The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1897-10-22
DEMOCRACY 5 BiJRIESOUE.
Morris Co. Democrats in a Row
Over the Chicago Platform.

Story of a Crazy Convention and Its Dis
orderly Order-George Pierson Renomi-
mated for Surrogate ana John Bergen
and John Scarborough Named for
neutrality-suspicious. of the Speeches
and the scrap over the Resolutions.
sOrder! Order! Order! Delegates
must be heard. | will appoint sergeants
at arms to clear the room. I insist that
delegates must be heard Thus sound
ed the cry of the Hon. Thos. J. O'Brien.
chairman of the Democratic County
Convention on Monday. Fifty-one dele
gates and as many more of the friends
and hackers of aspirant candidates for
county Office met and ''scraped' in
McAlpin Hall, incidently nominating
the full county ticket as follows: For
Surrogate, George Pierson of Dover over
James G. Porter of Boonton, on second
second ballot, 80 to %; for Assembly
men, John Bergen of Pequonnoc and
John Stansborough of Morristown on
first ballot, receiving respectively AZ and
and 35 votes over William Dee of Ches-
ter, who polled 26.
The meeting was called to order by
Oscar Lindsey of Passaic, chairman of
the last meeting, who named Charles B.
Gee of Madison as temporary chairman,
and after the appointment of committees,
the body adjourned for dinner at the
Mansion House on invitation of Surro-
gate George Pierson, made in his behalf
by his deputy Elmer King. Upon the
reassembling of the convention, Hon.
Thos. j. O'Brien was chosen as perlna-
nent chairman of the convention, and
accepted the honor Asa worried speech
of considerable length, admonishing, i'm
ploring the Democrats to get together
once more for service. "We stand
said he, sin peculiar position. The
Democratic party of the County of Nor
ris, for some reason or other has been
disorganized during the past three or
four years. The Democratic party has
been beaten in the County of Morris.
The Democratic party that bas carried
the county of Morris in years gone by is
the same party and the same voters that
exists in the County Of Morris to-day,
and say to you, that your action to-day
in this convention will be such a guaran-
tee to the people that they viii realize
that there is no longer any reason why
the Democratic party should be disorgan-
ized,' and so on the speech followed,
with words of plenty but scarcity of
points, much of the time being taken in
urging the delegates to support the nomi-
nees of the convention, whoever they
might be.
The report of the Committee on Reso-
lutions s-Elmer King, chai, man; w. L.
R. Lind and j. M. Porter-caused the
stir Of the day. There was of course the
usual condemnation of the policy of the
Republicans in the state, the stereotyped
phrases concerning "misrule," ''taxa-
ton, " etc., and the thread bare promises
of the Democracy for the future, but
strange no mention of Bryan's Chicago
platform. This discovery caused an
immediate howl, and Michael Riley of
Morristown moved to amend by adding
the words "Wereafirm our allegiance to
the national platform of our party"
There was another howl of mingled ap-
proval and dissent; and Elmer King was
called upon to explain for the committee.
He said no man was more in favor of the
national platform than he, but he could
not see the propriety of attempting di-
vision of a political party when the party
depended for success upon the voters of
the county. The Surrogate of Morris
county, he stated, had to do with the pro-
baton of wills and the settlement of es-
tates in Morris county, and added, "In
the name of heaven what has that got to
do with the national platform Mr..
Riley replied, declaring that the amend
ment should be passed out of respect to
the platform which every true Democrat
endorsed.
Chairman O'Brien then made another
little speech, endorsing the action of the
committee. He said that only last Sat
urday he had talked with Senator DAILY,
the probable candidate for Governor,
who said that resolution had been
passed by the State Democratic Commit
tee that no reference to silver or gold
should enter into local platforms Mr..
Riley interrupted here: "Was not that
advice given to the State Committee by
Allen McDermott. Jim Smith and Rich
ard V. Lindabury? And what did they
do for the Democratic party last fall ~
Cries of Help to beat it. Some one
said that there must be 'sNigger in the
woodpile" and the chairman said the
convention would proceed to find the
''nigger." The supporters of the amend
ment here cried for the question and it
looked as if the amendment would pre-
vail, but at this point some one moved to
refer the report back to the committee,
and the convention proceeded to elect
candidates with the result above given.
After the candidates were chosen, the
committee reported as before and the
convention voted down the national
platform amendment by 35 to IA votes,
and the report was adopted, the enthu-
siam of the "True Democrats" having
worn away with the completion of the
nominations.
The CHRONICLE is held back for "a
short time to-day on account of delay in
H. ..-l--