The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-04-12
HOBOKEN'S POLITICAL ROW
an INTELLIGENT .IsEH7ET OF THE
SITUATION THERE
Why Mayor Timken Is Being Opposed,
and Why He win be EIected-Gos-
sip About the Ward Nominations.

| dODoken is IN many respects city o.
itself. 1t has an individuality peculiarI,
its own. In matters which reach beyond
the city limits where it is only an integra
part, it always stands by Hoboken man
as various County nominees have befor'
now found out to their cost.
just at present the excitement comes
from within-not from without. To sa,
that the pot boils is but feeble expires
sion. 1t is not pot a Aall; it is hugs
locomotive with an imnense boiler, oyel
one hundred pounds pressure to the square
inch; it is tearing along at the rate of sixty
miles an hour, belehing fame and smoke
and kissing at every rivet. You will nc
doubt say, What in the world is the matter
with Hoboken? 1t may be amusement tc
the aesthetic people of Jersey City, but il
is serious matter for Hoboken. AS you
| may gather up--one way and another-we
Hoboken people have considerable city
pride, and we want Hoboken to be second
to no other city in that embodiment usually
| termed the Mayor. All 1t is out, we want
to elect q Mayor, and we don't want oul
Mayor to be second to any other Mayor
dupois, or in any other way.
admit, that it sometimes troubles us to
make up our mind On this question of
Mayor there is a wide divergence If it
was not for the blessed majority rule, we
might nominate and canvass to doomsday
without the desired result.
The situaticn-as it stands at present =
is unique. Both candidates for Mayor are
old acquaintance of ours, both have served
the city in that capacity a number of times,
both were Democrats in their time, neither
is to-day what might be termed straight
party man, and although Besson is classed as
Republican of the most radical order. it is
well known that he is still firm believer
in many of the old distinctive Democratic
doctrines, such as State rights. He is an
exceedingly positive mhn, and unbending
in his proclivities 1t was this grit, or
backbone, or stubbornness, or whatever it
should be called, which SO much incensed
what is known as the fsCity Hall Crowd"
Two years ago-one year ago-it was ANY
thing to beat Besson." Now the same crowd
are shouting hosannas in his praise. Bes-
sons principal weakness lay in what might
ftly be termed Kitchen Cabinet" This
held its sessions in Wareings theatre, up
in the gallery. The membership might suit
his Honor the Mayor; it did not suit the
citizens. The stubborrness above alluded
to, coupled with proclivity to punish and
humiliate his opponents and rivals. makes
it undesirable to have him in power. The
'fCity Hall crowd" can do as they please.
1t is lust as we'll for them to remember that
if they install Besson into the Office of
Mayor. they will not have tool; their
master will be there, relentless and un-
bending. He has many qualities which are
admirable; he is no sneak; he has the
courage of his convictions, and down or
up, he is stalwart who stands by his guns,
and never shows tho white feather.
His opponent, the present Mayor, Her
man i. Timken, is an entirely different
| man. Some men-eFen some Republicans
say that he has made the best Mayor
Hoboken ever had. He was elected with
the expectation that he would make sub
servient tool. In practice he has been
anything but that. He is a wealthy man,
all the wealth accumulated by his own en-
ergy and industry. He is--outs;de of the
Hoboken Land and Improvement Com
pany- probably the largest real estate
owner in town. He cannot vfford to al
low the public business to drift as it
pleases. That would not be to his own in
terest, hanee he has one OF the strongest
of motives for doing his duty thoroughly
and we'll. In such matters as cleaning
streets, fixing sewers, &C., he gives his per-
sonal attention and sees for himself that
every thing is properly done. No rogue
can escape him; he meyer lets go his grip
when he has it upon fraRd.H He is de-
oidediy unpopular With the johbers who
hang around the City Hall for grabs. Not
one of the motley gang ever mistakes May
or Timken for their friend, at least not of
late years. He is a vigilant Watchdog,
and watch-dogs are never popular with
tramps or beggars.
The course Of affairs during the last two
weeks has been simply amazing. The
Republican Convention met first and
nominated Besson. The Democrats met
and nominated Mr.. John A. O'Neill. The
Germans have had meetings in every
ward ana nominated Timken, and it may
as well be remarked here that in Hoboken
a German nomination or endorsement
Meana ggeat deal. After few days Mr..
Q'Neill declined to run, on account of a
call to Washington to assist President
Cleveland to run the machine. The Demo-
cratic Convention came together and en-
dorsed Besson-their bitter enemy, refus-
ing by decided majority to touch Timken.
In all my experience 10 this city never
saw SO much Indignation expressed The
Democratic rank and file were wild, mad,
furious, on the war path with tomahawk
and scalping knife, The aiE was fnll Of
whoops and wells. The City Executive
Committee met on Wednesday evening with
nine out of twelve members. Five voted
to remove Besson from the ticket and four
to keep him on. He was removed. They
then nominated Judge Curtin; he promptly
declined to serve. Councilman John Lee
has since been put up by the clique anx-
ious to elect, Besson. 1t Is doubtful
whether he will hurt Timken more than
he will the Ring candidate. The friends
Of Besspn and Timhen respectively claim
that ultimately theft leader will beput on.
The rank and file oppose Reason; claiming
that their delegates have deceived them,
that they don't want Besson, they want a
| Democrat at the head of the ticket. Tim
ken is opposed from another quarter. Cor
poratien Attorney Stnhr had nice little
| Job on hand relating to raise of salary
which Timken sat down upon, and
allow me just here to remark, that any.
thing which Mayor Timken gifts down upon
| is pretty well fatteped. Between the SUI
preme Court and Timken Mr.. Stuhr's bant.
ling came to gpief. 'iTommy Callaghan
had another little pet in the shape Of a
stationery bill which the redoubtable Tim
ken Rugged to death. sBilly" and
"Tommy" are both members of the City
Executive Committee, and as yet have
managed to do Thinker Of the Demo-
cratic nomination. In the meantime Tim
ken is forging ahead every day. As they
squabbIe and fight he picks up the votes.
It looks from this point of view at this
time that Timken would be elected.
In the various wards the fight is fast