The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-05-03
nAGIN THE DEACON. 7
Interesting Revelations Con-
corning SeWell in Bur.
1ingt0n Politics.
CLERK HULME'S LITTLE GAME
Heelers Turned Down in a Success.
ful Revolt = Budd Deacon's
Leadership Weakened.
Special TO the Jerscu Chr Ncrs..

-s4OS-NI T1OIL1, May Z. loJ3.--lno feS~
timony of joseph S Hulme. chief cierk
in the office of State Treasurer swain,
which was the sensation Of Tuesdays
session of the Senate Investigation Conn
mittee at Trenton, threw side light on
the bitter factional night which for
number of years divided the Republican
party in Burlington County and gays The
Democrats a number of victories in
spite of the normal Republican maJcrity
Of 500 or 1000.
In its incipiency the fight was the re-
volt of Independent and self-respecsing
Republicans against the arrogant boss
ism OF w. Budd Deacon, who, as the
trusted lieutenant Of General William j.
SeWGA, parcelled out State and National
patronage and assumed to dictate IcIni-
nations for county offices. The revolt
came TO a head in 1880. when Deacon,
| through Sew ellis influence with the Ma
tlonaI Administration, succeeded in Iill-
ing the principal post Offices III the Goua-
| " with men of his own selection aid in
direct opposition to the expressed prefer
ences OF nzne-tenths OF the Republican
leaders and voters. The most ndl5ranI
| case was that OF the Burlington oIace.
Here ex-Sherif Nathan w. c. hays was
the faVorite candidate of the Reru5H-
cans OF the city. AT q popular eleeucn
held 10 select the candidate he received
dorsed by every member of the city and
county executive committees and ny
a host of prominent Republicans in tne
county and outside. He was admitted
to be the shrewdest politician in the
county and his parry services me1Iied
the reward But unfortunately for hsm,
he had incurred BuQd Deacons emmy
while Sheriff. Deacon demanded the night
TO select his Grand Juries, and this -fier-
If Hays Indignantly refused, wheretpon
Deacon, with the malignity for which
| ne is noted, began a course of peIzecu-
ton which he mas never deyiated from
| to the present day:
/ n
| The selection of the postmaster was
nominally in the hands OF Congressman
| the Second disti, I,''rhsns-n was or sds
! last term - IN 2 FederaK
| iudgeship Sew. .....s. ras; nara-
/ mount with Haze. al. "a sew
| ellis assistance Tor hlmS~- 1,i
! turned over the Federal pau v.-s
district. This gave Budd Dec
| control in Burlington county. ssRd i...
uel Phillips was made postn1-'ter
| Burlington instead of Hayes whom
party wanted. 1t may. be mentioned
! have just settled with the Post Office Of
| fcials a deficiency of about $1.500 found
in his accounts when his successor was
Iageous defiance of the party's demands
Was shortly followed by precisely Sirl!lar
action with reference to the Mount Holly
| Post Office and then Indignation was nn-
| bounded. The campaign for Sheriff
| had just opened and Mr.. Hays announe-
| ed himself a candidate for the Rep1pli-
\
| the field. but although Deacon ana MS
! followers tried every possible means to
aroused masses of the party swept away
all opposition, forced other candidates
| to the rear and nominated Mr.. Hays
| almost by acclamation. The Democratic
| candidate was Charles H. Shinn bit
| ter personal enemy of Mr.. Hays and a.
close friend of Deaeon's. The fight was
+. found that Hays had been defeated
| through the treaehery of Deacon and hls
followers. Upon election night when the
| Intelligence of Shinn's election was made
known Deacon. who was in a public
/ parroom in Mount Holly, forgot his eau
| tion in the exuberance of his Joy, loudly
| expressed his satisfaction at the defear
| of Hays and spent his money literally
| for the benefit of the thirsty crowd.
HEELERS TURNED DOWN.
| Naturally the defeat of Hays did not
| tend to restore harmony in the Repuo-
! lican ranks, it was laid at Deacon's door,
| and so far as known he never denied
| the charge. The months rolled by, and
| the time arrived for holding the primary
| meetings to elect delegates to the .Ssna--
ex-Assemblyman Robert c. HUTCHINSON
| as his candidate for Senator, and upon
4 the surface there was no opposition. 1t
| township and ward in the county the
| attendance at the primaries was unDre-
| cedented. Men We're there who had not
and they were there was purpose.
| Ward heelers and petty politicians who
| aspired to be delegates were turned down
without ceremony. and men chosen noEed
| for their independence of boss dictat1oh
and their high personal character AS
| q result the Senatorial Convention was
| conlposed of the very cream of Burling-
/ ton county Republicans, who had ccme
| there to give Budd Deacon a laying out.f
1 and he got it. Deacon soon saw that
| there was no show for Hutchinson and
| tried to divert the convention to ex-GAs-
| semblyman 3. Budd Master, most
| excellent gentleman and staunch Repub-
! lican, but the delegates would not have
| it that way. They had come there to
vindieate Hays and down Deacon and
| they would have none but Hays for the
| candidate TO the argument that he
would be again defeated they replied =
$50 be It We viii put ,tara the res FTesP9nsshll san
on Deacon and his crowd, and we viii
keep up the fight against bossism and
| traitors until the party is purged or
| them"
Hays was nominated and no man ever
made a harder or more honest fight to
was Mitchell B. Perkins, whose vote Alb
bett wanted for United States Senator:
Perkins had an unlimited supply OF
| money and this, together with the su-
| pineness or worse, of Deacon, and his
| followers. gave the victory to the Demo-
0i'. HULMEs LITTLE GAME.
From these two defeats. wherein Mr..
Hays was made the ,scapegoat, the Re,
and invincible. The leaders Of the party
came together and demanded that De&s
con take a back seat. General SeWe31
was plainly told that the tyranny and
treachery of his lieutenant would be no
| longer tolerated, and Deacon soon found
himself friendless and alone, shorn. Of
power with fewer friends than a yellow
dog Since then the Republicans have
been victorious in every election: ma.
iorities have increased and the Demo-
Gratis are so demoralized that they scarce
ly pretend to keep up an organization.
The important and self-sacrihcing part
played by ex-Sheriff Hays in bringing
about this result is freely conceded in
burlington county. Now as to the part
Clerk Hulme played in the fight. a
dozen years ago, Mr.. Hul1ne was Budd
Deacon's closest friend. In fact, he fur
nshed the brains, political shrewcneSs
| and foresight of the combination, But
the time came when he could no longer
bear with Deacons tyrannical insolence.
and there was an open rupture. Hulme
allied himself with the other side. and
| it was probably at this time that he
| conceived the plan of obtaining gifts
| from the banks for his influence in Sc
| curing State deposits to help him in his
| fight against Deacon, who was moving
| heaven and earth to secure his removal
| from the State Treasurers office That
| any OF this money was used, however
| tos assist Hays in securing the nomina-
! tion for either Sheriff of Senator is nn-
/ true No money was necessary. Both
/ were the spontaneous action OF the te-
publican party masses, who Were ue-
/ terrnined that Deacon's obnoxious boss
| ism must be stamped out. Hulme con-
| tributed literally to. the party cap,pslgn