The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-28
STOKES IN THE LEAD
The Cumberland Senator
Has Enough Votes to
Make Him President.
HOW TO USE TIE SURPLUS
All Indications Point to a Short
Session--Gossip Of the State
House.
Snecial to the Jersev Citv Nears.

Special to the Jersey Guy HeWS.
TRENTON, Nov. 2S, 1S94.-The spirited
fight which is being waged in the Re-
publican party over the Presidency OF
the Senate drew a large number OF the
Republicans to the State House yester-
day. Messrs. Stokes, Rogers and Thomp-
son, the three leading candidates, We're
all on hand, and all declared themselves
as highly g~ratified at the situation Whlch
made them all sure winners. Rogers ana
Stokes are membe of the board appoint
ed by the Governor to canvass the Con-
gressional returns, and. although that
was the ostensible object of their visit
to Trenton, they were not adverse to Sc
curing a vote or talking upon the situa-
ton.
l. Mr.. Stokes after frankly stated that ne
had enough votes to win, and confidently
expected to be President spoke OF the
| United States Senatorial fight. AS lar as
he knew, he said, General Sewell had all
the votes in the First and Second Con-
gressionaI districts, and would win the
fight. At any rate he thought the Cen
eral was entitled to the Office, as he
had undoubtedly earned it by the great
services he had rendered the Republican
party in New Jersey.
After delivering himself in this manner
this astute young gentleman cast MS
prophetic eye over to next fall, and pre-
dicted that the Republicans would carry
the State then and elect a Governor as
well as the Legislature. Like all SELL
respecting prophets who have some re-
gard for their reputation for accurate
representations, Mr.. Stokes sends forth
his little prophecy hand in hand with a
contingency, and goes on to say thal
this victory will be achieved by the Re-
publicans if they continue to do TINS
year as they did last year. The cleo
ton this fall he looks upon as the peo-
pies endorsement of the Republican
course of last winter.
OH. NO, OF COURSE NOT.
The course of the Republicans, he said,
was conservative, and in a marked de-
gree beneficial to the State. They did
not turn out any officers, and they pass
ed no strictly partisan bills. OF course,
they passed a few measures which made
some OF the State boards bipartisan.
What Mr.. Stokes calls the process by
which Bernard j. Ford was turned out
of the superintendency OF the State
House and the present Republican in
cumbent was turned in. he did not stop
to explain.
There ought to be a short session, he
continued, and efforts would be made to
have it as short as any on record.
Whether the leaders are afraid. that the
large Republican majority in the .Legis-
lature would become u~nmanageable, and
taking the bit between it's teeth, run
away and smash the concern all to
pieces, he did not say, but passed on to
the work of the coming session. There
was little that he could see for the
Legislature to do. The county judges
bill which was passed last winter after
an all nights session of the House, and
was vetoed by the Governor, and which
abolishes the lay judges, Mr.. Stokes
thought should pass, and no doubt
would.
DISTRIBUTING THE SURPLUS.
Mr.. Stokes said further that he was in
favor of distributing the surplus IN the
State Treasury in a manner that would
best relieve the burden of local taxa
ton. For example, he favored doubling
the appropriations for school purposes in
order to relieve the opposition of the
free text book law which has arisen in
many sections of the State. He would
also reduce the collateral Inheritance
tax, which in the past few years mas
grown very large.
Senator Hoffman, who is Mr.. Stokes
chief of staff in the fight for the Presi-
dency. was on hand working like a
Mr.. Stokes had pledges of nine voters,
but did not care to have them made pub
lie for fear the enemy would bring their
buns to bear upon them. There is that
general air of confidence about the
Stokes camp which is always significant
of victory.
Stokes men, the other candidates were
as clipper as ever, and all declared that
the young Cumberland Senator's chances
were nothing as compared with theirs.
A strong effort is being made to correct
any impression which may have gotten
abroad that Senator Rogers was opposed
- C@rrAl1 ar. fhof ho 4ryAw lnI
been or ever would be. This caused to
smile those who remember Mr.. Rogers
remarks last winter about sticking to a
sinking ship, and the manner in which
he tried to compete at the primaries
with the General for the leadership of
Camden, and how the Boss gave him
such a thrashing that the wounds amt
MIR. ROGERS VIEW.
Mr.. Rogers, in speaking of the matter
G GanleTadi' Sewers ssSu E fsa' and was was Under ieren many ~
obligations to him. and proposed to act
/ toward him in a friendly manner. He
tilted to the senatorship for his Stead
candidacy for President of the Senate, he
" was v in t aolnS race fe T sG T tao. and nd
though he would make no statement as
to the, number of votes he had: He
) course in the chair last winter entitled
him to a reelection. Mr.. Rogers is a
great admirer of his record of last
year, and although he does not talk
much about it he has several other ways
of keeping it before the public. What he
did that was so brilliant no one can tell
definitely, although there are to be found
without much difficulty those who de-
clared that he did much which
entities him to a seat in the
back ground. The Camden Senator
said he favored the County Ju-
dietary bill and would do what he could
to secure its passage. It was very popu-
lar with the people of his county and
would receive the support Of the entire
Camden delegation. Mr.. Rogers also
favored a short session and said the only
measures that should be passed should
be of a conservative nature.
Senator Thompson was still harping on
the one string of the sacrifices he has
made for the party. Those and the fact
that he has been elected Senator three
times are the foundation upon which he
) bases his claims to the Presidency. He
claims to be satisfied with the situation
and says his chances are good, although
E he does not state where he expects to
i get the necessary votes to elect him.~The
/ general opinion is that Mr.. Stokes will
land the prize. His friends name nine
i votes including his own which they are
sure of. This does not include Mr..
j Rogers, who the Stokes men say will ul-
|, timately come to them or Mr.. Smith of
Ocean. Senator Smith. by the way, is q