The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-11
TIE OLD MAN IN NEW JERSEY
a POLITICAL OCTOPUS PLANTS ITS TEN
TACLES ON THE LEGISLATURE

els Game Hack from COventty-Ihc EhOrt
TO Capture the House mud Control the Sem
nte-A Howl for Seven Per Cent. Interest
NEWARK, Jan. 0.-The Old Man of New
Jersey s. wide awake. His octopus. the Mutual
Benefit Life Insurance Company has planted a
tontaclc in each county OF the State. with the
view Of controlling the Legislature
After the Hon. Newton Cougar. some time
Secretary of state returned from his extended
tour abroad. there were good and substantial
reasons why he should improve the shining
hours which restored health had brought back
to him. There was nothing for him down at
Trenton. Joel Parker gave the law for all tho
State. Jersey Democracy seemed securely in
trenched behind a walk-oycr majority. Kelsey
of Sussex held the great seas Of State. Stafford
Little Of Monmouth reigncd supreme in tho
High Court Of Chancery Ben Lee of Cape May
carried the keys 20 the Supreme Courts clGs-
sical offices. There was water. water, every
where" but it was not tho kind that x-Secrc-
tary Cougar was accustomed to take. Its flavor
WINS too Democratic There was nothing hero
IN Newark for him. Once a journalist OF no
moan pretcnsions. he had dropped quill and
scissors when tho old Mercury went into apogee
and never came back. There was no chance for
a new journal. The field. filled MS it WIS bulged
over the board fences Of Newark and Uttered up
respectable areas. Tho idretiser preached
tho gospel OF solid Newark Republican
responsibility. Tho journal aired the pre-
tensions Of a so-callod Democracy which
was never allowed TO succeed unless it's
success suited tho Old Man Of Clinton
street. Tho Register. handicapped 10y the sup
port OF few Bourbons. whose Bourbonism
mainly consisted in looking out for themselves.
was hanging by the oyelids. Tho Free Zeitm0
held on TO It's lager bocr saloon constituency.
and the latter all the wiser and better for it.
There was no place for Cougar In any Of them.
Meantime one OF those social and always in
tercstng events which are said to bo made up
in heaven had its fuhmcnt In Mr. Cougars
modest parlor. 1t was. TO all ntcnts and pur-
poses. mutual Benefit Alliance. Tho wine
flowed. Tho Old Man was there. but he drank
mono Of It. Many old slippers were chutked
after the young people and the heads II the
two houses. thus united were brought into
much closer relations. 1t is true. one Of them
had been snnhbed for urging tho "too-much
political business, but the other WIS very
dinerent, person He was one o. the few whom
tho Old Man hal never yet dared 10 BULLDOG on
any question He was. and no felt himself Just
a. superior to Grover rs Grover knew he him;
themselves 10 him NJ his own price. And 50
place was made Cor Mr.. Cougar. His work was
papers received az the Mutun Benefit Building.
Ho is the Old Mans poltlcal whip. The news-
terms OF tho con,raci, which includes the CON
spicucus publ 'atll N oi the Mutual Benefits
huNllStlt nj anu parity because inc via AlNn
wants 10 500 low those VINO nre paid for % are
handling the subject OF life insurance from his
particular standpoint; md. most IL all. because
he wants 10 know Iust how lis poit cal eats are
jumping Cougar does his work well. anl
seems 70 have forgotten thet he once Thought
there was toe mu h politics in the Clinton
a, Las, an segotsr was GAosson fE}g E--sx t.
those cmin 'uily ~prrtah' Oh J < "utlenou who.
IN England ,!u!sht pasS fora hreel"rot iriz
cnul. A. Trenton. besides doing tneworS II
the Mutual. he usedtO M ia" place 81 Chaplain
in the absence Of the regularten -do,larM-l raycr
men. He wanted 20 succeed himself Tho mat
ter was long under nlvisemcnt. But Grover
Phin Jon s. who also has had n House exuari-
ence OF two or three terms. Others. also. were
In tho field. Boss Stainsby. ono Of our best
politicians keen as a brirr and cunning rs "A
ing Uncle phin WIS out Of the city for a few
days. When he came back he WIS tod that
Tho was. too lato; the thing was fixed for
Meantime Mr.. William Francis. ex.Clty At.
not forgotten that tho Old Man had sent him TO
Coventry He knew the methods 10y, which 1t
was done. llo studied his lesson and WAS pre-
pared H. profit ~ IT, The result WAS the nentast
check that the Ola Man has had in many years
mating Conycniion. He knew the We work he
was EXPECTED 10 pcTiorm. md did as we'll as h"
ton. Certain relations which some OF the
Boss lnmed nte political family held 10 the
dent thai Franris hal iwincd litii w Sa 6Y
for somebody else. He was nominated. Con-
gar and others madu virtue of necessity. for
they all began 70 see that they might be- playing
too much politics outside MS we'll " inside
the Clinton street building, and So made show
thanks 10 tho Old Man. and will 90 10 Trenton
without tho LABEL Of the Mutual Benefit
In former letter | told YOU OF tho effort to
prevent the redu :tion OF tho ratio OF interest
from seven 10 six per cent i spot strange
reduction Of one-sevcnth OF its income, 1t
could 90 Inis on general PRINCIPLES, but there
al TINS uuItleuIaT time IL should be- done. No
wnero has there boon greater shrnkGgc in
wb Whit be e ,n tG minnS o dIsFigt1 in
has been next 70 frghtful; Resort 10 foreco-
sure has been avoided whenever i has been
possible. Tho number executed within the Inst
year and half. however is perhaps unexlm-
pied. One of tho directors has q real estate
in 8 establishment upon the hill. 1t is stnted
as somewhat curious inct that all the deeds
with the name Of this director.
Again: Some ten years ago the lie insurance
times. hates were high ana good for The com com
pHnles. Oi ne thousands who insured iu this
within the pas, past iyc years. Those Who had
only year or two 10 run held on M almost any
sa.Till,f ana VA the year upon which We have on
tered VIII ma them pilnV inand clamOrin. for
payment, mo Mutual has had its own share Of
ihes%i 3nd thsir 9Gproaf1ing ,Pqy day will de-
2 seven per cent. law could 10 got through the
h"slsiaturr specially adaltHd 70 i've counties
IN which the Mutual has the bulk Of its invest
ments. it is not hard to see that il would suitthe
Old Mans case particularly we'll 1t is Just as
easy TO see why all his people may be expected
to max terms with any other cooperation, to
carry out this object. And they will do il II they
cnn find little moro Of the pliable material they
so ndustrlousiy worked mp at tho past session
To this end. they are taking hand in tho or
ganizntlon Of the Legislature. which meets Mt
Trenton n"Nt week. II is an open secret that
men all over the State had help toward their
election. VIII the understanding that. II elected
they would forward the interests OF this seven
per cent. party. Fellows who would never have
warmed any OF tho newly upholstered chairs
and whose election was az much a surprise TO
Their constituents "a. without this nep" IL
would have been to themselves. will come up
nnd vote every time rs tho Mutual wants them
10 DO, unlrhs tho people who feel the pinch Of
even an additional ono Der cent come no and
threaten 10 put their cOwhdc boots into new
ana vigorous prnctco upon these shameless
mercenaries Unfortunately but few OF those
who wear cowhidc boots can got near enough To-
use them. Tho smooth and oily fellows WHO do
the work Of such corporations at Trenton bar
them ont.
with the Senate organ zation as such the Oil
Man can do but little. Sewrll Of Camden will
take bis old ploce. MS President Of that body
Sewell IS ono Of tho kind that Growers mon
would scarcely dnro to approach on this or any
other subject. They arc. however. conrorni.s
ham n M,