By David Dayton McKean
All great men make occasional mistakes, and even Mayor
Hague's staunchest adherents admit that he made one here,
not so much an error of strategy as of tactics, for, as one of
them said, `He either failed or neglected to tie up Larson.'
No sooner had Larson been safely nominated than he began
to attack Hague and Hagueism as a menace to the state.
The legislature, which was Republican, appointed the Case
Committee to investigate the election, and later amended the
act creating the Hudson and Essex County election bureaus
to permit the legislature to remove without cause or hearing a
superintendent of elections. The legislators then removed
Thomas A. McDonald of Hudson because, although he was a
Republican, he was `too friendly to the political ambitions
of Mayor Hague,' as one legislative leader said.
The Mayor denounced the investigation as an anti-Smith
plot. It was started, he asserted, for the benefit of `Bob
Carey, a common scold and nothing but a bum sport,' and
the members of the committee `have deliberately planned to
carry on this investigation in the fall so [that] they will harass
and hamper the Democratic Party.' (New York Times, July 17 and 19, 1928.) Smith probably would
not have carried New Jersey anyway, though the investiga-
tion may have contributed to the size of the Hoover majority.
The Democratic candidate for governor, William L. Dill,
one of the most honest men ever in New Jersey politics, went
down in the landslide. Governor Larson refused to deal with
Hague on appointments or to stop the Case Committee, in
spite of all that the Mayor had done for him. `We never got
less out of any Republican governor,' said one of Hague's
men. Saddened by this ingratitude, Hague learned his lesson
on how to deal with Republican governors.
This Web version, edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
| Next |
| Main Menu |
|
|
|
|
Journal Square Package Shipping and Mailbox rentals
Global Mail accepts drop offs for all carriers. If the package is completely ready there is no charge. Passport photos and copies, too!
 |
| Featured Link |
Text Link Online Advertising Program
A text Link is your business name and a Link to Your Site in bold red text on one Line and a description of your services on the next. The GET NJ network serves thousands of visitors each day!
GRAVE ROBBER Jersey City Computer Repair
297 Griffith Street, Jersey City, NJ - In the Heights just off of Kennedy Blvd. - Very close to Journal Square and Union City, just five minutes away from Hoboken, Downtown Jersey City, Newport, and the Waterfront -
 |
|
|
|
|
|