Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-09-19
LINED
UP AGAINST EDGE
Senator Wells Declares in
Statement They Seek Revenge
for Governors Local Option
Position

N sept. 1S"OGkAE
Senator Harold b. Wells, chairman
OF Governor Edges speakers bureau.
issued the following statement today
on the United States senatorial cam
paign:
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.
81 do not believe the people OF New
Jersey, including the party men who
are interested in the continued success
of the Republican party, are in n
mood to tolerate a campaign of per-
sonal revenge on the part of liquor
interest in these times of stress" de-
ciared Senator Wells, yet there is un-
mistakable evidence Of submarine ac-
tivity in every county on the part of
these interests and their representa-
tives against the campaign of Gov
ernor Edge, whose only offense is
hat he insisted upon the fulfllment
of h Republican party's pledge for q
local option law, just as he insisted
Upon fulfllment of all other party
pledges and placed his signature or
the local option bill n the home
rule regulation after they
had passed the last legislature. How
ever. the Governor Is nothing IL not
q fighter. Instead Of k~owtowing to
the liquor interests and e~ndeayoring
to apologize in any way for uch
splendid, democratic legislation as
these two bills of last winter, he has
come out openly in favor OF nation
wide prohibition as a val measure for
the duration OF teh war. That shows
that Governor Edge has thrown down
the gauntlet to the wet. propagan-
dists, many of whom were Hun SYM
pathizers before we entered the war,
and might be today If they were not
afraid of public sentiment and the
law. The public generally can BIO
counted upon to support this fine
courageous attitude.
II am glad to see, also, that Sem
ator Baird has come out for ar
time prohibition. That indicates q
great step forward. Both the gov
rne and Senator Baird "a beer
recognized as men h have dealt
fairly and not in any prejudiced way
with all interests, eve the liquor in
t~erests, and the fact that they are
intolerant of mixing booze and war is
significant.
There is much politics of the gut
ter variety in this campaign, and I
regret to say that for the most part
a congressman of New Jersey is re-
sponsible. Even though Mr.. Gray
has been honored by the people of his
district with a seat in congress-, and
Is supposed 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 or
~ganization in this Republican primary
Campaign. rs beasting of ~conversa-
tons with high officials in Washing
ton who happened to have equipped
him with inside INSTRUMENTATION, which
might be twisted and exaggerated into
campaign material against the gov
ernor, appears to give color to these
reports. Moreover. 1t is common talk
in Essex county 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 sue
cess for himself to beat the governor.
IL Mr.. Gray really is the tool of the
Democratic organization who appre-
ciate that Edge Is too strong a can
didate to permit the hope of Demo-
cratic party success in the election,
and IL his candidacy is not sincere
and is based on personal motives
only, why should he receive the sup
port of m bona-hde member OF the
Republican party? The governor las
given the state a splendid business
administration to the everlasting
credit Of the Republican party. OF
which he is the titular leader. and his
senatorial platform has such a far
sighted and fair ton In comparison
with the dreamy and very largely dis
credited theories of our friend, Mr..
Record. that OF curse the latter is
out Of the running. n there should
be nothing TO it but the governor and
assured Republican success at the
polls in November"