The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-28
But Little Interest Shown
in the Constitutional
Amendments Elec-
ti0n
UNUSUAL REPUBLICAN DUPLICITY
Notwithstanding Their Protesta-
tions of Virtue G. 0. P. Com
4 mitteemen are Working
Against the Changes.

The vote on the Constitutional amend
ments will be lighter than was expected
From all parts of the city the report
comes that this morning not more than
one-tenth of the usual vote had been
polled. On the Hill, where it was an
ticipated a heavy vote would be polled,
voters are coming out slowly. AT nearly
all of the Hill precincts church societies
and the Y. P. S. c. E. workers had rep
resentatives on hand. They were per-
mitted TO work as they pleased, no one
apparently taking enough interest in the
outcome to disturb them when they came
nearer than 100 feet of the polls. In the
lower section of the city the Y. p. S. c. E.
people are making hot fight. They dis
tributed literature and sent ballots to
every voter.
1t was a hard matter to get voters out
and it was noticeable fact in the lower
section OF the city that there was great
demand for pens and pencils with which
to scratch some of the amendments. The
Republican county and precinct commit
teemen are doing effective work against
the gambling amendment. The members
of the committee at its last meeting We're
quietly instructed to work against that
amendment. When it leaked out that the
committee would oppose the amendment
it is reported that certain ministers who
preach politics from their pulpits waited
on the leaders and announced that they
would oppose the party's Assembly ticket
if the committee did not support the
gambling amendment OF course the min
listers were promised that the amendment
would be supported. Just the same the
committeeman were not only ADVISED 10
work against the amendment but they
We're given funds with which to do as
much work as possible at the polls.
The money is said to have been sub
scribed by all those railroad and trolley
companies whose lines touch the old race
tracks in the State. The Long, Branch
Railroad it is said has dumped big
Doodle into the hands of the Republicans.
While nearly two-thirds OF the members
of the Democratic County Committee are
opposed to the amendments as indivfd-
uais the party leaders for more reasons
than one deemed it wise to keep their
hands off and let the fight go merrily
on on its merits.
With the Republicans making money
fight against the amendments, 1t is pc
lieved that in this county all three will
be buried to d pretty good depth.
The most effective work against the
amendments will doubtless be done from
four O'Clock this afternoon until the
polls close at seven. In many OF the
boiling places there was some confusion
as 70 how the ballots should be marked.
II was contended by some of the election
officers that ballot having continuous
Drawn through all three
invalidated the ballot. It was argued
that each amendment should be mark
ed separately. The law officers were con-
suited and it was finally agreed that a
ballot if marked from top to bottom,
should be accepted and recorded as vote
against all three amendments If three
fifths of the regular vote is polled those
interested in the defeat OF the amend
ments say they will be satisfied.
The election in Hoboken today is almost
devoid of excitement, An extremely
city, and unless there. is an unusually
heavy rush of voters this afternoon there
will not be more than one-half of the
usual city vote .polled. The registry
o clock, and it is probable that many
voters are waiting SO that they may reg
lister and vote at the same time.
1t was expected that the church folk in
the uptown districts would turn out
strong, but according to the number of
votes polled in the various precincts up
to ten o'clock they have not as yet done
SO. In the Second district of the Third
ward, where many church people reside,
O'Clock. At the polling place near the
Willow avenue police station in the Third
district of the Fifth ward, only forty had
been cast. This is also considered a
church district and usually polls over 500
votes.
In the downtown districts where the
somewhat stronger but shows great
falling off from the usual number. There
We're only 63 votes polled up to ten O oclock
in the First District of the First Ward, at
No. 50 Newark street. The usual power
OF this district is 500 votes. The polling
clerks said that they did not expect that
one-half of the voters would turn out.
From present indications however. the
ant-amendment vote will be greatly in
excess when the polls are closed.
The voters in some sections were re-
minded OF the election by the tolling of
the church bells. Election officers re-
port that many citizens after reading the
ballots went away without voting. They
appeared not to comprehend the ballots,
or to be at loss how to vote
Reports from towns in the vicinity OF
Gutenberg race track are that a fight
is being made on the gambling amend
ment but that the vote Of the other
places in Hudson County will insure the
carrying of all three amendments