The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-03-15
THE STORY OF THE PAST
Ex-GovernorWard'sP Partisan Judiciary
Facts About State Boards.

Ex-GovernorWard'sP Partisan Judiciary
--Facts About state Boards.
TRENTON, March lathe cry of parti-
sanship which the joint caucus has set up
as pretaxt for the revolution they have
inaugurated in the appointment of State
officers, ill becomes the Republican party
of the State of New Jersey. Marcus L.
Ward was the last Republican Governor
the State has had. During his admins
tration he named three Supreme Court
Justices, and every mothers son of them
was o Republican. The appointment of
Common Pleas Judges rested in joint meet
ing till the bench got to be so partisan in
its Republicanism, and the character of the
appointees SO bad that the State consti-
tuition was amended so as to trans
fer the power of making the ap-
pointments to the Governor. The
prerogative of making these high judicial
appointments would probably be wrested
from him by the Joint Caucus again, if it
were not protected by the organic law of
the State Every branch of the service
that an act of the Legislature can affect
has been scooped in by the little partisans
of the two houses Already bills touching
the appointment of members of the Board
of Education and of Trustees of the Nor
ris Plains Lunatic Asylum have reached
the Executive Office and more are on the
way. 1t was probably the contest for Su-
perintendent of Schools ia Passaic county
that precipitated the whole movement.
Cruikshank had held the position for some
years, but the State Board of Education
was made acquainted with the fact that he
was actively using his powers for the adj
vancement of partisan ends, and they re-
fused to reappoint him. Even Senator
Griggs wrote letter denouncing him as in
competent and unfit for the position. The
Passaic Board of Freeholders refused to &C
cept the nominee of the State Board in
place of Cruikshank, and along came the
bill empowering the Freeholders to make
the appointment themselves. The next
natural idea was that it would be good
idea to prevent the interference of the
Board with any of the county appoint
ments, and the idea grew Into the gigantic
scheme of partisan monopoly that now
confronts the people of the State. The
State Beard of Education is made up of
men conspicuous for their high character
and standing. Outside of the six State
offices headed by the Governor, who are in
the Board, ex-Chancellor Williamson,
Judge Bennington F. Randolph, Rev. DIR.
Charles K. Imbrie, Moses Bigelow, ex-Sen-
ator Lawrence, are members of it, True
enough the Democrats have a majority
vote in the Board, but they have never cast
it to serve party ends. State School Super
intendent Apgar was appointed as Re-
publican eighteen years ago, and has been
reappointed five times since by Democratic
Boards. Seven of the 81 County Snperin-
tendents are Republicans. Three of them
were appointed last year-in Camden, Sa-
lem and Gloucester counties, respectively
Then, as to the Morris Plains Asylum,
though the management there has been
under Democratic control, it became no.
torious nest of Republican partnership.
DIR. Buttolph, its head, was Republican.
Three-quarters of the subordinates were
active Republican workers. DIR. Buttolph,
everybody knows, is no longer at its head,
but his resignation had no relation to poll
tics. 1t was demanded only because of
his age. The public service demanded
younger and more active chief, and his re-
moval was affected by the unanimous vote
of the managers Republicans and Demo-
Gratis alike-as was the appointment of the
new head.
In making his appointments Governor
Albeit seems to have held to the rule with
which he started in at the opening of his
administration. He is convinced that
there are enough capable and reputable
Democrats in the State to fill the import
ant offices and has selected his appointees
from his own party. But that they have
all been men of the highest repute is shown
by the ready confirmation Republican
Senates have given to the nominations of
all save two or three of them. Ours.