Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-06-08
SCULLY WANTS
OPEN POLIT|CS
Says Candidate for Senate Can
Not be Chosen Fairly by
'Star Chamber" Methods

WASHINGTON June s:-Repre-
sentative Thomas ]. Scully, chairman
of the executive committee of the
New Jersey Democratic State Com
nlittcc, was asked in his Office here
today what he thought of Federal
Judge Thomas G. Haight for the
Dem ocratic nomination for United
States senator.
Tom Haight is fine fellow and
would make an excellent candidate"
said Mr.. Scully. IF he is nominated
/ shall certainly give him my best
support"
II have. of course" the congress-
man continued. seen the story In
the newspapers about a conference at
the White House at which an effort
was made to choose a candidate for
United States senator. but l feel it is
mistake to accept the assumption
conveyed by the story.
"One or two men did see Joe
Tumulty at his Office and ore or two
others at his home. but two or three
men, holding appointive Offices and
with no mandate from the people,
can hardly decide on who Is to be
either the administration candidate
or the candidate of the great Demo-
cratic party.
Congressman Egan, Hamill and
Y
sentatives in Washington of the DEM
ocratic electotate. but none OF us
were invited to any conference or
consulted as to the fitness Of any can
didate or the likelihood of any ones
candidacy appealing to the voters.
Before any Democrat can be
elected to fill the vacancy In the
United States senate caused by the
death of my friend Billy Hughes a
broad foundation must be laid. Two
or three men cannot get together.
pick out man, tell him he is the
administration candidate and then
tell the administration that this is
the man." and get away with it. I
should think experience would have
shown that to any one capable Of
learning. Two years is not too long
to remember.
Il sympathize heartily with the
suggestion made by Assemblyman
Alexander Simpson (who has an
nounced himself as a candidate for
United States senator) in a recent
letter to State Chairman Mcdonald.
that he call a meeting of the county
committees Of the state as a sort Of
unofficial convention and try to get
there the sense of the Democratic
party as to its preference in candi-
dates.
THE only success the Democratic
party has had in recent years in New
Jersey was when big men and big
ideas were kept to the fore. The
only success the party can have to-
day. the only success it ought to have.
Is by a repetition of those methods.
The people Of New Jersey will not
vote for Democratic candidates NOM
mated by undemocratic methods.
chosen by q little coterie of men, in
whom some of the people of the state
have no confidence. The fact that a
candidate is hand picked by any such
coterie defeats him in advance. And
that is not dope. 1t is perfectly OBJ
vious to any one not blinded by self
conceit-or self-interest.
II should like to see a Democrat
elected to the United States senate
from New Jersey. We need one. But
to have any possibility of election
such a candidate must have, to start
with. the confidence and support Of
all of his party. and he can only have
open, a free and fair choice, in ac-
cordance with the Democratic princi-
piles for which we fought and fight
ing for which we won.
IF New Jersey Is now q Republi-
can state is because of little priv
ate, carefully camouflaged confer
ences such as the one have referred
to, and the results that followed from
them, when men repNesenting no one
but themselves wish a candidate on
an unsuspecting party and also,
fear, on an unsuspecting administra-
ton.
for broad democratic principles il