Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1919-10-28
STATE 8 EYES
ON M|DD[ESEX
Issue Between HiIker and Gan
non Raised
Bu special Correspondent.

TRENTON, Oct. 2S:-With the
gubernatorial fight in the home
stretch the eyes of the State House
political observers are directed to-
ward the fight in Essex cGanty, which
will have largely to do with the re-
suit. Stories emanating from Repub-
lican sources are to- the effect that in
return for the election of a Democra-
tic assembly delegation from that
county, the forces of James R. Nugent
will desert Senator Edwards for
Comptroller Bugbee, the Republican
nominee. Such trades have been
known to throw governorship in
the past, particularly in Hudson
county when Frank S. Katzenbach
was the Democratic nominee in 1907
and lost the state by a margin Of
eight thousand because Hudson was
alleged to have bartered the state
ticket in return for local Offices in
Guiding H. Otto Wittpenn for mayor
of Jersey City.
Democrats say that the c. o. p.
claim that Nugent will desert Ed
wards is a wish that is father to the
thought and point to Mr. Nugent's
having taken the stump for the Hud-
son senator as evidences that the
primary breach has been healed. I'm
biased political observers predicted
the result of the present fight for
governor will be the closest probably
in the political history of the state.
One of the county fights that is
attracting interest is the contest be-
tween Bernard M. Cannon, Demo-
crat, and William Hilker, Republican,
for the Middlesex county clerkship.
Mr.. Cannon has held the office for
two terms and the issue raised by
Hilker is that it is autocracy and un-
American for the encumbent to ask
for another term. Even Middlesex
Republicans are said to be opposed
to this style of campaigning, mas
much as in many counties of the
state man is reelected for term
after term.
An example is Frank r. Patterson,
who has been county clerk of Cam
den for so many years that no one
remembers whom his predecessor
was, and he is one of the big cogs in
the Republican wheel. Joseph Nc
Dermott, the Republican county clerk
of Monmouth, Is completing his
fourth term and has been renominat-
ed for a fifth. Supreme Court Clerk
Enoch l.. Johnson rotated with his
father In the office of sheriff in At
lantic county for many years
Uncle Dan" Voorhees, held down
the office of county clerk in Morris
for q long period and was successfully
transplanted from that office to the
state treasurership State Commits
sioner of Banking and Insurance
Frank H. Smith was a fixture In the
office of county clerk in Union before
being promoted to his present office
by Governor Edge. George T. Parrot
was surrogate in the same county for
almost a generation. Benjamin How
ell was congressman for the district
that includes Middlesex county, for
twenty years. Senator Lodge is serv-
ing his thirtieth year in the upper
House of Congress and Joe" Cannon,
former speaker, has been in the
House for forty three years.
AS the result of the eminent Repub-
lican precedents for long tenures OF
important public Offices, it is said a
quiet tip has gone out to some Of the
Middlesex Republican leaders to put
the soft pedal on the al a1guments be-
ing advanced by Hilker against has
Democratic rival on this score.
The itinerary of State Comptroller
Bugbee for the closing Week of the
campaign takes him today into Essex
county again and tonight into Morris,
Tomorrow he makes a flying trip back
into South Jersey for a tour of Cum
berland county. On Thursday he will
enter Hudson county again and on
FRIDAY ne, Will De IOunu once more III
Essex. On Saturday he goes to Cam
den county and winds up the fight
with a tour of Burlington county on
Monday. Monday night he will go
up to Morris county for several
speeches, winding up the fight in that
county.
For the first time in the history of
the state, SO far as is known q po-
liictal organization has sensed the
ternd of the times and invited the
women to attend a political rally.
The credit for this foresighted move
goes to Bernard j., Feegiers, chair
man of the Passaic County Demo-
cratic Committee, who upon the oc-
casion of the recent visit of Senator
Edwards, Democratic candidate for
Governor, to Paterson. invited all the
women of the city interested in equal
suffrage to attend the mass meeting
tn senator was scheduled to address.