Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-10-14
Communicated
The County ClerkshIp.

Editor of DEMOCRAT
il The Office of County Clerk is one il
which every voter of the county is per
sonally interested; not only every voter
but every individual property holder
among whom there are many of the sex
who are denied the privilege Of the ballot;
but who. nevertheless, often have power
full influence with their husbands and
brothers--or some other girls brother-in
making up their ticket on election day.
We trust that our friends OF the fair sex
will give this matter due consideration in
the selection of a choice for our next
sion from our purpose in writing this ar
ticIe. 1t seems that by nature we are in
clined to consider the ladies as worthy of
our first thoughts, under all circumstances.
After a hard contest at the primaries, the
present incumbent, Mr.. F. B. RidgWay,
was chosen as the Republican nominee
over his most worthy competitor, Mr..
Robert Burrows, by the very small majority
of nine votes We all admit that it was
hard, we'll fought contest, and the result
proves conclusively that almost one half Of
the Republican voters Of the county were
in favor of change in the Office. Proves
without doubt that the people of
that faith believed that the interests of the
citizens of the entire county would be
better served if Mr.. Ridgway was permitted
to retire to private life, but the votes Of
nine men from one township, against the
majority of the other eighteen townships,
wards and boroughs, compelled the placing
of his name again before the people as a
candidate for reelection.
The time has been in the recent past
when nomination on the Republican ticket
in Gloucester county was equivalent to an
election, but now, the people are becom-
ting more alive to their interests, are scan
ing things moer closely. They are not TAX
ing everything for granted as it is handed
to them on silver salyer, or otherwise.
They are beginning to see the wisdom Of
the old time custom of the Office seeking,
the man for the best interest of the people,
rather than the man seeking the Office fol
personal interest and advancement, so that
to-day it may be truthfully said that the
voters of Gloucester county are more in
terested in the conduct and management OF
the county affairs than they are in the
politics of the candidate Hence it is no
sinecure to receive nomination on the Re-
publican ticket, unless it is accompanied
by integrity, ability and honest purpose to
serve the people Ito be the servant and
not the master.
Compare, then, the two candidates for
way, left no stone unturned to secure the
nomination in order to perpetuate the mis-
management of the Office, and he comes
before the people now asking for the votes
of those who placed him in the Office five
years ago in the fond belief that it would
be conducted on the same strict business
principles as had prevailed during the in
cumbency of his worthy predecessor, Con-
gresham Loudenslager. The. other. Mr..
Joseph Lodge, comes before the voters of
the county for the first time as candidate
for any Office, as the unanimous choice of
his party, not from his own seeking or per-
sonal desire, but selected because of his
we'll known integrity, and strict business
principles, a man of the people-one who
would serve his constituents faithfully in
any Office, one fully competent for County
Clerk and one for whom all, regardless of
political faith, who admire fair dealing and
answering faithfulness to duty can cast
their ballots without doubt or hesitancy,
knowing full well that if Mr.. Lodge shall
be the choice of the people, the Office will
be strictly administered in the best in
terests of all the people of the county.
VOTER
Mantua Township, Oct. 10, '97.