Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-24
S|LzER STARTS
NEW ATTACK
With Edwards, Democratic
Candidate Speaks at New
ton--Gives Platform

xNIL ~
here last night, Judge George S. Sill |
ger devoted the principal part of mis-
talk to an exposure of what he call
ed the System" under which bills
are sent to committee and are there
either killed or reported out, accord
ing to the wishes of the legislator.
The Judge dwelt particularly on
the manner in which the bills of
Senators Parry and Roberts. intend
ed to stop paving graft, were per-
mitted to die in committee. in the
last session of the legislature with
out protest from Senator Runyon.
He also called attention to the man
ner in which the bill to stop night
work for women was permitted TO
die in committee in the same way.
after the Republicans had held a
caucus on the measure and deter
mined on that course of action.
Again Senator Runyon made no pro-
test on the floor of the House against
the killing of measures which he
now promises himself to put through
the legislature.
Judge Silzer's speech in part Is as
follows: -,
"At campaign times the air is full
Of promises. High sounding plat
forms are adopted, candidates exhort
the voters, and the voters are hope
full that they may be relieved or
some of their burdens. After cleo
ton, when the voters loo for these
promises to be kept, all sorts Of SUBJ
terfuges are INDUCED in to avoid
having to keep them.
Men who do not want to keep
their promises, or who have not the
courage to do so, employ many time
honored methods in order to escape
their moral obligations. 1t would
be well to lay those methods bare
before the public at this time, be-
cause I told the Democratic conven-
ton that if they wrote a platform
they must understand that l meant
to carry it out.
"The method most frequently m
| ployed to Illustrate attempts to en-
act wholesome legislation is the
committee method. A senator, hav-
| ing made a promise to his people,
| introduces a bill, has the fact widely
advertised. circulates it among his
| constituents, and then permits it to
| be referred to a committee and to
| die quietly there.
IAN apt illustration of this is a
resolution introduced some years ago
by Senator Frelinghuysen in the
o6Ildl6 VI liz oS%hN
| ing for an investigation of the rea-
| son why the price of coal was so
| high. And although the President,
| the senate and the House have ali
| been controlled by Mr.. Frelinghuy-
sens party, that resolution has never
been passed.
1.-THE same practice prevails IN
| the state of New Jersey. This meth
cd is easy of operation and Is con-
| stantly employed. If a senator in
| PRODUCES a bill which he does not
want passed he simply goes to the
chairman of the committee and
asks him not to report 1t from that
| committee, and it never comes out.
| OF course, the public does not know
why it does not come out. Thus a
man may get credit for introducing
a bill which he never intends 10
have passed.
another method Is to have
such a bill passed in the senate, let
it go to the House, n permit II
to be buried or killed in committee,
During my legislative career it was
not an ~infrequent occurrence to ind
the House of assembly passing
numerous bills which they knew
were vicious, and which they also
knew would not be passed in the
upper house.
legislation is not passed, relief is
not given to the people, promises
are not kept, vicious bills are ell
acted, trading is permitted and, or
the whole, a very unwholesome an6
unsatisfactory condition results
This method is employed alike by
the CRATER, the professional poLti'
clan, the collector of campaign
funds, the man who lacks courage
to face his constituents, by thos'
who are seeking to protect specia
interests, and by those who are
timid and Indifferent. How this 4
done may be illustrated by prac'
teal examples from the record O.
Mr.. Runyon, which l called to hi
attention recently at a meeting IN
East Orange where we met on the
same platform. In 1922 Senator
Parry of Essex introduced senate
troduced senate bill No. 20. botf
having for their object the relief OF
our people from paving graft and
to provide for open competition
Those interested in preventing this
competition invoked the aid of the
system, had the bills referred to a
committee, and there they died
without protest from Mr.. Runyon.
Mr.. Runyon o. advocates the
enactment of a aw to prevent night
work for Last year, when
such a bill was before the senate, it
was referred to a committee, of
which Senator Feeder was chair
man. Evidently Senator Feeder did
not want to take the whole respon-
sibility for the bill, so he called a
caucus, which decided that the bill
should be killed. The usual proceed
ure was followed and the system APP
parently worked perfectly, because
the committee never reported the
bill. Mr.. Runyon now states that he
opposed this procedure in the eau
Gus, but everyone knows that If he
really wanted to help this bill, which
he knew the caucus was going to
kill, he would have remained out of
the caucus and would nave insisted
on the floor of the senate hat the
bill should be brought out. 1 have
no doubt hat the women of the
state will learn about the caucus
and its results.
Numberless other bills in the in
terest of the public met the same
fate. The system" got them. This
has been the practice for years.
During the last eight years Mr..
Runyon and his friends nave been
in complete control of both houses
| of the legislature with power to pass
anything over the governors veto.
If they had not invoked the commit
tee system there would have been
no necessity at this time for their
elaborate promises and high sound
ing platform. because during hat
pf0ht ~. f11, o,I Iaua. 10000