Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-17
S|LzER TALKS
PATENT PAVING
Says That G. 0. P. Freehold
ers Have Laid More Than
State Commission

last night held the Republican
county administration up to scorn.
He charged that more patented
pavement was laid in this county
und-r Republican freeholders than
in any county and alleged that In
der the old highway commission ap-
pointed by Edge when he was gov
ernor IA per cent of the state roads
were built of Warrenite, a patented
pavement, while the present Ed
wards commission has authorized
only 5 per cent of that type.
Silzer made a smashing denoun-
citation of his opponent, former
State Senator William N. Runyon,
holding that the latter while in the
senate made no effort to better
these conditions by protesting
against the practices he now pro-
poses to remedy and declaring thai
Runyon did not have the courage
to come out against the interests
that defeated the bills aimed
against the patented pavement ring.
The speech came as a elimination
of an all-day tour of the county by
Governor Edwards and Silzer, dur
ing which this subject was dealt
with briefly by the gubernatorial
candidate, with Governor Edwards
playing on the tariff and prohibit
ton.
Silzer began his attack by refer
ring, without mentioning their
names, to State Senator Charles d.
White, Republican who was defeat
ed for denomination at the recent
primaries by former State Senator
Emerson L. Richards in a hot cam
paign, fraught with personalities.
The speaker referred to the fair
name of the city" and then added,
II witnessed with disgust the recent
primary fight between the two Re-
publican senators, which was her.
aided broadcast and did much to
injure the fair name of the city.
If one-tenth of the things said by
these men of each other and their
organization be true. then it Is
time, high time, for the good people
of the city who have its fair name
at heart, to take a hand" Mr.. Sill
ger declared that his opponent,
former State Senator William N.
Runyon, "has not divorced himself
from the immoral and and unwhole-
some conditions described by Re-
publicans in the primary fight or
from the immoral and unwhole-
sponsible for them and whose sup
port he seeks"
Dealing with the paving question
Silzer said: During that campaign
(the primary the people of this
city were mislead deliberately on
the question of patented pavement.
The statements were made that the
authorities of Hudson county were
the hackers of patented pavement,
when the truth is that since the
nraGa~ n Scf~- ffO- 49, IN4- H.
power there has not been one yard
of patented pavement laid in Jersey
City or Hudson county. There has
been more patented pavement laid
in this county than any other in
New Jersey, all of which was done
by a Board of Freeholders that was
not Democratic and that was under
organization CONTROL"
He went on to say that the only
other counties besides Atlantic
where "a patented pavement con
Germ has a hold were controlled by
Republican Board of Freeholders
and these were Middlesex, Morris
and in a small way, two Others
Adding that under the Edge state
highway commission IL per cent of
the state roads were built of War
renite and that the Edwards COM
mission has contracted for only 5
per cent of that type of pavement u
1 hold no brief for the present high
way commission" Silzer declared,
"and if Mr.. Runyon or anyone else
car point out that the board has
been inefficient, uneconomical or
worse, 1 will be the first to join him
in correcting conditions.
Mr.. Runyon voted for the bill
which created this highway COM
mission. He has been in the state
senate since its appointment and if
anything was wrong why did he not
take some step to correct conditions
when he had the chance? Was he
afraid to offend those who in this
county controlled the Board of
F~reeholders? Was he afraid to Of
fend those who controlled the Re-
publican boards of freeholders in
other counties that did likewise? ?"
The speaker said that this year
Senator Parry. of Essex. and Sem
ator Roberts introduced bills "bpth
designed to relieve the public of the
patented pavement graft and pro-
viGed for competitive bidding" He
said both bills died in committee,
and then asked why: why did not
Senator Runyon raise his voice in
the senate and protest against the
killing of good bills and demand
that some action be taken? Was he
then afraid that he would not get
the support of those who were kill
ing these bills. and of those who
were backing the patented pave
ment monopolies in Atlantic and
other counties?" Silzer added:
w. $500 C1no1- v1yL;t4 L.I tLo
courage to state that he would
Senator Runyon had no such L
age. If we may judge a MANS
promises by his past performances,
then all Mr.. Runyon's protestation
of desire to aid the people are to
prevent them from being mulcted
are but empty promises made by a
candidate for votes-nothing else"
Departing from his opponent, Sill
zer then reverted to the local con-
ditiors, declaring that ATLANTIC
City had gone into debt more than
two million dollars in the last seven
years and holding that this condi-
ton was reflected throughout the
county.
/ Governor Edwards again declared
against prohibition, and referred to
the recent conference between Pres
iGenc Harding and National Prohi-
bition Commissioner Haynes. which
he said resulted in the issuance of
a proclamation giving the United
States Shipping Board a weeks
grace to drink and 10 sell all hard
LIQUOR aboard American merchant
vessels sailing under the American
flag and operated under government
iur.sdiction-and they say we dare
-. obaIIenoe fhe Constitution as IL