The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-14
AGAINST THE RING.
Enthusiastic Meeting of Jefferso-
mans and Labor Men.

There was very little hustle outside
Roche's Hall last night, but inside all
was life and activity. The Jeffersonian-
Democrats and Labor men were in ses-
sion. Both parties were well represented
and all the available seats in the house
were flied. On the secretary's desk was
heap of petition blanks, and as men ar
rived they were ushered up and signed
their names. When there was lull in
the signing process, Mr.. John b. Frazer
took the chair and called the meeting to
order. Secretary John A. Cronan sat at
the righ5 of the Chairman, and was kept
very busy during the night.
Mr.. Henry q. Gruber opened with few
remarks, in his usual emphatic style, and
then gave way to John w. Jakeway, who
held the audience to attention by compar-
ing the politicians of history to the poll
ticians of today. Hearty applause greeted
the speaker when he sat down. The next
speaker was ex-Judge Rankin. He had
taken lesson from the previous speaker,
and started in to edify his hearers with
comparisons between the politicians of
the present and past schools. "Twenty
years ago." he said. you could walk into
the Aldermanic Chamber and there you
would see men legislatlng who were hon
est; men who were intelligent; men who
were business men in every sense of the
word, but, today All, will refrain
from telling you what the Aldermen of
today are" lie then called attention to the
public schools, and stated that denomi
national schools were springing up all
over to supply the want made necessary
by the extravaganza and lethargy of the
municipal government. Money laid
away he said, "tied ND for no earthly
reason, and our children made to suffer
educational privations." He then mem
toned the beautiful paving Of the streets
and in many plain figures gave compara-
tive statements of taxation and benefits
between Jersey City and New York. When
he had completed his statiscal denunci-
alton of Ring rule there was roar of
applause that doated out of the windows
and drew the attention of the promen-
aders outside.
Ex- Mayor Timken, of Hoboken, the
candidate for Sheriff, made few re-
marks, and complimented the Labor men
on their representative gathering. He in
formed them that he had canvassed the
county from one end to the other and
that he never thought he had so many
friends. He said that they seemed TO crop
up everywhere and that everything point
ed to sure victory.
l was bounced upon by several we'll
known labor men who called my atten-
tion to an item in The SUNDAY MORNING
NEWS which stated that the Building
Trades Council had denounced the action
of certain men in the movement as not
being labor men. Nov, look here"
said one delegate, 1--WE can show more
genuine labor material in this room to-
night than there is in any part of Hud-
son county. Twenty-seven years ago our
representative, Richard j. Allen, was ad
mitted into labor organization in this
city after his record had been sent for to
the other side of the Atlantic. There are
men here tonight from tue Jersey Associ-
aUion, which is with US heart and soul. and
a stronger organization does not exist in
this county, hast made its name famous
for the work it has done in the cause of
labor. And there are members here to-
night who are labor men, men who do
not hold $500 year situations under the
present Ring government of this city, but
who are workingmen and who have re-
fused the petty bribes offered them.
am sorry to see good organizations being
made tools of in this manner to try to
stop the wave of public opinion that will
on election day sweep these ringsterS and
their duDeS to destruction"
l was assailed on all sides with the
same sediment, but the above is a pretty
fair expression of the opinion that ruled.
Before the meeting adjourned big
delegation from the sixth district
marched into the hall, headed by ex-Cor-
oner Byrnes with big petition. They
have endorsed James S. Irwin for Assem-
bly, and will do their utmost to elect him.
He has good record among the labor
element, AM though a Republican, 1t is
said, has good many Jeffersonian ideas
instilled into him, and has given vent to
them on several occasions.