The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-10-03
TWAS HUDSON THAT DID IT
WHOM JUDGE GREEN HAS TO THANK
FOR HIS NOMINATION.


Votes Shrewdly Defeated, and n BlOd-
CERT Contingent of 22 Additional Votes
Tackled on to the Green COntin gent
Hudson's Part in the State Convention.
tSpeeial Correspondence SUNDAY MORNING NEws)
TRENTON, Oct. 2.-Budson county was
one of the big factors in the Democratic
State Convention last Tuesday. Among
the other devices put in operation to i'm
pair Congressman Green's strength was
that of decimating the Green delegations.
Hudeon had selected SO delegates. Essex
county had selected 81. They were I'M
derstood to be solidly for Green. Here
were, at one jump, 200 of the 800 votes he
needed to achieve a nomination. Kelsey
and his confreres in the State Committee
put their heads together and decided to
steal twenty of Green's votes by reducing
the Hudson apportionment to So delegates
and the Essex superintendent to 81 dele
gates. The Green men in the comrnittee
tried to defeat the movement, bat the KEEL
b sey men were too many for them there,
and the order went forth that on the con-
yention tally sheets only the smaller ap-
.portionments should be allowed the tive
counties.
The Hudson delegates met in caucus at
one of the halls near the Opera House at
& 10 o'clock Tuesday morning Jimmy"
Curran called them to order, and Bob
Davis WAS made chairman, with a man
named Hicks and Merwyn Armstrong for
secretaries. The ball was set rolling by
expressions of indignation at the disfran-
chisement scheme inaugurated by the
State Committee. Judge Rankin, who led
the small contingent Of Kelsey-Blodgett
votes in caucus, started the mill by de-
mand for a reduction of the delegation to
the number fixed upon by the State Com
mittee. But Paddy O'Neill wasn't going to
have it that way. No State Committee
had a right to disfraachise the Democratic
voters of the banner county OF the state;
and he was in favor of making fight for
the full delegation elected. Rankin was
howled off the floor, and ONeills motion
that committee carry the contest into the
Committee on Credentials, when elected
by the convention, prevailed. VIM. D. Ed
wards, Thomas F. Foonan and Bob Davis
were made the committee. After the con-
vention had appointed the Committee on
Credentials, they went before it and urged
that the whole SO from Hudson be seated
in the convention. The Committee on
Credentials reported in faver of admitting
them all and through ''Jim" Connolly,
the Newark statesmen began to kick fer
their full representation, too. They had as
good a claim to the ten delegates that had
been dropped off the Essex delegation by
the State Committee as Hudson had to her
ten, but they had not been shrewd enough
to appeal for redress, as the Hudson men
had. Newark's claim led to an interesting
row on all HANDS, but Edwards explained
the situation in a speech that showed sur
prising powers of oratory, and appealed
for full, fair, and equal representation, and
after time carried his point The con-
vention saw the force of his reasoning, and
restored to the two Green delegations the
twenty votes Mr. Kelsey's State Com mittee
had tried to steal from them.
The Hudson delegates had made an ex-
preston of their respective choices IN
their mornings canvass. 6O OF their del
egates voted for Green, % for Blodgett 6
for Cutler, and few for Albright. When.
in the Convention, the county was called
upon to declare her vote, Alderman Davis,
who was chairman of the delegation, cast
81 votes for Green, for Cutler, 8 for ALI
bright. The magnificent cheek of this an
nounsement took Judge Rankln's breath
away for minute; but he recovered HIM
self quickly, and, livid with rage, made
noisy protest.
Not Blodgett vote had been announced
Somehow or other Chairman Davis had
coolly hooked the % Blodgett votes and 8
or SO from Albright on to the gu Green
votes, and cast them all for Green. The
twenty-five Blodgett men made an awful
sight of noise about it, but above the din
and clatter McDermott's firm demand for
the announcement of the Hunterdon vote
could be heard Friends of Blodgett in
other parts of the hall came to realizing
sense of the situation, and they joined the
howl from the Hudson gallery till 1t was
utterly impossible to proceed.
ssThe Chair desires to state to the Hud-
son delegation" yelled McDermott, red in
the face from the effort to make himself
heard, and waving his hand for peace.
Tho Babel died away ito hear what the
Chair had to state.
The Chair desires to state" he put in,
when measurable quiet had been restored,
"that, if an error has been made in the
tally of the Hudson vote, it will be recti-
fed at the end of the call of the counties
I" We demand that the delegation be
polled!" shouted Rankin.
sand the delegation will be polled, as
scented the Chairman.
Then the din died ont and Hunterdons
vote was announced. The secretaries went
down the roll of the counties, listening to
the announcements and tallying the votes.
Green was seen at the end to have received
293 votes, and when " Jim Smith imme-
diateiy afterwards cast the 81 McGregor
votes in the Essex delegation for Green,
the tally footing showed q majority fer
Green. The delegates had forgotten all
about the practical disfranchise1ent of
the Hudson Blodgettites, or that poll of
the Hudson delegation would take enough
votes. from the Union County man to de-
stroy his majority. They saw only that on
the face of the returns he had already tai
lied enough votes to nominate him, and
deafening shout CT triumph went up from
all sides. In the DIN piping voice to the
right of the hall announced that PAssaic
changed 25 votes to Green; and they were