The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-09-30
down In SOUTH JERSEY
They Read That Plank and
Dream of Local
Option.
MORE TALKS WITH POLITICIANS.
Some Prohibitionists Sheer and a
Few Honest Men Would Have
Preferred Plain Words.
MORE TALKS WITH POLITICIANS.
Special to the Jersev citv Me,cs.

Special to the jersey CITY Netcs,
CAMDEN, Sept. 2S, 1sS9.-When I had
obtained the views of the leading Repub-
licans and temperance men of Camden
upon the temperance plank fin the Repub-
lican platform endeavored to ascertain
If possible the light in which the Repnb-
hcans and Prohibitionists in the southern
tier of counties looked upon the plank.
The first place visited was Woodbury.,
the county seat of Gloucester county and
a pleasant little manufacturing town
about ten miles from Camden. found
Mayor Watkins, who isa leader among the
young and vigorous Republicans of that
portion of the State. submitted the
plank to him, and waited until he had
studied it attentively for a few minutes
At first he was inclined to say nothing
on the subject, but when 1 acquainted
him with the opinion of some of his Cam
den brethren. he said:-''If think it com
m1tS the party to local option and is the
best thing upon the subject for the party
which could have been chosen"
The Mayor was of the opinion that there
is no ambiguity about the plank which
will lose the ticket single vote in his
part of the State.
LOCAL OPTION.
C. w. Starr, the leading dry goods mer-
chant in the town, and prominent in the
councils of the Republicans, said:-"Why
that plank means just what it says, and
is in favor of giving to each locality
whatever temperance measure it may
want. Do l think it will cost the party
any temperance votes? Well, no; it will
not. The temperance men about here are
all in favor of it and will support the
NO Inn tnd fhn loft of
which 1t forms part"
Charles Walton, q lumber and coal
dealer, has heretofore been Prohibition
ist, but has of late been training with the
Republicans. found Mr.. Walton in his
office in one of the most picturesque por-
tions of the town and laid the enigmatic
plank before him.
II think the plank means local option"
he said, and then reading it through care
fully q second time. he continued slowly,
although / should like it better if it
were little more explicit and made
direct declaration upon the subject. How
ever, although supported General Fisk
am going to vote for General Grubb this
time'
EOne of the most active temperance men
in the county Is the Rev. B. G. Lippin-
colt, pastor of the Methodist church
He gave me an interesting account of the
struggle the temperance people in the
county recently had with the liquor deal
ers and said that he had carefully con-
sidered the Republican temperance
plank.
''It MEANS" he declared, "that the Re
publican party will give what the ad-
yanced sentiments of each community
demands upon the subject. The Repub-
lican party, in my opinion, will help the
temperance people the most, and al
though am in favor of prohibition will
take whatever l can get In that direction
and will support this platform"
IN SALEM COUNTY.
From Woodbury. went to Salem, the
county seat of Salem county. Salem
county is one of the closest in the State,
and the majority either way seldom ex-
ceeds 100. At the last Presidential cleo
tion the Republican Electors received sl9
more votes than the Democratic Electors,
and 269 votes were cast for the Prohibit
tion candidates. The county went dry
recently and the temperance vote is most
tenderly wooed by the Republicans at
each election.
mitted the little plank in Salem was
County Clerk c. D. Coles. He refused,
however, to express any opinion, and
gave as q reason that he would probably
be candidate for reelection this fall.
Benjamin Patterson, the Prohibitionist
editor of the Republican Standard, was
more outspoken.
'The plank is construed down here to
mean local option" he said. II, myself,
would have had the party come out
stronger, and say what it meant little
more explicitly"
c. E. Ford, the proprietor of the Nelson
House, has always been considered re-
publican in good and regular standing.
The plank did not please him at all, al
though he would not commit himself to
anything against the party.
EDITOR SMITH SAYS HIGH LICENSE.
II think the plank means high license"
said Editor ID. Harris Smith, of the South
Jerselnnan, the leading Republican paper
of the county. "At any rate it will not
lose the party any votes down this way
and is generally accepted as satisfactory
by the temperance people, except the
most advanced third party men"
Joseph X. Yonker, prominent mer-
chant Of the town, and a leading Prohi-
bitionist, said:-"The purpose for which
that plank was framed is too apparent to
the temperance people to dupe any one.
1t is meaningless, and is SO regarded by
all thinking men. The Prohibitionists
will run full ticket this fall, and will
poll larger vote than they have in some
time Think the Republican platform will
win us many votes. / saw a man the
other day who said that the action of the
Republicans in Pennsylvania on the Pro-
hibition amendment had shown him how
sincere their affection for temperance is,
and he was going to vote for La Monte.
There are many more like him about
here"
''That plank commits the party to local
option,o said Benjamin f. Wood, three
times Mayor of Salem and for number
of years an active member of the Repub-
lican County Committee, land will not
cost the ticket single vote around here
The Prohibitionists are about dead here
and most of them will vote for General
Grubb this time" G. A. r.