Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-02-07

EDWARDS AND HIS BOOM

nomination for the presidency. The
rather unusual manner In which he
forced himself upon the National
Democratic Club, which had assem-
bled to do honor to the Democratic
national chairman, Homer $. Cum
mings, and the trend Of his remarks,
injecting into an otherwise hsrmoni-
Gus gathering ar issue on which 1t
was known there was a decided
divergence Of opinion. could not help
but be somewhat embarrassing to
those who had arranged the dinner.
The New Jersey governor literally
Grabbed" the whole event and the
man in whose honor the dinner was
given was left decidedly in the back
ground.
But no matter what may DE
thought of the ~propriety of Governor
Edwards acting as he did, It must be
admitted thai he struck a popular
chord with a great majority of those
present and the flattering reception
he received at their hands will doubt
less encourage him to go on with his
fight for what the liquor interests
delight to caIl personal liberty
Starting with q little pleasantly at
the inaugural banquet given at the
Robert Treat hotel in Newark on the
night of the governors Inauguration,
when the speakers WED with each
other in saying nice things about the
guest of honor, the mention of the
governors name in connection with
the presidency would have been psss-
ed off as a mere compliment and the
boomlet would have died abornf1s
had not William Jennings Bryan
taken it up and in numerous speech
es throughout the South given 1t just
the breath of life it needed to keep
it going.
Through the aid of Mr.. Bryan this
mere bit Of after-dinner fiattery--
uttered by no less a parsonage than
the ~unspeakable Jim" Nugent, we
believe-has been given nationwide
prominence and as a result of the
notoriety the governor seized the first
opportunity to bask in the limelight,
for attracting attention.
His success must have been even
beyond his fondest expectations. At
least the governor ought to be fully
satisfied. For a person who was
merely an invited guest at a dinner
given in honor of someone else, not
not only be able to deliver his care
fully prepared address, but to come
away the most talked of mar at the
gathering, easily eclipsing the distin-
guished person in whose honor the
dinner was arranged, Is going Some
in these fast and furious days.
Henceforth Governor Edwards OF
New Jersey becomes the leader Of
the "wet" forces In the Democratic
party. Whatever hope the liquor in
terests and the so-called personal
liberty crowd in the Democratic
party have in capturing the San
Francisco convention now centers in
Governor Edwards. That lie should
head the New Jersey delegation to
the national convention seems the
logical thing and there, on the floor
of that great gathering, he will stage
his battle for booze. The governor
suddenly finds himself q national
figure.
But while the cheers of the as.
sembled guests at the Cummings
dinner are still ringing in his ears
the governor must not be led away
with the thought that his trip to The
White House on a brewery wagon Il
going to be easy riding. In the frs
place, by the stand he has taken or
the prohibition issue he has deliber
ately challenged the leadership o
William Jennings Bryan in the Dem
ocratic party and whatever one!
opinion of Mr.. Bryan may be, he Il
recognized as a worthy foe whc
neither asks for quarters nor give.
any-especially on the liquor ques
ton.
There has not been q Democratic
convention since 1896 save one when
he kept hands off of his W volitior
and Alton B. Parker became the
party's standard bearer, that Mr.
Bryan has not dominated. That he
means to exert all the influence hi
can bring to bear on the San Fran
cisco convention there is not the
slightest doubt and if Governor
Edwards can beat the great Com.
moner he will have to show himself
some scrapper.
1t is n thing to live here in this
the wettest of all the wet sections OF
the country and hear prohibition
condemned on all sides. but quite an
other thing % get out into the
country. s~sp~~klIy the great solid