Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-09-24
THE PRIMARY ELECTION

day. It is the day when the members of the
respective parties choose their candidates. The
kind of men chosen to run for the various Of
fees is really of more Importance than whether
the man finally elected is a Republican or a
Den ocrat.
At the primary next Tuesday the Democrats
and Republicans will name their candidates for
state senator, assemblyman. surrogate, freehold
ers, coroners and aldermen. When it. Is
realized that these men will have handling
of millions of dollars contributed by the tax
payers Tor government expenses the Importance
of having capable men named for the respective
office: is apparent. But the candidates must be
more than capable. They must be honest and,
at the same time, extremely conscientious In
their endcavor to give the people the best SER
vice possible for the least money.
In looking over the list of names of those
who are candidates for the various nominations
the outlook is not very encouraging. The gen.
oral run of those who are candidates at the
nrimaries this fall are not such men as one
would select to manage ones private business
r,nning I'D into the millions of dollars. 1t Is
because a man is more particular about the kind
q L Z he has " UNI hHo hN'"
he is concerned about the kind of men he has
to run his public business that we get the kind
of government we have with its accompanying
high taxes.
AS the Evening News has insisted from the
outset of the campaign. the one big issue this
YEAR is economy. And one of the items that
enters into the economy issue is the matter OF
patent pavements which involves the issue Of
- IA. 49, ,o,,f-r ipho
1t is gratifying to know that all Of the Re-
publican candidates for the state legislature IN
GLIDING the candidates for state senator and for
the assembly, have declared in favor OF open
specifications. This means that no matter VINO
ere nominated as the Republican candidates on
Tuesday q Republican delegation sent to Tren-
ton frc Middlesex county this fall will support
the bill that is to be introduced In the next ses-
sion of the legislature making 1t mandatory
when advertising for bids for paving the nigh
ways Of this state. to have open specifications
so that the people can get the benefit OF the
conpetitiop between the different kinds of pave
ments thus breaking the hold that the patent
7 avement interests now have on New Jersey.
From the Democratic side, Fred w. DeVoe,
the candidate for senator, is openly in favor OF
omen specifications and can be counted on TO
vote for the passage of the bill. So far as
,,nown the Democratic assembly candidates have
not openly declared themselves on this ISSUE al
though there is reason to believe that they' too'
will favor the bill requiring open speclncauohS'
perhaps the greatest interest in the coming
primary election Is centered in the nominations
for the Board of Freeholders. When 1t Is rear
lied that the freeholders now receive a salary o.
So, 900 a year it would seem as If men OF greater
ability would be attracted to this ONCE. Ihere
,s no doubt that this board is responsible tor
much of the high taxes that we are now called
upon to pay.
The one great issue in the election OF a Boaro
Of Freeholders this year is the matter OF patent
movements. These are costly to lay ana theS
do not show up any better, If as good' as Tue
ordinary concrete ~pavements. The present poaru
ha, been dealing out the patent pavement JOBS
with a high hand and they now try to oeteho
themselves by saying that they have merely
given the people what they wanted. But even
~ thew have been giving the people what they
wanted II Is I'D to them to protect the taxpay-
- from extrayagance, and this they have not
done.
Az n matter of fact, however, the people have
NOT ALWAYS received what they wanted, and many
,zbo would like to have told what they wanted
were afraid to do SO because they did not want
a patent pavement, but felt that to say so might
ieopardize their chances of getting any pave
noent at all. They have had good reason Tor
this fear.
There are two freeholders to be elected this
year. At the primary on Tuesday the DeHo-
Gratis will nominate two candidates and the he-
nublicans will also nominate two. The TWO
freeholders whose terms expire this year are
candidates for denomination. Both are Repup-
lcans. They are Robert r. Vandenpergn anu
George S. Applegate. These men stand on the
record of the present board. II you favor hano-
ing out fat contracts to the patent pavement IN
terests al high prices, therefore,, you WILL IL you
vote in the Republican primary, vote for the re-
domination of these two men. AS far as we nave
been able to ascertain, all the other candidates
for the nomination for freeholdersr both Demo
cratic and Republican, have declared In raVoi
of omen specifications and against the excessive
nrices charged by the patent pavement interests
It will be interesting to see whether the fe'
n,,b,ican party in this county, as far as the Tree
holders are concerned, will stand for the pateh'
navements by re-nominating Vandenbergh ahe
Applegate. or whether they will repudiate 'h'
patent pavements, as the Republicans Legislative
candidates have done, by turning down these WV
men at the primary Tuesday.
, n-1-A- N.ar nominations L d