Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-10-30
NO DECEPTION HERE

With all the deception and fraud that there is in the
Democratic campaign this year in the election of a governor,
Middlesex county can feel proud of the fact that this county's
candidates have no part in it.
Regardless Of what Senator Edwards, the gubernatorial
candidate may say or what may be said for him by his cam
paign managers, the three Democratic candidates for the as
sembly in this county have kept their hands clean. We have
yet to hear Of any campaign speech made by any one of them
where they have said anything that could in the least be con-
strued as attempting to deceive the voters.
1t is significant that in the list of candidates endorsed by
The so-ealIed Association Opposed to National Prohibition, not
one name from Middlesex county is mentioned. While many
Of the Democratic candidates in other counties, led astray by
the dangerous wording of their party's platform and in their
effort to win the wet vote, have tied themselves up to what
practically amounts to the notification of the Constitution, the
three Democratic candidates from Middlesex have no part in it,
We do not mean to infer that the three Democratic can
didates for The assembly have repudated their party platform.
They are loyal party men in every sense of the word, but there
IS every reason to believe that they are sincere in the position
they have taken on the prohibition question.
They do not hesitate to say that they are opposed to pro-
addition. They are in accord with their party platform in SO far
as it declares for the use of all lawful means to prevent prOhi-
bition. They give their understanding of lawful means" as
an effort to secure from the Supreme Court of the United
States a decision that the prohibition amendment was not con-
stitutionally adopted.
Not once, as far as we can learn, have the Democratic
assembly candidates from Middlesex promised or even init
mated that they would make New Jersey wet" as many Dem
ocratic stump speakers are doing in various parts of the state.
Even in addressing a meeting OF liquor dealers In New Bruins
wick the other day the Democratic candidates for the assembly
told the saloon men frankly that while they were opposed to
prohibition they would not for one moment be understood as
defying the Constitution of the United States.
The only meaning that can be taken Of this is that when
the prohibition amendment is formally declared a part of the
Constitution on the sixteenth day of January next, these Dem
ocraio assemblymen, along with every other laW-abiding cIi-
zen will recognize it as the supreme law of the land and will
govern themselves accordingly. But there is nothing to pre-
vent these men, in the meantime, favoring such action as will
secure from the United States Supreme Court a decision as to
whetheRor not the amendment was consitutionally adopted.
When primary petitions were being filed the EVENING"
NEWS expressed the hope that the same three men who served
Middesex in the assembly last year would be renominated by
the Democratic party this year. Two were renominated. The
other one of the three, however, choose to seek political hon
ors elsewhere and John Toolan, a Perth Amboy man, was
named to run along with Andrew J. Wight and Fred w. DeVoe.
The high character of the delegation has been fully maintained.
These three men are greatly handicapped by the kind of
campaign their state organization has chosen to put up in be-
half of the Democratic candidate for governor, but all the talk
of notification, defiance of the federal authority and other ut
terances bordering on sedition will not shake the confidence
that the people of MiddleseX have in the three men who are
running on the Democratic ticket in this county for assembly.