The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-20
lie TALKS FIGHT.
How Mr.. Atkinson Handles the
Race Track Problem.

The members of the South Bergen Re-
formed church held "a race-track indigna-
ton meeting last evening. A large num-
Der were present, aud a very enthusiastic
meeting was held. Pastor Grant read
several passages from the Bible which ne
Thought were applicable TO the case. Sew
eral hymns were also sung. Pastor Grant.
In introducing the speakers of the even
ing said, In part:
1.-The one great question which con-
fronts the people of New Jersey in this
case is, can New Jersey be redeemed? IL
can. most decidedly, but not with those
in the ascendency who are at present.
We put them there. Ii we want better
thlngs, we snail nave to get them out. L
would like to hold a revival meeting
here tonight, IL we could get them 10
come, but they are not the men wnU go
to church, or they would not have done
as they did. We tried to hold a revival
meeting in the State House at Trenton,
and I am glad to say that we succeeded,
but they were not there. They are afraid
of nothing so much rs righteous lndlg-
nation. This movement, which mas
sprung up all over The State. is not tenn
porary, for 1T has men behind 1t VINO
mean fight, and one OF these men take
great pleasure in introducing to you" The
pastor introduced Mr.. john w. Atklnson.
Mr.. Atkinson, who is a weli-knoWn
resident on the West Side, in speaking
OF where the blame should be placed,
said:
VOTERS %cULPABLE, TOO.
"You are responsible for this; the voters
who elect such men as these are as Gull
pable as the man who voted for the Race
Track bills. If such scoundrels were not
elected, Il honest uen were, the people
would not be treated as they nave been.
The rutnor is current that the Senators
who voted for the Race Track bills each
received $1,000. and the Assemblymen
81, 800. In the face of this, can New Jer-
sey be redeemed? 1t car, most emphat1-
caily. Next fall there are seven Senators
and "a House of Assembly to be
elected, and the voters Of New Jersey
should combine and refuse to support
men who are not pledged to repeal the
race track bills, We offered the best
blood of the country to save the old hax
from dishonor in 1868, and we can do 1t
now. But there is a better way that by
fighting; we can organize. and next fall
we can elect men who are not
and who will not be bribed into voting
the rights Of the people away"
MR.. BEACH'S STAND.
Pastor Grant introduced Mr.. W. IL.
Beach as the second speaker of the even
Ing. MT. ltdCu, IL W1AA OC
was one of the speakers at the mass meet
ing in Trenton. Mr.. Beach said in part:
SIT has been M good fortune to have
participated in many imposing services.
/ nave heard services in Westminster
Abbey; l nave sat in Parker's
Church in London. and heard
Henry Ward Beecher preach, and l can
truthfully say that l have never seen u
meeting anywhere which could compare
in enthusiasm with the one which was
held in Trenton. 1t was one of the most
thrilling scenes that / have ever wit
messed. How well l remember how the
old ~gray-haired President OF Princeton
College rose in answer to the question,
Can New Jersey be reGeemsd?' aud read
the ninety-fourth Psalm, then said III a
voice quivering with emotion. That is che
answer l am not here tonight as a
political speaker, but as an outraged and
BETRAYED citizen, / atm not here to say
wild aud rough things, but | will say this:
I nave sat IN the chair of Shakespeare,
and [ think l have imbibed a little poeti-
cal Inspiration from 1t. | a sat in the
chair of John Calvin at Geneva, aud
nave felt a slight touch of Calv1nism. L
sat the other DAY in the Assembly at
Trenton in the seat of a miserable.
cowardly, dastardly representative OF
this State, aud for fear l would be con-
taminated, / got out as soon as
4 reallZeu Wuere was. haiAou
was the greatest politician OF
the Bible-for himself every time. l
know of no man who can come anywhere
near him except the ex-race track starter,
who occupied the Speakers Chair and de-
clded questions to suit himself. This
calls to mind a remark which DR.. Lang
don made at the meeting, in which he
said, as far as he could see the only thing
they could do was emulate the example
of the men who returned the thirty pieces
of silver and then hanged himself.