The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-15
ESSEX WANTS STILL MORE
Now Has a Candidate for
the Office Of House
Bill Clerk.
OTHERS ARE IN THE FIELD
Today's Caucus Will Try to
Settle the Matter Lively
Time Ahead.
OTHERS ARE IN THE FIELD
Especial to .arh. Jersey CITY News.,,1

lopecldi TO lnt Jersey llly News
TRENTON, Dec. Is, 1S93-Jnless all
signs fail the caucus of the Republican
members Of the next House Of Assembly
scheduled to be held at the State House
at Trenton today will be fairly harmonli-
Gus. With very few exceptions the mem
bers-elect appear to be content with the
tacit understanding that has been reach
ed, and the prospects are that there will
be but little to disturb the calm serenity
of the gathering.
Present indications are that even the
truculent Roger Franklin Murray, of
Union, will be prevailed upon to forego
his i1ltention of beating Acting Governor
! Watkins for the Speakership, and that
the man from Gloucester win be chosen
Speaker without anything more than
mild protest from the Onion County
statesman
To Assefnblyrnan Squire, of Union, VIII
probably fall the honor of serving as tenn
porary chairman of the caucus. Such at
least, is the belief of many of the mem
bers. who predict that the slick little
Union man will occupy the chair until the
choice of a leader shall have been accom-
plished. AS to the leadership of the ma
jority, that question is still somewhat en-
shrouded in doubt, but it would be some
what difficult today to find more than
few Of the members who do not believe
that Asserniblyman Wood Mckee, who has
been eoouetting- with the position from
the outset, will consent to serve.
There appears to be no particular rea-
son for doubling that the Essex plans
will be ratified and that the Essex men
who held office last session will be re-
turned. Thomas I'll. Jones, of Clinton
Township. will be returned as Clerk Of
the House. with Herbert H. Mats, OF
Newark. as his clerk John r. Flavell
secretary of the County Republican Com
nittee. will have another term as Ser
geant-at-Arrns, while the place held by
Theodore Gaddis last session will, IN AL
probability go to Elmer Freeland former
IN clerk of the First Criminal Court OF
this city Mr.. Freeland is the protege, IN
this instance Of Assemblyman Albert 4.
Guenther. AS Mr.. Guenther is the only
member of last years crop of Essex men
to be honored with reelection, there IS a
general disposition to treat him nicely, so
that there viii scarcely be any opposi-
ton to his candidate for the position Oh
First Assistant Engrossing Clerk.
A pretty little three-cornered fight m
which Essex is materially interested, viii
probably come to a finish at the caucus
today When the Essex Assemblymen-
elect met in conference several weeks ago
and determined to ask for the same offlees
which fell to the Essex share last year,
there was none to gainsay their claims
The members from the other counties
were perfectly willing that Essex should
have the same proportion Of plums as It
received last year, and all seemed IN
clined to go merry as a wedding bell
But it soon transpired that the Essex
people had been told that William Lappy,
the Bill Clerk of the last House, had re-
eeived a Federal appointment and that
he was serving as Assistant Postmaster
down in Burlington County That opened
up a prospect of adding another TO the
list of good things on the Essex iaIiy,
ana it SO happened that there was no
very great danger of the place going beg
ging for want of an applicant. The mem
bers recollected that during the recent
campaign George Powell, OF the Second
Ward. had rendered yeoman service TO
the Republican cause, service SO conspicu-
Gus that it was deemed fitting to give
him something in the way Of reward.
The supposed appointment of Mr.. lappy
to Federal place gave them a &, chahce zee
to fix things up for Mr.. PoWeil. and il9.i Ihey
sa,, deelonei. however that MIR Lappy
had not been appointed 10 lhe Asstststs.tlIl n
Pnsfmastershp and that he was stlll
very enphatically in the race his spon-
son James J. Hunt, of last years House,
Is NOW Postmaster at Nlneland, an1 y
IS stated that he had used every eiolt as.,t
to land Mr. Lappy as ms assistant, ptie
Then. the story goes, Mr.. Hunt start
ad IN to square his protege for Ihe place
as hill clerk Notice was promptly served
on Essex that Mr.. Lappy was eandilate
Iaration that Essex could nave al u nau
last year but not a bit more But me
Esssex men who backed Mr.. Powell dlu
NOT lose heart. They soon learned tfae
Mr. Lappy's temporary absence from tIle
race had complicated matters somewhat
Jesse S. Steelman, who takes Mr.. Hunt s
place as a member from Cumberland, had
on hearing OF Mr.. Iappy's supposed aI-
Monument as Assistant Postmaster, came
forward with candidate from the Port
Norris end of Cumberland county.
newspaper man, who was formerly
member Of the House.
Then the Essex candidate came INTO lne
fight again and it is stated, with pros
pecfs of the most roseate hue.
Powell is all right: a faithful worker,
and he should have JOB. SAID recqg-
was a candidate for the place last year
ana was beaten because one man who had
15rnmised him vote failed to keep his
word That didn't disturb Powell. how
ever When the next campaign opened ne
was Just as willing as ever to get IN ana
success Of his party. | am Informed that
George has almost enough votes to land
him now, and he certainly should sue
ceed.'