The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-11-01
By DAVID LAWRENCE.


Especial Despatch to The Reformer.l
Copyright 1922.
TRENTON. n. j., Nov. 1.-"Booze,'
or to phrase it more delicately-the wet
and dry issue-is the whole campaign in
tie state of New Jersey.
Governor Edwards, whose idea of pro-
hibition is to make the state as wet
as the Atlantic ocean. is running ON the
Democratic ticket against Senator Jo
seph Frelinghuysen, Republican, who
when questioned on the subject of his
wine cellar, makes the promise that
when it is all used up he will buy no
more.
Broadly speaking, New Jersey has the
feeling that, if the two parties had
thought less about prohibition and more
about the greater problems of state,
somebody else might have been nomi-
mated by both. There isn't, as mat
ter of fact, much to choose between the
Republican and Democrats so TAR rs
profundity of thought or senatorial abil-
ity is concerned. The voters know that
MIR. Frelinghuysen' whole background
Is that of an ultra conservative and that
Mr.. Edwards's fantastic ideas of pub
lie office are exemplified in his defiant
attitude toward the 18th amendment.
But New Jersey is populous state
where political machines abound and
where the tricks of the trade are so
widely practiced among the Democrats
that Messrs. Tweed and Murphy and
Penrose and the rest seem rs mere
school boys in the game of mass voting.
There is, for instance, the far-famed
Hudson county presided over by Boss
Hague. Democratic chieftain. Calmly he
estimates the majority that will be gwen
Mr. Edwards as 10000. This is a huge
wall 10 erect against Il Republican cam
didate who must marshal Republican
votes from the whole state and come TO
the Hudson county line with at least
$4,000 to overcome the Democratic tide.
Rest for FreIinghuysen.
And that's where the rub comes in.
lCan Senator Frelinghnysen gather
enough strength throughout the state To
Iapproach the Democratic counties with
II substantial majority Normally he
would have no trouble. For most of
New Jersey is Republican. But this
year with the wet and dry issue upper
most in the campaign, 1t IS puzzle.
Atlantic county which embraces Atlantic
ICity is naturally wet Governor Ed
wards will get heavy vote there. Iren-
ton has Il big wet constituency. in Es-
ex county where the city of Newark
IDEfAtpklIHditS tEt AGL NolG NAAA bC NtApitH
lIor Edwards. and in this must be in
luded thirsty Republicans as we'll as
Democrats Should Mr.. Edwards get
better than an even break III Essex
lcounty and hold his opponents majority
lin all the other counties outside of
Hudson, he viii win easily.
The outcome is uncertain in every re-
Spect. Cross currents have eliminated
sparty lines. The women win probably
decide the election. In Hudson county,
of course, where the machine works
smoothly, the feminine vote will merely.
double the male ballots and most Of
these win be Democratic. But else
where in the state the women are bound
to vote dry and while they do not look
on Senator Frelinghuysen as the most
Scapable man in the state by any means,
sthey are, to be sure, not voting for Mr..
Frelinghuysen so much Us they are yot-
ing against Edwards.
Seine Enemies of Edwards.
There are elements in New Jerseys