New-York tribune., 1921-05-08
Orgy of Crime
Is Charged at
Jersey Polls
Mackay Committee Reports
and Assails Edwards
for Refusing Funds to
Push Hudson Go. Inquiry
He Blames Legislature
intimidation OF Princeton
Students at November
Election Is Denounced

The preliminary report of the Mackay
committee. appointed by the New Jer-
sey Legislature TO Investigate the con-
duct of certain Hudsou County muniei-
pal officials, was made public yester-
day. and declares that election condi-
tions at voting boothsin Hudson Coun-
ty last November ware "saturnalia
of crime.2 ,I6~acouses Governor Ed
wards of impeding the work of the COM
mittee by his refusal to approve an ap-
preparation which would have enabled
Il to continue its Investigation.
Governor Edwards replied later in
the day to the criticisms contained in
the report, saying: 81 have no objection
to placing responsibility where it be-
longs. The Legislature thought $40
N0o would be sufficient. If the Legis-
lature had wanted to appropriate, more
they could have overridden my veto.
treaty bill, the state constabulary bill
and the enforcement acts. l do not
propose they shall waste the states
money in junketing trips while l am
Governor"
Two Refuse to Sign
The report, which contains 5000
words, is signed by Senator William B.
Mackay. Senator C. 3. White, Speaker
George s., Hobart and Majority Leader
T. Harry Rowland, of the Assembly, all
Republicans. Assemblyman Joseph
Loori, also a Republican, and Senator
Hayes, the lone Democratic member Of
the committee, declined to sign it.
An extremely ugly picture is painted
of She conditions at the Hudson County
voting booths last November when "of-
ficers of the law acquiesced in obvious
corruption ef the ballot" aided by the
'machinatio~S of both Democratic and
Republican partisan officers"
Commenting on the election of
Princeton student watchers from the
polls, the report says that "the extent
of the intimidation and the audacity. of
the persons concerned in corrupting the
ballot knew no limits" and calls par
ticular attention to the assault upon
Harold Frazee, one of the students,
which never has been punished.
Jersey City Criticized
The city government of Jersey City
is severely criticized for not making
public Immediately the facts as to the
loss of S11,025 in the tax collectors
Office, even though the city was reim-
bursed on demand. The presence Of
politics in the police force is noted
by the committee which declares that
"a close relative of the executive of
the city within few years rose from
a patrolman to a detective, while hun
dreds of men with longer service and
wider experience have failed of pro-
motion"
According to the committee, recov-
cred stolen automobiles are used by
the Jersey City Police Department and,
ain the case of Ford sedan turned
over by the chief of police to the clerk
OF the police board after repairs at
the city's expense, the legitimate owner
was refused his car. although he per-
sonally demanded it."
After describing the deal by which
one realty company was refused a per-
nit for a certain type of construction
on Hudson Boulevard by the Jersey
City Zoning Commission, while the real
estate operator to whom the same
property subsequently was sold through
the efforts of James F. Cannon IT,, a
member of the commission, was granted
permission for identical construction,
the report comments: "a thinking pub
lie will discount the attempted explana-
tion and be satisfied that the result
was attained through political in
fiuence"