Evening star., 1940-10-28
New Jersey 6. 0. P.
Determined 10 End
Mayor Hague S Rule
But Some Observers
Soy FoctionoIism
Hampers Republicans
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,
Star Staff Correspondent.

SldI SI9il SOIIeSpuiiuehe
NEWARK, N. y, Oct. 28.-The
Republicans of New Jersey are out
to smash Hagueism, if it is humanity
possible to do so, at the same time
doing their level best to carry the
State for Wendell L. Willkie, their
nominee for President.
Part of the Republican program
is to elect State Senator Robert c.
Hendrickson as Governor and to re-
elect Senator Barbour, who is seek
ing another term.
Mayor Frank Hague OF Jersey
City, the big bad wolf of Jersey
politics. is tied in strongly with the
Roosevelt campaign in this State.
Mayor Hague is banking on the
Democratic nominees for Governor
and Senator, Charles Edison and
James H. R. Cromwell, respectively,
to help him out. Mr.. Edison has a
name to conjure with in New Jersey
and is former Secretary of the Navy
In the Roosevelt cabinet. Mr.. Crom-
well, Mayor Hagues selection for the
senatorial nomination, has great
personal wealth back of him, and
was looked upon by Mayor Hague
as the particular angel of this
campaign. So far, however, Mr..
Cromwell has not produced the
quarter million dollars that Mayor
Hague hoped for to finance the Jer-
sey campaign. Informed sources say
that he has not contributed more
than one-tenth of that sum.
Neither Mr.. Edison nor Mr.. Crom-
well, estimable gentlemen both, is
a ball of fire in a political cam
paign. However, both are hard at
work campaigning. Mr.. Edison takes
exception strongly to the suggestion
that he is Mayor Hague's man in
any shape or form. Nevertheless, 1t
is obvious that without the support
the Democratic boss is giving him,
Mr.. Edison's chances would be slim.
The Republicans are making Boss
Hague and political corruption in
Hudson County Jersey City, main
issue in the campaign. They ring
the changes day in and day out on
the machine which burned the Hud-
son County poll books after the
1887 gubernatorial election in order
to prevent an investigation of the
signatures on the books and COM
parison of those signatures with the
voting lists. Mr.. Edison broke with
Mayor Hague far enough to say that
he could not condone the burning
of those books. In the 1887 election,
Gov. Harry A. Moore was elected
Chief Executive of the State over
former State Senator Lester H. Clee,
candidate of the so-called clean gov
ernment movement.
A subcommittee Of the Senate
Campaign Investigating Committee.
composed of Senators Adams of
Colorado Democrat, and Senator
Tobey of New Hampshire, Republi-
can. has been picking away for
weeks at the charges of political
corruption in Hudson County-as
we'll as charges Of Republican ma
chine politics in South Jersey. The
testimony has occupied the front
pages of the newspapers and served
to keep the Hague issue promi-
nently in the foreground. Mayor
Hague himself is to be given a
chance to testify before the Senate
subcommittee tomorrow, if he de-
sires.
Once Denounced Roosevelt.
In 1882, when President Roosevelt
vas a candidate for the first time
for the Democratic presidential
nomination, Mayor Hague went to
the Chicago convention an ardent
supporter of another candidate. At
that time Mayor Hague made ex-
travagant statements, denouncing
Mr.. Roosevelt and declaring that he
would make a weak candidate if
nominated. After the Roosevelt
nomination had been accomplished
Mayor Hague promptly fell in line,
and he worked hard for him during
the 1882 campaign, and in 1886.
This year he has been the chief
reliance in New Jersey of the New
Dealers in the third-term campaign.
There is a new superintendent of
elections. Also thousands of names
have been purged from the regis
tration lists in Hudson County. The
Republicans believe they have
chance to bring about defeat for
Mayor Hague that will eventuate.
after the election, in an effectual
clipping of the Hague political wings.
The Mayor of Jersey City, however,
is waging as brisk a fight as ever
and declares Hudson County will
produce as large Democratic plu-
rality, approximately, as it did in
1886.
Factionalism Hampers G. o. p.
Factionalism and selfish ambitions
ere reported to be hampering the
Republicans. In some quarters it
is charged that Mr.. Willkie is being
sold down the river by supporters of
Senator Barbour, who are more con-
cerned with the reelection of the
Senator than they are with the
success of the Republican national
lICkel. otIldGOI DdI UOuI 1ldS IIle Ill
dorsement of some of the labor lead
ers in Jersey who have Endorsed
President Roosevelt. 1t Is charged,
too. that supporters of former Gov.
Harold Hoffman, defeated by State
Senator Hendrickson in the primary
for the gubernatorial nomination,
ere withholding active aid from Mr.
HendrickSon and favoring a Willkie-
Edison movement. Also, Mr.. Edison,
the Democratic nominee for Gov
ernor and son of the late Thomas
A. Edison, has many friends among
the Republicans who are supporting
Mr.. Willkie, particularly in the
strongly Republican northern coun-
ties.
Senator Barbour, it is predicted
here, will be reelected, unless there
HIArnkAf