The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-10-30
The Politics of the Campaign.

The Politics of the Campaign.
In our last two issues. we have dis
cussed with some fulness the personal
element in the issue whether Edward
R Stanton shall or shall not be elected
Sheriff of this county this year. We
have, in the first place, taken up and
refuted the charges made against Mr..
Stanton by his Republican adversar-
les; we have shown that in some cases
the allegations were purely fictitious,
and in others that Mr.. Stanton was
being blamed for the offenses of other
people. In the second place, we have
proven that. as a public official and as
a private citizen, Sheriff Stanton has
a clean, honorable record which en-
titles him to the confidence of the peo-
pie and to the reward of his devotion
to their interests.
Having thus disposed of the per-
sonal factor, we have a word to say
today regarding the political aspect of
the fight. When you get right down
to the heart of things, this is purely a
political fight. 1t is republican
against democrat, and the very
small number of prominent
democrats who have bolted
the party nomination do not alter
this fact. The Republican party has
constructed the Pigment of a non-par-
tisan annex to deceive the voters on
this point. 1t is conceded that a re-
publican cannot win in this county
on a straight party issue. The hope
of the party therefore is in obliterat-
ing party lines and winning votes for
Colonel Toffey through a so-called
s'citizens' - movement. The hollow.
ness of the scheme is apparent just
from the names of the men who are at
the head of the effort. We would
like the Rev. John L. Scudder to tell
the public whether he ever voted for a
democrat in his life. We challenge the
Rev. Daniel Halleron to tell the pub
lie when he last voted the Democratic
ticket. 1t is the same all through the
list. Take one of those Tabernacle
meetings about which so much noise
is made, and you will find that, of fifty
men on the platform, forty-eight were
dyed-in-the-wool republicans, while,
of a thousand people in the audience,
nine hundred and fifty habitually
vote the Republican ticket year in
and year out.
So the campaign, asrespects ninety
nine out of every hundred people who
take an interest in it, is a matter of
politics, pure and simple. The ''re-
form" movement is a ghost; the issue
of party supremacy is real flesh and
blood.
Colonel Toffev is a typical republic
can. He has been one all his life. He
has the average amount of conviction
regarding the soundness of the party
principles and record, and he has a
very large sized belief that the party
is under enormous obligations to him,
which it will have to repay by MAX
ing him Governor or some such thing
If it ever gets on top in this State.
Colonel Toffey has trained with the
machine all his life. He has toiled for
it, he has shared in such fabrication
as it has enjoyed, and his present
candidacy is assumed at its instance
and for its benefit.
The coming question in this State
is that of the taxation of railroad
property. 1t is unnecessary to show
to Jersey citizens, at this late day,
the outrageous injustice of the pres
ent system. 1t comes right home to
their pockets. Every taxpayer and
rent payer knows by personal expert
ence that while the real estate of
private holders, all over the county,
is burdened with a rate of $2.75 on
the hundred of valuation, the mil
lions owned by the railroads escape
at the absurdly low rate Of n per
cent. The tide of demand for the re-
form OF this system is rising steadily
and irresistibly. 1t is becoming more
and more an issue in State politics
every year, and it only needs some
brilliant leader like Leon Albeit to
take up the idea and devote himself
to it to secure the ultimate triumph
Of the cause.
Against this great popular move
ment, the Republican party, boss
ridden and corporation controlled, al
It has always been in this State, is
girding its loins and organizing its