The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-12
BLAMING THE REPUBLICANS

OO1oSJ
what took place in Trenton this week. The
employment of physical force by and against
members of the Senate to carry out partisan
plans; the disgrace entailed by the admission
of unruly mobs to the State house, and the
general substitution of muscular for mental
means to aid in bringing into existence a
bodyeof lawmakers must be deplored by al
good citizens who care anything Tor the
honor of the Commonwealth.
While all these things happened, however,
and must, therefore, be known to the public
in this age of newspaper enterprise, there IS
no necessity for misplacing the responsibility
for them, as some of the Republican journals
are dishonesty doing.
TUESDAYS disorders ought to be charged up
to both parties. Senator Rogers of Camden
and Senator Bradley of Monmouth were the
first offenders, the democrats of Trenton the
accessories.
Ii Senator Rogers had not brought up
from Camden a trainload OF thugs, VINO
marched to the State House with a brass
hand. the riot would not have taken place.
If Senator Bradley's misdirected friends
had stayed at home there would not have
been so much of a riot. =.
If the unruly democrats of Trenton had
not taken a hand the disturbance would
not have reached the proportions it did.
Some of the Republican newspapers
CnaTQe QHdU DlG III i1O DAoS
took possession of the Senate Chamber. This
is entirely contrary to the facts.
It is true tina the Democrats did reach the
room first, but that is solely and wholly be-
cause the Republicans chose to hold a caucus
at a late hour some blocks away.
The Democrats had quite as much diff
Guilty in reaching the rooms as the Republl-
cans did afterwards. Senator Perkins, a
late arrival, who was i'll, had a painful
fight to get through the mob.
Another complaint is hat the police were
summoned. Major Carl Lentz of Newark is
very angry about the police. The Major
seems to be entirely ignorant of the fact
that the police were summoned to open a
way through the crowd to make the ingress
of the Republican Senators easy.
The only mistake made was in not sending
enough of them. The blunder the officers
made was in not using their clubs more
freely. They should have driven the entire
mob out of the State House.
There was never any intention on the part
of the Democrats to keep the Republicans
out of the Chamber. On the contrary the
presence of the latter was very much de-
Senator Winton braved the crowd outside
of the Senate door to secure his colleages adj
mittance, and was frequently damned against
the wall.
The Republican Senators owe him, as a
lld DUGI VI 1dGG. tt1C Ill " A1o SOADAA
Grafton. A less generous man would have
let them fight their way into the Chamber as
he was compelled to do himself.
Wednesdays melee was entirely and ex-
clusively a Republican affair. 1t may be
that the Republican Senate had a right to
use the Chamber. ThNt is a question OF con-
stitutional law which Ahe Attorney-General
will decide.
If they were convinced they had the
right. and peaceable admission was denied
them. no one will blame them for forcing the
door, since the Democrats had locked it.
But obviously they had no right to gather
| together a mob to break it in for them, nor
to permit tina mob to smash doors and fur
niture and turn the place into a bear garden
| after admission was gained.
Their officers could have effected a quiet
entrance in the rear, opened the doors and
kept order in the Chamber, either by exclud-
ing the rabble or by compelling it to behave
itself peaceably.
| Democrats took possession of the Senate
| organization in a revolutionary manner.
| Such assertions as that are born of the partl-
san heat of the moment.
Perhaps the Democrats had formulated a
| plan of procedure which was unconstitu-
tional. Their claim that the hold-over mem
bers are possessed of the right to pass upon
the credentials of the Senators-elect may not
be supported by the courts.
The scheme to refer Senator Bradleys
| election methods to the Supreme Court for
review may fail.
They may be wrong in all their ultimate
| Intentions, but the fact remains that the only
revolutionary proceeding OF the entire week
was taken by the Republicans themselves.
The Democrats met at the usual time and
| place, and awaited the Republicans. The
| Republicans assert that when they arrived
| they found the Senate organized, and that 1t
was organized by nine members.
They are mistaken.
1t is true that Senator Adrain was put in
| the chair and that he began to call the roll.
The rollcau showed an attendance OF nine.
If some one were not elected to preside now
| could the roll be called, and o could it
ever be ascertained whether there was a
quorum present or nots
When only nin Senators answered the
| Chairman called the roll a second time. The
result was the same. Five minutes after
wards the absentees came in, making the
organization complete, n Senator Adraln
| announced that there were thirteen Senators
present. Two of themselves, of Cumber-
land, and Skirm, of Mercer-recognized the
organization, claimed the privilege OF the
floor and addressed the Chair.
Because Senator Adrain would not grant
| them certain conditions, which he and In fact
the whole Democratic membership were
DOWeIlCSo W v pAO 4ACBQOlANoAho SNNNN~
Their secession was quite as revolutionary as
that of the Congressional representatives OF
the South before the war.
Acknowledgement John P. Stockton can
express but one opinion in the controversy.
The courts will decide that the organization
| of which General Adrain is temporary Chair
man is the legal Senate of the State, Were
the parties reversed they would render the
same decision against the Democrats. The
revolutionists in the end will have to go back
into the union.
Then the main question of Bradley right
to his seat will come up. The World has had
some success, it must be admitted, In fore
telling the events of the past week. Alone
of all the newspapers in the country 1t out
lined more than two weeks ago just what
would happen Tuesday and Wednesday,
Now the World ventures another predlc1
ton. Senator Bradley will get his seat. He
win get it after some delay, but he Will get
it. He will be admitted to it by the Demo-
cratic votes of the Senate.
There will be a prolonged and mighty howl
in the meantime, in the Republican press,
which would be justified were there any
truth in the charge that the Democrats IN
tend to steal the Senate.
1t is exceedingly disappointing for a hun
CRY party to have the flesh pots so close UNI
der its nose that it can smell the viands, and
then have them jerked away. The Demo-
Gratis in the same position would do some
bowling themselves.
Had the Republicans gone into the regular
organization, the legislative business of the
State would have been delayed only a short
time. They dreamed that ten Democratic