissioners
sought to be removed Reasons FOR
the recall are supposed to be given.
Going farther, the new law saws
tnat there shall be no primary e1ec-
ton Tor the nomination of candidates.
nor shall there be any registry dsv
preceding a recall election
/ Continuing, the new law provides
tnat nominations for successors to tie
commissioner proposed to be recalled
shall be by petition for nomination"
/ which shall be signed by at least If
/ teen per cent. of the legal voters f,f
/ the municipality and filed WITH the
/ city clerk at least fifteen days before
/ the recall election"
/ This places an additional burden
on the official recalled" He r3ref
/ go to the trouble Of getting Up 5
| petition.
The ballot to be voted is the Col
/ ored gentleman in the wood pile
According to its terms the voters
must place an mark opposite the
word yes" or no" to Indicate
whether or not he favors the retes1-
/ tion or the recall of a designated
I person.
I If that Identical recalled person il
a candidate for reelection, the con-
! fusion in voting is apparent.
/ Naturally. Republicans, Democrats.
Prohibitionists and Socialists would
| vote to recall any official attacked by
! the recall petition" If said official
was not of their particular party,
1 in the hope that the successor might
be one OF either of the parties OF
which the official recalled is not >
member.
So. where does the recalled Official
get off at?
II, It is pointed out here, Commits
sioners Hogue, Brensinger, Byrne or
/ any of Governor Fielder's Jersey City
friends were recalled, they would be
/ up against the same stiff proposition
I that Mayor Riddle confronts. In
4 other words, the opinion here is that
4 someone has blundered beautifully