The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-31
sheriff ronsy,s Gubernarorial Boom

Tbe excursion of the John J. Toffey AS
ISOLATION, which is in progress today Is
an event of considerable political import
ance, because it is the capitalization Oh
the local boom of our popular SheriH as
a Gubernatorial candidate. If todays
event reaches the magnitude and import
ance which Colonel Toffey's friends pre-
dict, it will come very nearly realizing
his ambition to dominate the primaries
when they are held. and he may succeed
in going down to the State Convention
at Trenton with a large majority of the
delegates-if not solid vote-pledged in his
favor.
In the last week or two we have begun
to realize that the Sheriff's aspirations
after the Gubernatorial nomination were
in good faith. When the talk first became
current, we had imagined that he was
only looking for a complimentary vote,
perheps with a view to some good State
Office on the expiration of his term as
Sheriff. But now we are we'll satisfied
that he is in earnest, that he wants the
nomination, and hat he is carefully
shaping his personal course of action with
a view to capturing it. Nothing has gone
farther to make this clear than the re-
cent action in respect to the Sunday
LIQUOR trade in this city. After we might
part of Democratic officials. Judge Lip
pineatt. Prosecutor Winfield. and his as
sistant, Mr.. Feeney, and of all preceding
Shefiffs of this county, Mr. Toffey about
a month ago made up his mind to show
the State what a Republican could do.
with his bright and active assistants,
Messrs. Higgins, Mitchell. Erwin and Nc
Cormack. the Sheriff started out to Sc
cure evidence of Sunday violations of
the Werts law. and the recent numerous
indictments of liquor dealers were the
result.
1.-The News, as is we'll known, is not
in favor of rigid enforcement of the
Sunday law. We regard the measure
as oppressively stringent; but it is I'M
necessary to go into that question at
this time. We recognize the Sheriffs
course a carefully prepared political
coup. The object is beyond all doubt
THE capture of the South Jersey
counties and such other portions of the
State as are opposed Ito the liquor
traffic. The Sheriff has already a GER
tain eclat in the hayseed sections of the
State on account of his election in the
old Democratic stronghold of Hudson.
Now he will be represented as a sort
of Jersey Roosevelt, a stern official who
insists on the letter of the law and
who will hold no terms with rum sell
1ers or the beer influence. 1t is true
the course he has adopted nay cost
him a few votes in this county; but he
probably realizes that he cannot carry
Hudson again. and that he can win
more votes by catering to the cold water
element even here than by tenpori-
zing with the brewers and saloonkeepers,
who have a natural distrust of his party,
anyway.
AS d lSpIC ScAldllNS vi ~ us 2o'
enforcement. the Sheriff will be a very
formidable figure at Trenton He will
more or less take the wind out of Elk
Senator Griggs' sails, and as for John
Kean. he will be dangerous to him be-
cause he is suspected of more or less
ninglsecr of course-towards liber-
atty as respects the liquor trade.
we are inclined to congratulate the
1t puts him in line/ with the prevailing
sentiment of his party, which naturally
inclines to puritanic strietness in all tina
concerns the general body of the people
We certainly compliment him upon TAX
ing up a definite and neontrovertible pc
sftion by means of actions which speaf
louder than words. Nobody can accuse
him of trimming or hedging or sitting OF
the fence. He has served notices on th'
liquor men through his own action ant
the work of his immediate lieutenant'
that they have nothing to expect from
him. He wants n of their help and hi.
strength, ne Ieeis, IS III Tue dim y
total abstinence.
We would like to see Sheriff Toffe!
ENTHUSIASTICALLY on this platform. |
would make a most interesting campaign
We do not think he could be elected
though he would run as well as an.
other Republican-but If he were by an.
chance. it would be a qualification t
have a Hudson man at the helm in Tren
ton. His weakest point, so far, is hi
failure to overcome the life long hostilit.
of the Evening Journal" We see tina
paper is still clamoring for Griggs. Per
haps as the Sheriff's position. as an anti
rum fighter becomes more and more ap
parent. the support Of Major Pangbor'
and Mr.. Dear 10y he gradually trans
terred to him.