Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-22
z JERSEY PARTIES
FIGHT IN PRIMARY
Prohibition, Woman Suffrage
and Trolley Fares Issues in
Leadership Contests
WILL VOTE T0MoRR O W

The political stage is set for the
Democratic and Republican primaries in
New Jersey tomorrow.
The seven candidates for guberna
torial nominations-four Republicans
and three Democrats-have virtually
completed their campaigns and await
the decision Of the people.
The are also Democratic and Repub-
lican county committeeman to he elect
ed in every county; nine state senators
for each party to be nominated and
Assembly candidates to be named by the
two parties to contest for the sixty
seats in the House of Assembly.
Upon two contingencies seem to rest
the results of tomorrow primary choice
for the gubernatorial nominations. If
State Comptroller Newton A. X. Bug
bee, of Trenton. structural steel con-
tractor and for several years Republican
state chairman, can hold most of the
Republican wet votes from Commits
sioner Thomas l.. Raymond. of New
ark, an out and ont anti Prohibition
candidate, on the strength of Bugbee's :
declaration that prohibition is not and
cannot be state issue in the coming
election, then Bugbce will probably de-
feat his chief opponent, Governor Will
liam y, Runyon. lawyer, of Plainfeld,
who has the backing of the New Jersey
Anti Saloon League and the State Suf-
frage Association, and will therefore
get a pretty solid dry vote.
On Democrat Side
The Democratic contingency is that if
State Senator Edward I. Edwards, of
Hudson county, can get a good vote in
his home county, the Democratic strong
hold of the state. he will in all proba =
bility defeat James r. Nugent, lawyer
and Democratic political leader of Essex
county. for the Democratic gubernator
ial nomination. Both Edwards and Nj
gent have declared against prohibition,
but Nugent's declaration is the more
radical in that he has said that If elected
governor he will use all the resources
at his command to prevent prohibition
from being "foisted" on New Jersey.
The Democratic gubernatorial pri
maries will also decide the Democratic
state iPdutTsulps II .NuRtuI Wits, ne
will be the big boss. II Edwards wins.
the Democratic dictator will be Mayor
Frank Hague, of Jersey City. the pres
ent Democratic leader of Hudson
county. There seems 20 be little interest
in the candidacy of Frank NJ. McDer-
NIT, lawyer. of Newark. for the Dem
ocratic gubernatorial nomination.
Suffrage an Issue
Other issues in the primary campaign
are woman suffrage and utility rates.
The last named issue during the last
few days had leaped to the front be-
cause of the putting into effect. with
the approval of the Public Utilities
Commission. of the zone fare system
by the Public Service Railway Com
pany, a system which affects nearly all
the cities and towns of north, central
and portion of southern New Jersey
The sensation of the campaign has
been the summoning of the utilities
board by Governor Runyon on COM
plant of the Montclair board of COM
missioners to defend itself against
charges of unfairly putting the zone
fares into effect. The governor has the
authority to remove the utilities com
missioners if he finds that they have
acted unfairly or have exceeded their
authority. The executive has set Oc.
tober at the State House as the time
and place for the hearing.