Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1921-10-01
Why Candidates
Did Not Speak

lie recently uuFueu uOWH an INVITATION
of the "Citizens Cooperative Commit
tee" to speak at one of their gather
ings. He f1ays the committee as bias
ed, and declares that on previous oc-
casion he was insulted when he did
appear before a meeting under the
auspices of the committee. Council
man John e. Mcguire, who took the
same stand as the mayor, also eX-
plains his position in letter below.
The letters from the mayor and the
councilman follow:
Editor Palisadian:
Because l feel that large clan of
MISUNDERSTANDING Americans are
constant readers of your valuable pa
per, / am attaching hereto a copy of
communications which are self-eXplan-
atory on the biased attitude of a group
of individuals who have appeared in
various guiseS in recent municipal af
fairs, and who just now are labelled
Voters Cooperative Committee
''This group who control the affairs
of that supposed nOn-partisan organ
ization have recently demonstrated
| Iuut' WI uOl-lJdIl lSdil tllCy
are in reality so partisan that they re-
fused to read the appended letters sent
in reply to their invitation to myself
and Councilman Mcguire to address a
meeting of the voters at the high
school on Friday, September %.
"Such an incident might be allowed
to pass unnoticed except that a large
part of the audience consisted of I'M
biased citizens who attended that meet
ing to hear the issues in the campaign
and since myself and Councilman Ma
guire We're not present they naturally
inferred that we were Indifferent to
| their support. This is not so.
| 1--WE are ever ready to meet the
voters of Cliffside Park and to discuss
with them the salient features of the
present administration, but since the
Voters Cooperative Committee is so
obviously anti-administration and so
Indifferent to the rights of the people
who attend their meetings, I have ap-
pealed to your valuable paper to throw
the light of publicity on the action of
those who permit men whose citizen
ship is seriously questioned to play so
conspicuous part in American poll
tics"
"Cliffside, n j., Sept. %, 1921.
Secretary Voters Cooperative Com
mittee, Cliffside Park, N. j.:
Dear Sir-In reply to your invita-
ton to address a meeting of the voters
of Cliffside Park on Friday evening,
September %, 1921, must decline with
sincere regrets.
'As mayor of the borough I would
gladly avail myself of the unusual
opportunity afforded me to address
those whom have been hOnored with
| the privilege of representing in the ca
pacity of chief executive for six years,
but circumstances which arose at a
similar meeting held under your aus
pieces at the high school recently led
me to believe that it would be inadvis-
able TO present another occasion for
attack launched at me at that meeting
by your president. AS you recall, |
was your invited guest and in accept
ing your invitation l believe that an
opportunity was to be given the va
riouS candidates to represent their re-
specuive positions to the voters.
Little did / believe, nor could pos
sibly conceive of your organization
tolerating in the important Office of
president man so lacking in the SIM
plest rules of courtesy as those dis
played on that occasion. | was not
only treated with the simple courtesy
was entitled to in my private ca
pacity of an invitee, but that higher
consideration due me by virtue of my
official position was entirely lacking.
INSTEAD of being heard in my decla-
rations in substantiation of my claim
for your support 1 was forced to de-
fend the veracity of ny statements
against the insults of a man who threw
aside all pretense a decorum and or
der and raised his voice in denuncia-
ton of my administration.
"This, feel, was entirely out of
keeping with the advertised purpose
of your alleged non-partisan attitude
and feel that to accept this invitation
might lead to a repetition of that I'M
fortunate affair Up to the present
! time no attempt at an explanation as
to the sentiments of the members of
your organization on this matter has
beer forthcoming, so / can only assume
that the action of the president re-
fleets the attitude of his followers.
my campaign for reelection is be-
ing waged on my record of progl essive-
ism and impartiality and as it is pub
lie record l feel that those who really
represent a non-partisan attitude will
be influenced by the record l am proud
to hold up as immortal to my efforts
to do my share in bringing Cliffside
Park borough to its present state of
| dee lopment.
Respectfully,
JOHN C. CADIIIN."
brentwood, n. j., Sept. %, 1921.
Secretary Voters Cooperative Com
mittee, CliffSide, Park, n. j.: