Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-20
RUNY0N PUSHES
UTILITY issue
Charges Democrats Are in
Secret Alliance With Pub
lie Utility Corporations

OfnlS, StreSSlng the omission OF a
plank in the Democratic document
putting holding companies under
regulation. He claimed that restor-
ing the old franchise agreements
would establish each municipality as
a fare zone He accused Judge Sill
ger of trying to trick the voters into
supporting him in the belief that he
could do what Governor Edwards
promised to do three years ago
make New Jersey wet as the Atlantic
pecan. Mr.. Runyon also said that
the conduct of the Edwards High
way Commission was a state scam
dal. Vice President Coolidge and
Senator Frelinghuysen spoke along
national lines.
Mr.. Runyon said in part:
"a comparison Of the Democratic
and Republican planks on public
utilities will quickly lay bare the
insincerity and trickery which char
acterizes the entire Democratic plat
fern. The Republicans propose that
gas and electric rates and trolley
fares shall be based not on watered
stock, but on the actual capital in
vested. The Republicans propose
that holding companies, which are
the heart and head of the utility sys-
tenn OF the state, shall be subjected
TO the JuTlouiCllOA OIL Nv L d0iiS
tiles Commission. The Republicans
while recognizing the right of the in
weston to q fair return or honestly
invested capital-nothing more or
nothing less-also insist on the right
Of the consuming public to the low
est available rates consistent there
with.
ssWhat do the Democrats have to
say on this vital issue? They lave
/, no plank with reference to holding
companies. Their candidate amiab-
/, ly says that If you regulate the OPP
Grating companies properly there Is
no need to have control of the hold
ing companies, and this despite the
fact that the holding companies con-
stitute the BRAIN. the heart and the
life-blood of the operating compa-
MES. Is further proof needed OF
their insincerity and their secret al
lance with the utility corporations
of the state? If they earnestly de-
sire a solution of this pressing prob
lem. a plank for the control of the
holding companies would be promi-
nent in their platform.
Instead, they glibly talk of a law
for returning a five cen fare. /
favor a five cent fare if it can be
had consistent with the principles l
have set forth and which are embod-
led in the Republican platform. But
| do not believe it is right to pro-
mise the public to pass a law restor-
ing the original franchise agreements
with the municipalities of the state
for a five cent fare, when every law |
yer in the state knows that such a
Jaw would be utterly unconstitution-
nj. Suppose for a minute. that the
law which Judge Silzer proposes
were actually passed, and suppose
for a minute, If You can, that 1t
would be constitutional. What
would be the result of restoring these
old municipal contracts? 1t would
simply mean hat you would have
the pleasure of paying five cents in
every town in which you rode. To
ride from Newark to East Orange
would cost ten cents; to ride from
Newark to Orange would cost fifteen
cents. The public has already had
experience with the coming system.
but never any zoning system as out
rageous as this. The slightest anal
ysis of this Democratic plank shows
its base trickery and treachery to
the public.
II need scarcely remind this audi
ence that three years ago Governor
Edwards promised a fv cent trolley
fare. On entering Office he placed in
control a utility commission of his
own selection, and what resulted
from his three years of effort was
that q seven cent fare, instead of be-
ing reduced to five cents, was in
creased to eight cents, with an ad-
ditional one-cent for transfers. You
may have believed the Democratic
promise of 1919. Are you willing
still to believe it in 1922, after three
xxAorS nf hrnkan nrnf1igaS2 -r |
I'm 1919 Governor Edwards prom
ised to make New Jersey as wet as
the Atlantic Ocean. Today Judge
Silzer is trying to drag the prohibit
ton issue into the state campaign.
Nobody knows better thar the judge,
himself, hat the only way that pro-
hibition can be altered Is through
congressional action, n yet he is
smilingly promising our people to
give them the right to beer and light
wines by recognized and lawful me
thpds. When questioned, he refuses
to tell what the lawful and recoS-
nized methods are. except to say a
process of education. Governor Ed
wards did not fulfill his promise of
1919. because the question of pro-
hibition is not a state matter, and IN
the same way. Judge Sllzer cannot
fulfill his promise of 1922, because
prohibition is not a state matter. and
no man knows this better than the
Judge. himself"
These conditions prevailing in
Governor Edwards Democratic
Highway Department constitute a
statewide scandal. h PhiladGl-
phil North American has exposed
how the Democratic highway com
mission voluntarily paid 100000
for the approach to the Perth AM
boy bridge, when their own APP
praisers valued it at 100000. The
highway commission has the right
- condemn property which it needs
lor public use and obtain it at a
reasonable price. But one inference
can be drawn from their voluntarily
pay ing nearly three times the APP
praised price for this piece of prop
cry. and that is that they are utter
ly reckless in their wasting of the
$ ato's money. / need o go inro
Eth. details of the widespread en-
ployment of warrenite paving at a
cost of about half again as much
as similar unpatented pavements of
lih,, merit. l need not go into the
full details of the loss of a large
amount of federal aid through the
usa OF warrenite pavement. The
n,atte- is a scandal known to every
CITIZEN of the state. / need only 70
say to YOU that l. and the Repub-
lean candidates for the legislature,
ara pledged to an open specification
~ LII f.-o 1tANf4 ~ /