The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-09-21
BREWERY INTERESTS
ARE AGAINST EDGE
SENATOR WELLS TELLS HOW IL
oUoR MEN ARE OPPOSING Gov
ERNoR'S SENATORIAL NOMINAL
TON BECAUSE OF HIS FAVOR
ING LOCAL OPTION BILL.

State Senator Harold B. Wells,
Chairman of Governor Edges Speak
ers' Bureau, issued the following state
ment on Thursday on the United
States Senatorial campaign:
Brewery interests are lined up
against Governor Edge in his candi-
dacy for the United States Senate
through motives of revenge for his
action in approving the local option
bill of last winter and the home rule
measures which accompanied it.
Il do not believe the people of New
Jersey, including the party men who
are interested in the continued sue
cess of the Republican party, are in
any mood to tolerate a campaign of
personal revenge on the part of liquor
interests in these times of stress" de-
clared Senator Wells, yet there is
unmistakable evidence of submarine
activity in every county on the part
of these interests and their represen-
tatives against the campaign OF Gov
ernor Edge, whose only offense is that
he insisted upon the fulfllment of the
Republican party pledge for a local
option law, just as he insisted upon
the fulfillment of all other party pied
ges, and placed his signature on the
local option bill and the home rule
regulation measure after they had
passed the last Legislature. However
the Governor is nothing if not a fight
er. Instead of k~owtowing to the Ii
quor interests and endeavoring to ap-
ologize in any way for such splendid,
democratic legislation as those two
bills of last winter, he has come out
openly in favor of nationwide prohi-
bition as a war measure for the dura-
ton of the war. That shows that
Governor Edge has thrown down the
gauntlet to the wet" pr~opagandists,
many of whom were Hun sympathiz-
ers before we entered the war, and
might be today if they were not afraid
of public sentiment and the law. The
public generally can be counted upon
to support this fine courageous atti-
tude.
Il am glad to see, also, that Sena-
tor Baird has come out for wartime
prohibition. That indicates a great
step forward. Both the Governor and
Senator Baird have been recognized as
men who have dealt fairly and not in
any ~prejudiced way with all interests,
even the liquor interests, and the fact
that they are intolerant of mixing
booze and war is significant.
There is much politics of the gutter
variety in this campaign, and | regret
to say that for the most part a Con-
gresham of New Jersey is RESPONSE
BILE. Even though Mr.. Gray has been
honored by the people of his district
with a seat in Congress, and is sup
posed to represent the State fairly in
national matters, he has not hesitated
to cast a shadow upon the patriotism
of the State with respect to the war
program, in order to help his suddenly
conceived candidacy for the Senate.
| have heard reports to the effect that
Mr.. Gray is the secret representative
of the Democratic organization in this
Republican primary campaign. HIS
boastings of conversations with high
officials in Washington" who happen
ed to have equipped him with inside
misinformation, which might be twist
ed and exaggerated into campaign ma
terial against the Governor, appears
to give color to these reports. More
over. it is common talk in Essex coun-
ty that Mr.. Gray has informed friends
he did not expect to win, but just
wanted to do Governor Edge all the
injury he could, his sole object being
without any hope of success for him.
self to beat the Governor. If Mr..
Gray really is the tool of the Demo
cratic organization who appreciate
that Edge is too strong a candidate
to permit the hope of Democratic Par
ty success in the election, and if his
candidacy is not sincere and is biased
on personal motives only, why should
he receive the support of n IONA
fide member of the Republican party?
The Governor has given the State a
splendid business administration, to
the everlasting credit of the Republi-
can party, of which he is the titular
leader, and his Senatorial platform
has such a farsighted and fair tone in
comparison with the dreamy and very
largely d~iscredited theories of our
friend, Mr.. Record, that of course the
latter is out of the running, and there
should be nothing to it but the Cover
nor and assured Republican success at
+l,o ,o1Ic - NTOuaDohnr1