The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-15
GRIGGS' DEFENDERS
Said to Be Standing by the
County Leaders Who
Stand by the
Machine.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.
Claimed That They Are Purposely
Held Back Are Race Track
Men the Cause?
Epecfa1 to the Jerseu Cstu Nswa.

1bEIN 1OI>, Ftp. 10, loSt+-0VAuS fSfJ
acceptable valentines may be distributed
by Governor Griggs when the Legisla-
ture gets together to begin its sixth week
Of d%o-nothing to morrow night. Just as
he promptly and effectually settled the
Camden unpl~easantness a week ago ne
will probably set at rest all the specu-
lation concerning the post of Secretary
of State and that of Banking and In
surance Commissioner, and the same in
huences which were apparently pleased
in the former are likely to be satisfied
in the latter.
This is the way his supporters are apol-
ogizing for the Governor. The appoint
ment of Judge Armstrong for Camden
County showed that the Governor despite
| all the outside reckoning as to his desires
and ambitions, felt his obligation to the
party leaders there and meant to make
Acknowledgement in the one way open
| to the Chief Executive. What if Camden
County does show signs of tying to John
Kean when the time comes for him to open
up his campaign for United States Sen
ator?
The Governor could not well afford to
ignore the willing work done for him In
MS QWH DdLll6 III 1000. WHtI SNCly - ~
work counted; nor could he afford under
any circumstances to ignore the men who
urged upon him the selection of Armstrong
for the bench. The strongest point they
made for him, at least from a political
standpoint-and, after all, the whole situa-
ton is bound by polttics-was that he was
| opposed by the very men who are fore
most and active in the effort to tear down
the party organization which has been
so strongly entrenched in power for so
long a period in Camden and which is
so free from fractional fights. The Gov
, ernor was sensible of the fact that Cam
den County Republicans follow their
leaders with a fidelity that would be call
ed heroism in the art of war, and arguing
from that he could scarcely fail TO real
ize that his course lay in pleasing those
leaders and rewarding their f~athfulness.
1t is. therefore, only a reasonable con-
| clusion that his coming allotment of the
| offices will be based upon the same line
of reasoning. George Wurts, the Pater-
| son editor, and personal friend OF the
Governor and of the Vice President
elect, will very likely leave his present
temporary quarters of Banking and IN
| suranee Commissioner to accept the
higher and more lucrative honor of the
Office of Secretary of State William
BEETLE. Camden County's State Com
mitteeman and trusted political lieuten-
| ant of United States Senator Sewell, will
take Wurts' place.
Samuel H. Grey, for years a party
| counsellor and neighbor of General Sew
| eli. will be placed at the head OF the
| States law department as Attorney
| General. Those who have followed the
events of politics in New Jersey for the
past two or three years hold to the opln-
ion that Governor Griggs could strength
en- himself in no more sagacious way;
that it is the leaders who make the party
organization; that it is organization that
wins battles, and that a cause must have
organization as well as men.
There are any number of men in al
most every part of the State who are
quite sure hat they can suggest to Gen
eral Sewell, Governor Griggs, vice.
President-elect Hobart, State Chairman
franklin Murphy and other State lead
ers plans for the effectual and happy So
luton of all the trouble. The fact is,
these leaders do not see nearly so much
Of their so-called troubles as the news
paper correspondents, who are making
life miserable for some of them. Every
day brings forth some new idea for the
settlement of the Secretary of the State
matter, which is already settled and has
been settled for weeks. The appoint
ment of Mr.. BEETLE is also settled. One
Senator said the other day:-"It is an
outrage to compare the selection of Mr.
BEETLE with the appointment Of Lou
Payne in New York. Mr.. BEETLE IS not
a lobbyist, as som nave. chosen to call
him, bur he is and has been a valued
member Of the STATE hs has Ityed ir9 FOR
forty years, and there is no tangible
ground for an attack upon him. just
the same everyone who has been about
the State House any time at all knows
In This hypothesis of the present politi-
are practically forgotten: that the pres,
.ent Legislature is at once a menace and
a hindrance to the plans in process Of
Senatorship. The do-nothing policy of
the ~law-making body Is in ~consonance
with me idea that the least SAID. soon
verb, the least done, the quickest ac-
counted for. Present laurels are stuff.
cient for the Republican v~ictors, and II
the Legislature sticks to the lines laid
out for 1t very little explaining will have
to be done in the mex two years. Major
Carl Lentz, the leader of one Essex coun-
ty faction. was frank enough to admit
before a committee of the Senate the
other day that the bill which proposed
to abolish spring elections in Hudson
and Essex counties is wanted for partisan
purposes.
1t was like waving q red flag in the
face of an angry bull to Senator Voorhees,
the Republican leader, and he promptly
stamped the scheme with his emphatic
disapprovaL means one of three
ihings-eithef a more bitter fractional
fignt in the two counties affected: a dam
gerous fight in the Senate, or the passage
of the bill under the caucus lash. In
either event a 1otsof unpleasant lex
planning will have to be DONE. It will
be a formidable task for the party lead
ers to s~traighten out this disagreeable
Ptangle, and the legislative session is spin
ming out to an Uncomfortable length. 1t
is hardly probable. however, that this,
the only real partisan measure present.
ed to the present session. will be forced
through under the caucus rule. If the
party in Hudson and Essex were united
on 1t then the caucus might be looked to
to settle IT. but the fact is there is a
deal of opposition to 1t from those coun-
ties, and even If a caucus is called upon
it there Is likely to be war.
Some of the Senators believe that the
constitutional amendments are being held
hack for a purpose they cannot fathom.
oommittes. discussed, acted upon ana sent