The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-11
The Monmouth Senator's
Vaci1lating Course in the
Legislature.
PLANT TOOL OF THE REPUBLICANS
They Hoodwink Him Into Support
ing Partisan Measures and
Then Laugh at Him.
Special to the Jersey City Nelos.


eighty-one Senators and Assemblymen Went
to Trenton last winter of whom SO much was
expected, and who accomplished so little, as
the more or less famous founder of Asbury
Park. When Mr.. Bradley was finally per-
suaded to run for the Senate. he received the
enthusiastic support of many democrats, be-
cause it was thought by them that man OF
his pretensions to morality and general hoii-
ness could be depended upon to do all in his
power to correct the abuses which had crept
into the legislative branch of the State Gov
ernment.
RELYING upon his course at Asbury Park
and his former utilization with their party,
the Prohibitionists and temperance people,
confident that if it lay in his power he would
secure favorable legislation for them, worked
day and night for his election. The only
portion of his supporters who were in any way
dubious as to the benefit he would do them
was the out-and-out republicans, who sup
ported him because he was the regular
nominee of his party. They We're the only
ones who were not doomed TO disappoint-
ment.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS AROUSED.
When it became known that the Repub
llcans would be unable to pass a single bill
without Mr.. Bradley's vote there was much
rejoicing among the friends of good govern
mont. ll6 course pursued Dy MI. DIdu1ey
in connection with the management of
Asbury Park his well known position on
moral and ethical matters, made it certain
to their minds that he would never lend
himself to the wild partisan schemes OF the
Republicans and he would use his singularly
powerful position to secure the enactment of
those laws only which would be for the best
interests OF the whole people.
Those who lived in hopes of some day
seeing the State released from. the fatal
grasp of the corporations, in which 1t was
writhing, saw at least realization of their
hopes and the temperance and religious
doxoIogy in thankfulness for the moral
legislation which Senator Bradley would
have passed.
Seldom if ever was a member of the Legis
lature in position to accomplish SO much
for good and never was there law maker at
Trenton, upon whom such high hopes were
based only to be dashed to the ground. Mr..
Bradley proved recreant to the trust con-
fided to him. He was too weak to Withstand
the Establishments and wiles of the practical
politician, and his vacillating course made
him the laughing stock of the State House.
Almost every day he caused the announce
ment to be made that he would not support
this on that scandalous piece OF Republican
partisanship and would even go so far as to
make a speech denunciatory of the measure,
only to wind up by voting for the bill he had
denounced
After a while he refused to go into caucus
with his Republican colleagues, giving as
reason that his conscience would not permit
him to support the bills they were making
party measures. For while he stuck to this
determination herding by himself until
''Senator Bradley's caucuses with his con-
science" became one of the standing jokes at
the session
CLOAK FOR HYPOCRISY.
1t was not long before the willy Republi-
can leaders found a cloak to throw over the
y. oil
was SO thin that everyone saw through it
but the pious founder of Asbury Park
With a knowing wink at each other they
changed the name of their meetings from
caucus to conference" and they were
again Joined by the good Senator from
Monmouth County. Whatever he may
have said or done in these conferences" he
always voted with his Republican colleagues
to turn democrat out of office and put one
of their number IN
The people of New Jersey will long re-
member with everything but pleasure the
weakness of Senator Bradley for one thing
alone if for nothing else. He was the intro
ducer of the measure which was intended to
rescue the potable waters of the State from
the greed of the corporations, and place it in
contf6i of a State Water Board, which
would conserve it for the use CT the people OF
the entire State When the subject was
first broached to him he was very enthusias
tic over it. 1t appeared to him at ONCE as a
most righteous and eminently just measure.
He could not say enough in its favor. Day
in and day out he extoled its merits, pro-
ducing maps, statistics and other data to
show how the future water supply of the
State was very serious question, and one
which should be attended to at once. There
was reason to fear, he said, that these cor
porations which were attempting to grab all
the streams of the State meant to divert the
water from New Jersey. The population of
the State was rapidly increasing, and unless
some check was put upon the rapaclty of
the private companies 1T would not be many
wears before water in New Jersey would be-
come luxury obtainable only at great
price.
Nothing that he could think of would
better ward off this impending evil than the
bill providing for the State Water Board
and he even went SO far as to visit news
paper offices and argue with editors upon
the goodness of his bill.
CORPORATIONS CHANGE HIS MIND.
When the corporations knew how strongly
Mr. Bradley favored the measure and
reflected upon the power he held in the Sen
ate they became alarmed and sent their
most subtle advocates TO Trenton to talk
against the measure. No one listened more
attentively to their speeious arguments than
the Senator from Monmouth and when they
were through ne began to shake his head
doubtfully and said he didn't know whether
the bill was such good bill after all Then
some OF the aQVOcdUSS Ol lllS lleSsSulS SuOu
with him again ana once more he leaned to-
ward the States control of the waters Thus
he vacillated between the two until the ses-
sion adjourned and the bill went up to the
Office of STATE Librarian where all dead
measures are carefully filed away.
Mr.. Bradley could easily have passed that
bill through the Senate had he possessed the
backbone and resolution of the corporations
that secured its death. Without his vote
the Republicans could not have passed the
Board of Works, the County Courts, the
Police Justices, the Freeholders and the
other measures which give them control OF E
the local patronage in most OF the counties
and cities of the State They had set their
hearts upon passing those bills, and would
have sacrificed almost everything rather
than see them defeated.
Had Mr.. Bradley put his foot down firmly
and refused to vote for those measures,
which on more than one occasion he declared
violated his conscience. he could have OBJ
tanned from his Republican colleagues
almost anything he wanted. Rather than
see the Democrats remain in control
of the Boards of Public Works.
Freeholders, Excise and Tax Commission
ers. the Essex men would have voted for
Bradley;s water bill especially after it
had been amended so as to remove all posi-
blity of its interfering with Newark's sup
- rx,3.;a flra arnef Senator yVaa willing TO