The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-10-26
TO THE VOTERS OF THE
STATE OF NEW JERSEY.

An election will be held on Noyem-
Der for a Governor, a Legislature OF
the State that will electa United States
Senator and for eight members OF Con
gress to represent the people OF the
State in the House of Representatives
at Washington. The issues OF the
present campaign, therefore, are both
State and national, and the record OF
the Republican party for ability, hon
esty and high patriotism so commends
it to the favor of the people that 1t
appeals with entire confidence to the
voters of the State for their support.
The government of the State for the
past four wears has been so able, SO
honest, so free from public criticism,
so nearly what it should be, that it Is
difficult to realize that only four years
have passed SINCE the condition Of
things throughout the State was the
exact opposite of what it Is now.
When in 1895 the Republican party
asked the people of New Jersey to en-
trust it with the government OF the
State, it promised to uproot the abuses
that had been fastened upon the public
service, to cleanse the State Of certain
foul infamies, and to inaugurate re-
gime of decency and good government.
The people had faith in its profession,
and swept corrupt Democracy out OF
power. Today there is no cleaner nor
better governed State in the Union.
The situation that confronted the
Republicans of New Jersey i'll the fall
preceding the election of 1898 was
dark and discouraging The State
lay helpless in the grasp OF uncon-
scionable political despots.
The principal agencies upon which
those who masqueraded i'll the name
and dishonored the traditions OF the
Democratic party had relied to reduce
New Jersey to condition of seeming
ly hopeless political bondage, were
four III number.
FIRST AND OVERTOPPING ALL
OTHERS IN WICKEDNESS, WE'RE
iSTUPENDOUSA AND UNHEARD OF
FRAUDS UPON THE SUFFRAGE.
| 1t was proven in official Investigations
| that the registry list had been padded
| with hundreds of fictitious names,
| from barns, vacant lots and graveyards,
| that thousands of fraudulent ballots
| had been voted at n single election IN
| Hudson County, and that gangs of
| repeaters, native and imported, went
unchallenged from poll to poll. These
| frauds had been practised for years,
| not only in Hudson County, but III
most of the cities of the State.
SECOND, PROTECTION OF THE
RACETRACK GAMBLING DENS
AT GUTENBERG AND GLOU-
CESTER CITY, WHICH NATURAL
LY FURNISHED LARGE ANNUAL
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CAM
PAIGN FUND OF THE DEMO
CRATIC PARTY. The places of
legnlized gambling not only corrupted
the public morals, but poisoned the
very fountain head of the government
itself by their enormous contributions
| to the Democratic corruption fund.
| The widespread evil of the bribing OF
voters, that had become such II scandal
| in this State, drew its chief sustenance
from this foul source.
THIRD, BY TURNING OUR
STATE PENAL REFORMATORY,
EDUCATIONAL, CHARITABLE
AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS INTO
DEMOCRATIC PARTISAN MA
CHIMES.
Boards of direction and manage
| ment, composed of citizens eminent
| for their character and public virtue,
who had given faithful and Intelligent
service, were ruthlessly turned out and
Democratic politicians installed IN
their places The government of these
institutions was revolutionized.
The State prison, the State hospitals,
| the State Normal and Model Schools,
the Reform School, the Deaf Mute
School, and every non-partisan board
and commission in the State were thus
transformed into Democratic ma
chimes, introducing into our public af-
fairs spirit of malign and rayenous
| partisanship that debauched every
public institution and every branch of
the State Government.
FOURTH, BY A GERRYMANDER
OF THE LEGISLATIVE DIS
TRICTS, THE MOST GROTESQUE
LY OUTRAGEOUS EVER AT
| TEMPTED IN THIS COUNTRY.
lts character may be inferred from the
| boast openly made by it's trainers that
| it was designed to make forty-two
| Democratic districts out of the sixty.
| Nothing else was thought of in its
| construction but to secure partisan ad-
| vantage by the grossest unfairness
II we'll served it's purpose. In the As
sembly of 1892 the Democrats hat
forty-two members and the Republ
cans eighteen, although the Republi
cans polled 9S, 53i votes against ll3,
0Si polled by the Democrats, entitlins
the former to twenty eight members
and the latter to thirty.two, under NJ
equitable system of apportionment
Under this gerrymander it require,
1914 Republican votes to elect mem
Der, while it required only 2,692 vote
to elect n Democratic member.
In other words, each of the Repul
, lican members represented more tina
twice rs many voters as each Demt
cratic member, SO that one Republica
: ballot counted for less than half n
much as n Democratic ballot. Fort
fled by this contrivance the party fel
itself secure. Protected in control G
the State by the systematic stuiling o
ballot boxes, repeaters and paddle
registry lists, by huge corruptio
funds drawn from their racetrack con
federates, by an army of unscrupulou
retainers who had been billetod upo,
the State in every position of publ
emolument, and by gerrymande
that made n Democratic vote count fo
more than two Republican votes, it
leaders believed that nothing less thai
n political cataclysm could dislodg
their party from its intrenehed posi-
ton in this State. In this fancie,
security, they played the role that i
natural to Irresponsible power. Tn
revelations that were made by tn,
Voorhees, Investigating COMMITTEE,
filed the State with the doors of cor
rupt rule. IT WAS FOUND THAT
EVERY PURCHASE THAT WAS
MADE FOR THE STATE UNDET
THIS REGIME, EVERY PIECE OF
WORK THAT WAS DONE, EVERY
CONTRACT THAT WAS GIVEN
OUT, WAS SATURATED WITH
POPULATION AND JOBBERY.
But just when the Democratic part,
felt most secure, and its political con
troll of the State was seemingly douhl,
clinched, there was witnessed one o
the most majestic and remarkabl,
moral uprisings of the people ever seei
III this country. The waters of publ,
indignation that had been steadil,
but silently rising against these &C
Cumul latino iniuuitias finally. rnsa III