Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-09-29
SILZER's BIG

George S. Silzer starts out his campaign for governor
under serious handicaps. It is announced that he and Gov
ernor Edwards, the Democratic candidate for United States
senator. will being their tour of the state next week. They
are to travel together as much as possible and will appear
Jointly at all of the important gatherings. On some days,
however, they will separate, each covering a different terri
tory.
Except with the booze element Governor Edwards is one
Of the most ~discredited men in New Jersey. Perhaps by
hitching him up to Judge Silzer the Democrats hope to i'm
prove his standing, but there is more danger of Judge Silzer
being pulled down to the governors standard. Behind them
both stands the dominating figure of Mayor Hague, of Jersey
City, which is enough to discredit any candidate.
Judge Silzer, with his pleasing personality, might be
able to make the people forget about Hague were he to cam
pagn alone, but the mere sight of Edwards brings Hagueism
to the fore at once and Silzer, when campaigning with Ed
wards, cannot escape.
There is no doubt that Judge Silzer would like to fight
out the campaign on a higher plane than that of booze. He
has been reluctant to bring this in as an issue realizing that
there were questions of far greater Importance, especially
as far as the people of New Jersey are concerned because
the prohibition question is not one for any state alone to
decide, it being in the federal constitution and enforced by
federal laws. The judge ignored the question altogether at
the outset, but was forced to come out for light wine and
beer through pressure of the Hudson county gang that de-
ponds on the rum element for support. Even then the judge
was rather mild in his declaration and there was more or
less fault finding by the men "higher up"
Campaigning with Edwards, however, will bring Silzer
in line with the policy of making the state as wet as the
Atlantic ocean" He cannot get away from it.
Campaigning with Edwards forces Silzer to endorse the
Jespicable record of the governor during the past three
years at Trenton and indicates that, if elected, he will give
the same kind of administration.
Campaigning with Edwards puts the stamp of Hague
ism indehbly upon Snzer, linking him up inseparably with
the corrupt Hudson county Democratic machine that seeks
not only to dominate the state, but to reach out into national
affairs with its own creature, Edwards, in the United States
senate.
OF course, it would never do for the Democratic candi-
date for governor to repudiate the Democratic candidate for
United States senator. 1t would never do for the Democratic
candidate for governor to repudiate the present Democratic
incumbent of that office. On the contrary, for party har-
mony sake if for no other reason, the Democratic candidate
for governor has got to heartily endorse the record Of the
present Democratic governor and he has got to get behind
the Democratic candidate for United States senator, who
happens TO be the present Democratic governor, and do all
he can to elect the whole ticket.
This, then, brings Judge Silzer down to the level of
Governor Edwards and Governor Edwards's level is so low
that all the bootleggers, rum ~smugglers, and nullifiers of the
law and constitution are soidly behind him. 1t is not to be
believed that the majority of the people of New Jersey can
be persuaded to stand for that sort of thing.