The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-13
LOBSTER STATESMAN.
Mr.. Armilage Ought to Be Very
Sorry That He Tried To Have
His Vote Changed.
Special to 7he Jersea Gin Ne,os.

TRENTON, March IL, 1898. There was
an exciting scene In the House this A. NJ.
MIR. Armitage, on a question of privilege,
took exception to the Newark Eyeping
NeiUs cbaracterizing him as a lobster
statesman" Mr.. Armitage first request
ed to have his vote, Inadvertently cast in
the negative for Mr.. Hutchinion's reso.
luton to suspend the rules SO that the re-
pealers of the race track bills could be
taken from the Committee, changed to
the affirmative. He then launched into
a defense Of his legislative action, claim
ing that ne had always been consistently
opposed to the race track bills. He voted,
he said, against the amendments OF Mr..
Lane. but was unfortunately absent when
the final vote was taken. Ii present, he
bills. Concluding, Mr.. Armttage said,
mo man can conscientiously say that |
am a race track man, unless he desires to
be malicious"
MR.. LANES INDIGNATION.
The Essex Assembiyman had hardly
resumed his seat before Mr.. Lane was on
the floor. 81 want to say. Mr.. Speaker"
began the member from Union, 'that it
is pretty late in the session for q man to
ask to have his record changed, Why
did not Mr.. Armitage place himself right
before he speaks of the NeupaTE NeloS, Il
paper of all papers that accords fair
treatment to friend and foe where fair
treatment Is deserved. 1t is the height of
absurdity for Mr.. ArmitHge to arise In
his seat and attempt to make people be-
lieve that he was not in sympathy with
the race track bills. object co his
being allowed to change his record.
That is playing the baby act, / should
say. / believe the gentleman acted intel
ligently. AT all events, ] give him credit
f~~ ns.x - tn1lfrorf AZ rvunfo fn hQEd
his vote changed simply because of The
storm of opposition he has created"
LANE GETS A SLAP.
Mr.. Armitage's face was flushed as he
arose to reply to Lane, and he moved
slowly towards the front row of seats. II
voted as 1 did on the amendments" he
said, because / knew the tight between
Thompson and Lane was a personal mat
ter. Phi put my record against that of
the gentleman from Union. / was never
charged with introducing more strike
bills than any member here, as he was.
II any man made such an accusation
against me, / would take him by the
throat right on this floor, unless the Ser
geaut-at-Arms was here to stop me"
my record is all right, / G guess fired
back Lane. "As a matter of fact, /
introduced one bill affecting corpora
lions during my three years in the Assem-
bly,. Let us compare records. You
won't find tnat I came to this House
crying to nave niue changed on any ques-
tion."
A BoMBsHELL.
Assemblyman Harrigan had been
idgetting about in his seat while the
others were talking and he made several
attempts to gain the floor. Immediately
on being recognized. Harrigan began !:
"Mr .Speaker.i it strikes me that the day of
reckoning has arrived. 1t is very sad to
see one of the Lobster Statement (mean-
ing Armitage)attacked on the floor of this
House. He talks of taking people by the
throat. Why, / once saw an old man
smash him i'll the nose and he didn't even
show fight. The old man was Rush
Beafgess. He is dead now. | say Armi-
tage's record should stand. If he isn't
man enough to stand up and vote openly
on this question or that question, he is
unfit to represent his people here, Be
man enough TO act openly and don't
dodge the consequences. That's my
motto. Why this nan has much to be
ashamed of. His public and political rec
ord ,indeedi It's not such that q decent man
mental in having his wife placed on the
stand in open Court to testify against a
man who was once Speaker Of this
House and had that man sent
to prison and disgraced. That
mans children must go through
the WOfIQ uD0eT q CjOuu because OIL
Armitage. Everybody knows he laid a
trap for the man he sem to prison. Wants
his vote expunged from the minutes, does
he? Why, he ought to be ashamed of
himself. He has a nerve. 1 tell you the
newspaper tells the truth. Armitage is
the worst dodger in the country. See
him get up like a tiger and talk of chok-
ing people. He WON'T punch anybody
here, i can tell him. Why, Mr.. Speaker,
he once questioned your motives.n
For a Time, there vas considerable ex-
element, and che Speaker eventually se-
cured attention. When the vote was be-
ing taken on the motion as to whether
Mr.. Armitage's record should be changed,
members crowded about the Clerks desk
and there were several lively spats. Mr..
Lane, in reply TO the request by Clerk
Kalisch to sit down, said that the Clerk
was not running the House, and charged
him with posting members to vote for
Armitage. Mr.. Kalisch denied that he
was doing anything of the Kind. By a
vote of thirty-one to twenty-five, it was
decided that Armitage's record should
stand. He was not allowed to have his
vote changed.