Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1917-07-28
Local Option Issue
And Political Leaders
Are Picking States
Continued from page y

present Republican Assemblymen
will seek reelection, but they will
not be bracketed together at the pri-
maries. Walter G. Whine and w.
Irving Glover will run as regular Re
publicans, while Roy M. Robinson
will seek reelection as progressive
and ultra local optionist and Home
Rule advocate. He may have two
other new candidates bracketed with
him.
Assemblyman 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 a
candidate to succeed Judge Pancoast
is DIR. Paul N. Litchfeld, a physician
of Camden City. Mr.. Wolverton is
completing his third term in the
House and will be candidate for
Speaker if the Republicans control
the Assembly next winter. He is
slated to be named Prosecutor of
Camden county next year.
The county ticket is still up in the
air in Essex county and this like
wise applied to Hudson county.
There are rumors of war in the Re-
publican ranks in Essex between the
regular and local option factions.
The death of Senator Edmund B.
Osborne left the local optionists there
without leader, and the leadership
has not been settled, but is expected
to be soon. The regular Republican
leaders are picking their slate,
through no candidates have been
formally announced, but whoever they
may be, the local optionists will OPP
pose them with their own ticket.
Assemblyman J. Oliver West, Of
Gloucester county, will run for
county clerk this fall, which will
take him out of the Assembly race
after serving five years in the House.
No other Republican candidate has
yet appeared. AS West is local op-
ZIONIST, that faction will lose vote
by his retirement unless they sue
coed in nominating another candi-
date from their ranks.
In Mercer county, Assemblyman A.
Dayton Oliphant, the majority leader
last winter, is slated for appointment
as Prosecutor next year and it is
said will not seek reelection to the
House. Assemblyman Read and AL
lison, both local option men, will run
again on that platform. There will
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.
The local optionists have already
launched their campaign in Middle
sex county. Assemblyman James
A. Ergar, Republican local optionist,
will run again on that platform. The
local option leaders have started a
boom for Lawyer John V. B. Wickoff,
who practices in Trenton and lives at
Plainsboro, while the regular Repub-
lican leaders of Middlesex have also
IIloIlLlOleu HIS udIihc. WHEN oohCo
about the matter Mr.. Wickoff said,:
~ do not expect to become can
didate. That is my attitude at this
time"
There will also be lively local
option 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 &C.
ceptable to the local optionists and
will likely have their endorsement
for reelection, but they will fight
Assemblyman Jacob B. Vreeland,
who is opposed to local option. Mr..
Vreeland will likely be opposed at
the Republican primary by Harry ;.
Gill, a we'll known Morristown resi-
dent. "Uncle Dan" Voorhees, and
the other big Republican leaders of
the county will lead the fight against
local option, so the combat will be a
lively one.
Assemblymen Arthur N. Pierson
and Charles L. Morgan will run again
in Union county, it is said. Both are
local optionists. Assemblyman Will
lam N. Runyon will run for the Sem
ate this fall, depriving the local op-
ton Republicans of Union of one As
sembly candidate, unless they sue
coed in nominating another to take
his place. AS the third Assembly
candidate in Union there is talk of
David Armstrong, Railway lawyer.
He is being groomed by the regular
Republican tenders.