The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-03-17
Allan McDermott Against Amy Re-
publican Named.

f1tIdn U1CDCTIiOlb hSahihSb ALI y
publican Named.
Our friend and namesake, the Ho-
boken EoenSng NeDs, says Jersey
City could not have secured q better
candidate for Mayor than Allan l..
McDermott. We are all conscious of
this over here, but as we are under
the influence of our enthusiasm it is
assuring to have our ideas confirmed
by the cool dispassionate judgment of
outsiders who have no direct concern
with the contest.
The NeDS thinks many persons who
differ with Mr.. McDermott in politics
will vote for him on account of his
honesty and ability. We think SO,
too. After all, it is a secondary mat
ter to elect a Democrat-though that
too, is important in a Presidential
year; but the first thing of all is to
get a Mayor who a do the city some
positive good. We must have an up
right man; but that alone is not suf-
fcent. We must have a man of abso-
lutte independence of character and
determination of purpose, a man who
will not depart from what he thinks
good and useful for friendship or for
fear, for promises or for threats. Even
then, something more is needed. The
next Mayor must possess high abilities
and great experience OF public affairs.
1t is needless to say that Allan L.
McDermott presents all these qualifi-
cations. The sum of them exactly de-
scribes the man. Can that be said OF
any candidate the Republican party
has thought of presenting to the pub
lie? Colonel Wanser, it may fairly be
granted, fills the bill on the score of
personal honor and integrity. The
bitterest partisan must deal with him
he meet the requirements in other re-
spects? Has he ever shown the force
necessary to resist the dual influences o
solicitation and compulsion to which.
he would be exposed as Mayor by the
crooked bosses of his party and by the
hungry horde of would-b be officials and
contractors who would spring up
about him the moment his election
was accomplished? Then, again, has
he the breadth of intellect, he origi-
. native impulse, the wide experience
of public business. which the office
calls for? 1t can hardly be said that
he has any of these qualities. If he
has, he has never shown them. His
career has been a very tame, routine
affair, save for his disastrous political
campaigns. Even these show the
weakness of his character, his pliabili-
ty, for did he not on every occasion
allow himself to be victimized by
schemers in his party, who took things
easy, while he wasted his time. money
and thought?
Then there is Simeon H. Smith.
He is now chiefly known to fame for a
brutal remark directed against a large
section of our population in a speech
publicly made in the course of his last
campaign for the Assembly. This In
suit has been explained" in Mr..
Smiths behalf as being a mere heated
utterance of the hustings. Exactly.
When Mr.. Smith got heated he lost
his discretion and his reserve. The
stopper got loosed from his tongue
and he stood revealed before the
people for just what he is--the narrow
selfish tool of corporate interests. Mr..
Smith has a public record, which, in
case of his nomination, it shall be our
pleasure n duty to dissect, and
which proves him utterly unfit for the
chief magistracy Of this city.
And who are the Others spoken of?
Mr.. George II. Perkins? Oh, yes; we
all know Mr.. Perkins, whose Sam
paign motto is ''mum's the word"
Mr.. Gilbert Collins? Well, he is a
gentleman and a man of ability; but
is he not just a trifie TOO closely al
lied to the Lehigh Valley Railway
Who else is there? Well. by the time
this reaches the readers of THE
NEWS all speculation will belong
to the back number era. But
among the gentlemen we have briefly
discussed, we believed the candidate
win be found. Whether he is one of
these or some one never yet named,
we have no fear. Among all the Re-
publicans in the city who could be at
all induced to run for the office, we
do not believe there is one who can
be shown to have any real fitness for
the place.
WOULD it not be funny if the Re-
publicans could not get anybody at
all to run.
But there is always Major Pange
born as a last resort.
THE effort of the Journal yesterday
% crea tie the impression that Justice
Davis and Mayor Cleveland were
Matching treason to the Democratic