Perth Amboy evening news., 1917-07-20
LOCAL OPTION BIG
ISSUE THIS FALL
Home Rule Will Also Play
Prominent PART in the
Election This Fall.
By Special Correspondent.

By Special Correspondent.
Trenton, July 20:-With local
option and home rule looming up as
one of the biggest issues in the cam
paign this fall, state political leaders
are bestirring themselves on the
legislative states for the primaries,
which will be on September rs.
There has. been considerable talk the
past few days at the State House as
to the Republican candidates for the
assembly, where 1t Is admitted the
local option battle will center.
James K. Shields. superintendent
of the New Jersey Anti-Saloon
League, declares that the fight will
be to a finish. The local option
forces are preparing to combat the
plan of Senator Richards of Atlantic
county, to pass local option bill
with a statewide referendum
THAT proposition is only subter-
fuge," declared Mr.. Shields today
''and would defeat the very purpose
of local option, SO of course we are
going to fight it,
Atlantic county Republicans will
have an entire new assembly ticket
this year. as Assemblyman Bertram
e. Whitman. of Pleasantville. was
last winter appointed to the county
tax board, and Irving p. Parsons. of
ANtiohtiS Sityt Will lloI lNi otoeait. 1t
Is practically certain that the oandi-
dates will be DR.. Underwood Coch-
ran, well known Atlantic City real
estate operator, and William A Blair,
q wealthy young farmer, of Elwood.
There is also some talk of Mayor
Ralph Harcourt, of Longport, enter
ing the assembly race, but 1t is un-
derstood that the other two will have
the support of the county leaders.
N al n a
present Republican assemblymen will
seek reelection, but they will not be
bracketed together at the primaries.
Walter G. Winnie and w. Irving
Glover will run as regular Republi-
cans, while Roy M. Robinson will
seek denomination as q progressive
and ultra local optionist and home
rule advocate. He may have two
other new candidates bracketed with
him.
Assemblymen Charles A. Wolver-
ton and Ralph N. Kellam. of Cam
den, will run again and the third
candidate will be new man in place
of Garfield Pancoast, who was made
Camden City judge by Governor
Edge The man most talked of as
candidate to succeed Judge Pancoast
Is DIR. Paul N. Litchfield. physician
of Camden City, Mr.. Wolverton Is
plSliuS HIS thiio bSi III ~ bhS
House and will be a candidate for
speaker If the Republicans control
the assembly next winter. He Is
slated to be named prosecutor-ef
Camden county next year.
The county ticket is still up in the
air in Essex county and this likewise
applies to Hudson county. There
are rumors of war in the Republican
ranks In Essex between the regular
Po The daath
of Senator Edmund B. Osborne left
THE local optionists there without a
leader, and the leadership has not
been settled, but Is expected to be
soon. The regular Republican lead
ers are picking their slate, though no
candidates have been formally an
nounced, but whoever they may be,
the lofal optionists will oppose them
With heir owl ticket. --,'s---------.---.-
Assemblyman j. Oliver West. OF
Gloucester county. will run for coun-
ty clerk this fall. which will take him
out of the assembly race after serv-
ing five years In the House. No other
Republican candidate has yet appear
ed. AS West is q local optionist, that
faction will lose a vote by his retire
ment unless they succeed in nominat-
ing another candidate from their
ranks.
In Mercer county, Assemblyman A.
Dayton Oliphant, the majority leader
last winter, Is slated for appointment
as prosecutor next year and 1t is said
will not seek reelection to the House
Assemblymen Read and Allinson,
both local option men, win run again
on that platform. There will be a
lively contest in this county over the
local option question. AS Oliphant
has always opposed local option, the
leaders of that camp are glad to see
him retire.
In Middlesex County.
The local optionists have already
launched their campaign in Middle
sex county. Assemblyman James A
Edgar, Republican local optionist,
will run again on that platform. The
local option leaders have started
boom for Lawyer John v. B. Wickoff,
who practices in Trenton and lives
at Plainsboro, while the regular Re-
publican leaders of Middlesex have
also mentioned his name. When
asked about the matter today, Mr..
Wickoff said:
L do not expect to become a candt-
date. That is my attitude at this
time
There will also be a lively local op-
tion fight in Morris county among the
Republicans. Assemblyman Arthur
Whitney, who endorsed home rule
and voted for the Hates home rule
bill last winter, is said to be accept