Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-07-16
BIZ Special Correspondent.

BIZ Special Correspondent.
TRENTON, July 16-The breach
which has been opened between
spokesmen for the Republican State
organization and the New Jersey
the Rev. James K. Shields, was fur
ther widened today, when former
State Senator Emerson l.. Richards,
of Atlantic county, gave out copy
here of his reply to Mr. Shields re-
cent utterances, respecting the atti-
tude of State Comptroller Bugbee to-
wards prohibition. Richards broad
of that fired on Monday of this week
by Edward c. Brennan, head of the
New Jersey League of Republican
Clubs. Hhe tenor of both the Bren-
nan and Richards staten ents is a slap
at Shields for opposing referendum
of the people so that they might have
say as to whether they do or do not
want prohibition. Incidentally Rich
ards, like Brennan, wants to know IL
Shields is attempting to disrupt the
Republican party and asks why the
dry leader doesn't transfer his ac-
tivities to the Democrats tent for a
while.
81 said 1 was for Mr.. Bugbee." de-
clares the reply of Richards today to
Shields because he was sufficiently
liberal to hold his own against a
Democratic opponent'-speofical
against Nugent. I did not limit the
term sufficiently LIBERAL as you mis-
quoted me. to the liquor question, or
suggest that he should be elected, as
you again mis-quoted me, as an anti
dote for that reaction. I used the
term liberal in its largest political
sense, and I included therein my view
of what Mr.. Bugbee stands for up
on the issue which you are paid. a
high salary to agitate."
Richards warns Shields that the
Anti-Saloon Leagues mixing in party
primary contests of the Republican
party may get the League into legal
difficulties
II also note in the letter written
to me on the official stationery of the
Anti-Saloon League and signed by
you as superintendent" says the At
lantic man, land from your later
statement in the Newark Sunday
CALI that you are apparently put
ting the League in the position of be-
ing for or against some of the can
didates in the Republican Primary.
Let me point out to you that the use
of the Anti-Saloon League for this
purpose would be a direct violation
of Paragraphs 81 and 28 of the Cor
rupL HTdctlceS Acl. know this mas
escaped your. attention because, as
the leader of great moral reform,
you would not Intentionally violate
either the letter or spirit of the law.
There is a reaction towards liber-
alism. That is the meaning of the
Great War, and that liberalism can
not be expressed by a prohibition.
Thou shalt not is not the creed of
the new humanity. The future of the
Republican party is bound up in the
expression of that liberalism. It's
mission must be the development of
this new thought along constructive
lines. 1t must not be diverted from
its mission by useless and non-essen-
tiai controversy over an issue that is
already settled.
.-rhe inspection of the prohibition
agitation into last years campaign re-
suited in a Legislature incapable of
constructive action. The result was
temporary paralysis of the political
functions. We Republicans have suf-
fered for at least one year from that
disease. Why not turn your attention
to the Democratic party as whole
and give us a rest ~