The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-02-07

VOORHEES, TROUBLES.
Many Difficulties Stand in.
the Way of His Nomina-
ton for Governor.
TO CENsURE SENATOR SMITH
Lively Time Expected In the
Ssnate-Hudson Gounty's
Prosecutor.
lrtFH EF4Lf H@ HE
Especial to ..The Jersey city News."l


nor Voorhees,, who is a hard worker, IS
fast becoming familiarized with the du-
ties of his new office. He finds more 10
do than he had expected, but still he is
not disappointed because he would rather
be kept busy thar sit around and do moth
ing. During his career in the Senate he
was always up to his eyes in business, he
did a vast amount of committee work
and while acting as the leader of his
party on the floor he directed the course
of legislation with marked industry. One
used to wonder sometimes how he stood
the mental and physical strain with
which he was burdened. During his brief
term as Governor he expects to follow IN
the same line of activity. He says he is
anxious to become conversant with the
manner in which the various State insti-
tutions and boards are managed and with
that object in view he will visit them as
frequently as possible
II a conscientious performance of duty
and the exhibition of a desire to transact
all business thoroughly would serve as a
recommendation for a long term as Gov
ernor, then surely Mr.. Voorhees, would
have a strong claim on the suffrages OF
his fellow citizens. But there are other
things besides industry and faithfulness
to duty which enter into the consideration
Of politicians when they are fixing up a
slate for the -Gubernatoriai nomination.
In that respect the Acting Governor may
not prove a favorite. He would like to
succeed himself in his present position,
and while his numerous friends wish him
success, still they ann deny that there
are rocks and shoals ahead of him which
it will be difficult to surnount. With such
active candidates for the Gubernatorial
nomination as Congressman Pitney,~
Judge Fort, Franklin Murphy and Con-
gresham Gardner IN the Republican side,
there is q strong presumption that politi-
cal expediency and not a well demon
strated qualification for office will decide
the contest. No man knows the situation
better than Mr.. Voorhees, does himself,
and if he is not chosen as his own success
.sor in the Executive Department he will
not be so badly disappointed after all.
The labor element of the State has
always proved itself a potent factor in
State campaigns. If everything goes well
with its interests the party in power is
likely to receive is support. Wage work
ers are sentitive in man ways They
may not be as powerful now as an or
ganization as they were several years
ago when they rallied to the support of
Governor Albeit, but still they possess
an Influence which can make itself felt
in close campaigns. 1t is noticed that
Congressman Gardner is satering to this
element by his Introduction of a bill for
an eight-hour law in Congress. Governor
Voorhees, has now under consideration
fha onnainfpna ont of a 1bief of tha Stat a
Labor Bureau, six assistant factory in
spectors and five members of the State
Board of Arbitration. He will find it
difficult to please the various labor or
CARNATIONS in the selections which he
will make He has a long list of candi-
dates from which to choose, but it is
doubtful if many of them are closely
identified with labor interests. The pres
ent chief of the bureau, Mr.. Simmerman,
was a wage worker when he was APP
pointed its secretary. 1t is natural to
expect, then, than his successor must
also be a -wage-worker or a man closely
identified with that class. And with ref
erence to the other offices to be filled the
conditions are the same.
Now should the Acting Governor give
satisfaction to the labor assemblies in the
appointments which he will make it will
be a feather in his cap which may go a
long ways toward making him a popular
candidate before the Gubernatorial con-
vention of his party next September. He
says himself that he is determined to fill
those labor positions with men who are
well qualified for the duties involved. AT
the outset he is somewhat handicapped
by a failure of the labor organizations
to agree on a man for the office occupied
by Mr.. Simmerman. Several names AVE
been presented to him and should he Sc
lect one in preference to another then
there would be a lot of fault finding and
criticism, which would spread all over
the State, much to his discontinue. The
Governor has intimated that in filling
that office he will probably go outside the
list of candidates for it, which already
has received publicity. 1t is far easier to
fill a vancancy on the judicial bench or in
the Office of Prosecutor of the Pleas than
it is an office in which organized labor is
interested. For vacancies of the former
character there are not clearly so many
candidates as there are for those. for
offices which concern wage workers. In
other words, it is easier to make a new
Judge than it is to name a Chief of the
Labor Bureau.
1t may be seen then, that the legacy
left by Governor Griggs to his successor
in office is sone which is surrounded by nu-
merous entanglenents. The Acting Gov
ernor, indeed, has a hard nut to crack
and the way in which he does it may
either make or unmake his political aspir-
atoms.
Some politicians believe that the Gov
ernor will appoint Colonel Benjamin A.
Lee of the Third Regiment, National
Guard, as successor to Mr.. Simmerman
as HE of the Labor Bureau. That be-
lief is founded upon the influence of Re-
publican l~ealers, which, it is stated. favors
him. ColonelLee has been a member of
the State Militia since 1866, when he en-
listed as a private. He worked his way
up until he became the commanding Off
GER of the regiment. The principal reason
urged for his appointment is that he is a
true blu Republican in needy circum-
stances. He is a townsman of the Acting
Governor. The other candidates men,
toned are Senator Hoffman, former SEN
ator Nichols, former Assemblyman Bull
lock and William S. Sharp.
There+may be a furry caused when the
Legislature meets tonight because of a
we'll founded report that a resolution con-
Iemning Senator Smith for his vote ON the
111 oo-of,+;or xrs11 ha offaro5 II, tho