Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-08-06
RUNYON NOT
LIKELY To CALL
EXTRA SESSION

i BIZ SpfCfnI COTTs3VOMNSn&
TRENTON. Aug. st Is the Inn
preston here that Governor Runyon
will decide against calling a special
session Of the legislature, as request
| ed to do yesterday by a delegation,
for the purpose of putting teeth" in
the Veterans Preferment Act. This
is based upon the remarks of the
executive himself yesterday follow
ing the conclusion of the arguments
proving why the question at issue
warrantyd a special session.
IT say nothing this morning in the
| way Of fnality," said Mr.. Runyon
then. IT say that I will not be an
instrument in taking away from New
Jersey that which should be hers for
all ages to come, the right of being a
proud state. If some trucking poli-
| ttcians, for the few months to come,
shall despoil her. that is not against
New Jersey, but I want this to be In
/ my own mind and conscience; that
| any action that I take shall be with
due regard for my position as gov
| ernor."
The foregoing may be taken as a
gist of the governors attitude and
feeling in the matter. He is afraid
such a drastic action as requested by
the delegation might reflect upon
| New Jerseys fair name, and for the
! few months advantage 1t would re-
suit in, before the converting of the
regular session, he Is hardly willing
to make such a sacrifice. He hopes
to have the situation remedied in
some less conspicuous manner
incidentally political observers
here see dynamite" in the calling
of a special session at this crucial
| point in the present hot campaign
for governor. All sorts of things
might happen and the passage of the
enabling act to the veterans law
might become only a side issue or
incident to other developments which
would likely take place.
Speaking for the delegation which
appeared yesterday, former Speaker
| Godfrey, of Atlantic county, thought
the lawmakers could pass the desired
act and adjourn in a day, without
i any undue expense to the state. In
fact, Mr.. Godfrey offered to pay for
| the printing of the bill himself. But
he and his companions failed to take
into consideration, or refused to, the
political elements in the present
Legislature, the ''fifty-fffty," POLITICAL
ly tied House of Assembly, and the
many vacant seats in the state SEN
ate. James r. Nugent. a candidate
for governor, controls twelve votes
in the assembly and he might seize
the opportunity to further his am
bition for the gubernatorial honor.
1t is expected that by tomorrow the
Governor will make public the list Of
appointments to the twenty-one u
| ty boards of election 1t was his in
! sistenee that these appointments be
from the ranks of the veterans that
| focused attention upon the question
| of giving soldiers the preference In
public Offices.
BY the terms of the election law
the county election boards should
| have met yesterday and organized but
| because of the Governors recent stand
| about the soldiers being named the
| Judges presiding over the different
| counties had to go over the field again
and certify new names in conformity
| with the veteran act passed by the
| last legislature. This necessarily held
| up the commissioning Of the ap-
pointees, as the law provides, on the
| first of August, and consequently with
two vacancies on each of h boards
| remaining to be filled the boards
could not comply with h law re-
| curing them to organize on August ..
1t has been pointed out here that
the Justice of the Supreme Court
| have regarded the preferment act suf-
ficiently strong to proceed to carry out
Mr.. Runyon's suggestion to follow 1t
and yet people are urging a special
| session of the legislature to put
teeth" in the measure so that minor
| municipal officials in different parts
of the state can be compelled to obey
its mandate.