Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-02-03
AN APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE

Governor SIher is carrying his fight over the state highway
board direct to the people. 1t is a bold stroke. He will VIM Inc
Republican party cannot afford to have the stigma OF being the
tool t. of the patent pavement trust placed upon IT, Inc governor
has called for a showdown. He has won the confidence OF the
neople by his prompt dismissal of the old highway board IN spite
of the fact that it was appointed by a Democratic governor and
has lust received the unstinted praise by his predecessor and
team-mate in the last campaign.
Governor silzer, in his fight, has taken the Republicans at
their word. During the campaign the Republican speakers advo-
stated a small highway commission. It was a three-man board
that some favored. There was nothing said then about taking
The appointive power out of the hands of the governor because
The Republicans confidently expected to elect their own candidate.
The Republican orators were strong for taking the control Of the
state highways out of politics and putting the department on a
firm businesslike basis.
This is exactly the program that Governor Sizer has adopted.
70 show his good faith he ousted the, old State Highway Com
mission almost as soon as he took office. His willingness to make
the Republican program his own and his fearless and open manner
of going about it quite took the Republican senators off their feet.
1t was something so different from what they had been used to
during the past three years that they lost no time getting to-
gether with the governor to carry out the program.
But this was too much for the road buzzards. There never
has been such a busy time among the lobbyists at Trenton as
during thee past week or two. Delay was all they asked for at
the outset. Now all kinds of pressure is being brought to bear to
sause at break and defeat the aims of the governor. At the behest
Of the patent paving trust certain Republican leaders got busy
and unless they are careful they are going to drag their party
into the muck. Instead of sharing the credit for cleaning out
The state highway department and putting it on a businesslike
basis so as to insure an honest expenditure of the ~$80000,000 that
the highway commission will have to spend during the next five
years, the Republicans will have to bear the odium that goes with
cheap politics and they will have to accept the responsibility of all
the graft and corruption that is bound to follow if the paving
trust and contractors combine have their way.
It would be regrettable indeed to have such a fine body of men
as Mddlesex has in the legislature this year tarred with this
patent pavement stick. They know the temper of the people and
they are well aware of the danger. All pleas of party ex%pediency
will not let them out. While they are expected to be loyal to their
party, no man can be held to any loyalty that is dragging him into
the mire and branding him with suspicion.
Governor Silzer has laid all his cards on the table. He is
fighting in the open. His is & clean-cut, businesslike proposition for
the handling of the state highway funds that belong to the people
The responsibility Of the appointment should rest upon him with,
IT course, the approval of the senate. To take the appointve power
out Of his hands and divided the responsibility among eighty-one
members of the legislature where there would be no responsibility
nt all, except that it would rest with the Republican party, is I'M
thinkable. The only possible excuse for doing that would be poll
tics-politcs Of the most petty kind, and that is exactly what
the Republicans promised the people they would eliminate in the
handling Of highway affairs.
If the Republican leaders are afraid Of making political CAPT
tal for the governor, the surest way to do it is to take this ap-
pointve power out Of his hands and leave him as the champion Of
the people while the Republicans assume the role of petty poll
.cians who, when the voters failed to elect their candidate, repu-
Of dollars over to the tender mercies Of the road buzzards.