Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-08-30


the people of the state they were in
hearty accord with the Silzer move
to remove one commission and get
a new body.
What happened afterward is pol
itical history of the state. The SEN
ate Republicans as body failed to
stick to their promise to work with
the Democratic governor for the
veal and welfare of the people in
the matter of getting a new road
board. They split into two groups,
one against the governor and the
other standing by the promise made
, by Stevens to support the head of
the state government.
Having personally made that
pledge of support, even though lead
er of the opposite party in the SEN
ate, the Monmouth senator felt it
his duty to keep it and in the seven
weeks of pulling and hauling that
took place until the names of Messrs.
Scott, Jelin, Kfdde and Stewart were
confirmed Stevens was never known
to falter in his cooperation with the
governor to give the people the
kind of board he thought they
ought to have.
The Monmouth senator could
write an interesting little book
on his experiences in that legislative
fight. One night he had engaged a
room in the hotel where he stops
when in Trenton and when he re-
turned to it after the senate session
found that he had been moved about
five floors up. He was not long in
his new quarters when he discovered
that the rooms on both sides were
occupied by the forces in the legis-
lature which were fighting Silzer.
Purposely they had arranged with
the hotel management to shift the
Senate Leaders sleeping place so
that he might come under their in
fiuence. That was sleepless night.
for Stevens. They insisted on get
ting "chummy" with him, came in
to his room, lounged on his bed,
smoked, argued the various phases
OF the road fight and tried to show
him the error of his way in stick
ing to his pledge given as Republi-
can leader, in the name of the SEN
ate Republicans, to support the ad-
ministration's move for a new high
way commission. When morning
came the senator from Monmouth
had had little rest, but the COVER
nor's opposition had failed to ac-
complish the purpose it had had in
mind when it got the hotel to move
Stevens up five flights to a new room.
But the senate leader was faced
with an unusual situation. In or
der to save his partys face with the
voters when the governor fired the
Democratic highway board-some-
thing the Republican legislators
should have planned themselves
he pledged the support of his ma
Jority members to any moves of a
similar character for the benefit
of the people. He could not repu-
dlate that pledge made on behalf
OF hi sparty in the senate without
leaving the Republicans open to
CRITICISM and making them liable to
suspicion as being allied with the
patented paving interests. That is
what eventually happened to some
of the members in the senate when
they bolted the Stevens leadership,
later on.
Now comes the Democratic state
committee with its plans to elect
Democratic legislature so that its
members in senate and House may
Back UP Silzer," as the slogan will
likely be. Stevens and Case are
candidates for recollection in their
respective counties. In the opinion
of political observers of last winters
lawmakinig session they did "BaNk
Up Silzer" to the limit and hence it
will be interesting from a political
sense to observe what campaign ar
guments will be advanced by the
governors party to defeat these
men.
Others there were of course, In
the group of senate Republicans
who voted to confirm the Silzer
nominees for the new highway
board. Several of them will likely