Yesteryear

100 years ago

A firebrand was thrown into the midst of the members of the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders at their meeting in the courthouse in Freehold Wednesday, when C.W. Quinn of Long Branch, chairman of the committee on the publication of county expenses, offered a resolution that the Asbury Park Shore Press, Long Branch Record, Red Bank Register and Freehold Transcript be designated to print the county collector’s semi-annual report of receipts and disbursements. W.R. Stevens of Eaton-town, chairman of the finance committee, strenuously opposed the adoption of this resolution. He said the report had been printed in the Long Branch Record each month at an expense of about $40 per month. The papers designated had been hammering the Board of Freehold-ers unmercifully for several months past; claiming that under the present system of publishing the collector’s report in pamphlet form they had not seen a copy of the report, although each of these papers had undoubtedly seen the report printed in the Long Branch Record. In no general terms he questioned the propriety of these papers in now coming forward and “asking” for the contract to publish the report in their periodicals, and especially that of the Long Branch Record, after once publishing the monthly report. Mr. Stevens continued his tirade against the newspapers by alleging that the reporter for the Freehold Transcript had willfully juggled figures, presented by him at the last meeting of the board, which tended to show that the financial affairs of the county had been mismanaged to the extent that $18,360 was left on which to run the county until May next. The reporter for the Freehold Transcript approached Mr. Stevens, signifying his desire to correct any errors that may have occurred in his report of the meeting stated. The Transcript representative was not received kindly by Mr. Stevens, who insisted it was not merely an error, but an intentional wrong done the Board of Freeholders.

75 years ago

Vasco Arosemena, 13-year-old cadet at the Freehold Military School, last week was the son of the president of the Republic of Panama. Today, he is the son of Florentine Harmodio Arosemena, of Panama City. On Jan. 2, the existing Panamanian government, at the head of which sat Vasco’s father, was overthrown by a junta headed by Dr. Harmodio Arias, a British-educated Panama City lawyer, and Arias became El Presidente. The revolution, which had been brewing for some months, was precipitated by charges that Dr. Arosemena was administering the republic’s financial affairs carelessly, that tax breaks were made to favored interests, that the national debt of $16,000,000 occurred largely during the last five years and was too large for a country whose chief revenue is the $250,000 the United States pays it annually in rental for the Panama Canal. Characterizing the former Panamanian administration as “rubber stamp government,” Major C.M. Duncan, proprietor of the local military school and a cousin of the deposed president, explained the causes leading up to the revolt. “Al-though President Arosemena is my cousin,” he said, “I must admit that he was nothing but a rubber stamp, as far as contributing to the government of Panama was concerned. The power be-hind the throne was his predecessor, former President Chiari.” The major’s brother, Jeptha Duncan, figured prominently in the cabinet upheaval several months ago in which its members resigned in protest against his conduct as Minister of Education in Panama. The major’s mother and father are also residents of Panama and early in the week some concern as to their safety was felt. It was later learned, however, that they had been permitted to go to the Hotel Tivoli, in the canal area, and were protected by a tribunal of honor. Cadet Arosemena, at the Freehold school, is following in the footsteps of his brother, Bey Mario, who entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., last July, after having attended the Bordentown Military Institute for two years. This state has always been selected as the seat of learning for the Arose-mena family. In the convent of St. Elizabeth, near Morristown, are two daughters of the former Panamanian president, Lena and Inez.

50 years ago

Clifton T. Barkalow of Freehold Tuesday was sworn in as an Assembly-man from Monmouth County at ceremonies held in Trenton. This will be Mr. Barkalow’s second term of office in the lower house of the N.J. Legislature. Assemblyman Alfred N. Beadleston (R-Mon.), Shrewsbury, took the oath of office for the third time. A Republican, Mr. Barkalow was appointed chairman of the subcommittee for elementary education and a member of the committees on agriculture, education, printed bills and past bills. Members of Mr. Barkalow’s family who witnessed the swearing-in ceremonies at the State House were his wife Mrs. Lillian Barkalow, one of their three sons, Robert, and Mr. Barkalow’s father-in-law and mother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Clayton of Ocean County. During his past term, Mr. Barkalow has become known as New Jersey’s legislative expert on education, having introduced a bill which changed the law governing regional districts.

25 years ago

As far as Roy Ettlinger, director of the Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital, is concerned, he got less than a fair shake this week. Objects of Mr. Ettlin-ger’s displeasure were Monmouth County Prosecutor Alexander D. Lehrer and the grand jury, which released a 30-page presentment charging the hospital with, among other things, patient abuse and lack of proper training for some personnel. Ettlinger characterized his reaction to Tuesday’s presentment as “disappointment.” In the first place, he said, he was disappointed that he was not in-formed of the pending action. Secondly, he was disappointed at what he said the report left out pertaining to the hospital’s role in the patient abuse investigation. “It would have been helpful if I had a copy of the presentment at least at the same time as the press got it,” Ettlinger said. He said he had to pick up a copy himself. “I could have been more responsive to questions if I had it,” he suggested.

— Compiled by Dick Metzgar