The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-20
THE STATE CAMPAIGN
Republican Committees
Action on Anti Gam
bling Amendments
Offends the Rank
and File.
FACTIONS IN BURLINGTON AND ESSEX
Kean's Friend Borton in the Lead
for State Senator-New
Aspirants Appear.
Especial to .arhe Jersey City News."I

Especial to '"rhe Jersey City News
TRENTON, Sept. 20, 1S97.-The pro-
posed constitutional amendments, which
will be submitted to the popular vote
at a special election to be held a week
from next Tuesday, while attracting
some attention. yet are not considered
of much Importance, apparently, in po-
1itical circles. 1t is true that they were
discussed at recent meeting of the Re-
publican State Committee, but in such
a half-hearted way as to leave an inn
preston that the members of that or
ganization did not care what became of
them. The proposed amendments are of
Republican origin. They went through
the gauntlet of two Republican Legisla-
lures, and even did not meet with any
opposition from the small Democratic
minority i'll those bodies.
Two of the proposed amendments are
not of that character to command more
than ordinary attention. These simply
provide for women suffrage at school
elections and prohibit the Governor from
appointing to office any person who has
been rejected by the Senate for public
position. One would think that such ques-
tions are hardly Of sufficient Importance
to put every municipality in the State
to the trouble of holding special cleo
ton to decide them.
The proposed anti-gambling amendment
was passed to satisfy what seemed to be
a demand of people who posed as cham
pions of law and order, and who are
strongly opposed, in particular. to betting
and pool selling an race tracks and else
where. The agitation of three or four
years ago against this species of gambling
resulted SO successfully that the men who
promoted the movement were encouraged
to go ahead and demand of the Republi-
can party the enactment of the proposed
amendment, which would, If ratified by
the popular vote, seal the doom of race
track gambling for nearly all time to
come. The so-called law and order ele-
ment Of the State, led by ministers of the
Gospel and other exemplary citizens, now
calls upon the people to ratify the pro-
posed amendment by their votes, and
they expect the Republican party to full
fill the pledges it made on the question
when it was waited into power on the
crest of the tidal wave of four years ago.
While the Republican State Committee
has given official recognition to the pro-
posed amendments and promised to issue
an address in favor of their adoption,stiu
there are signs of revolt among the rank
and file OF the party. It is noteworthy
that the county committees of Essex,
Hudson and Passaic have refused to in
dorSe these proposed new features of the
State Constitution. The Republican
taken any action at all concerning them,
and consequently the inference is con-
veyed that no sorrow will be felt in Re-
publican circles should the proposed
amendments fall short of a majority of
the popular vote.
Colonel Edward Livingston Price, as
mn of fln Not Il.
machine, says the question at issue has
no political significance as far as his
party is. concerned. Senator DAILY, the
prospective candidate of the silver wing
of the Democratic party for Governor, is
outspoken in his opposition to the anti
gambling amendment and SO are most of
of his camp. 1t would not be harsh to
predict that nearly all the Democratic
votes, which will be recorded at the spe-
cial election, will be against the proposed
amendments. And the indications are
that thousands of Republican votes will
be counted on the. same side. The only
them with the official seal of the party,
and this most of the leaders are un-
willing to do. A mere Endorsement by
the Republican State Committee is not 4
considered forceful enough to whip the
rank and file into obedience. And, be-
sides, the action of the State Committee
comes too late to have much effect in
winning votes for the proposed amend
mentS
There are many prominent RepubIi-
cans as well as Democrats in New Jer-
sey who favor horse racing when con-
Quoted decently and properly. They
would favor some such law as now pre-
walls in New York, and they know that
If the proposed amendment on the sub
ject becomes a part of the State Con-
stitution no statute oan ever be enacted
which would permit horse racing under
such conditions. These people are OPP
posed to such drastic provision as that
proposed, being willing to leave the
question an open one for coming Leg
islatures. For that reason they will
vote in the negative at the special cleo
ton. That seems to be the undercur-
rent of popular feeling at any rate.
Should the proposed amendments be
defeated what effect will the result have
on the fortunes of the Republican party
in New Jersey is a question which seems
to worry some OF the leaders. The party
will be accused of bad faith by the people
who have engineered the agitation against
race track gambling, no doubt, and at the
November election, perhaps, their indigna-