The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-19
It LOOKS NOW LIKE REED
Somerset Man Will Proba-
bly, Preside Over the
Senate.
EXPANSION IN NEW JERSEY
Various Schemes to CONSOLE
date Will Be Laid Before
the Coming Legislature.
especial to ..rhe jersey city News.nl

TRENTON, Dec. 10, l6JS.-lt Is generai-
" conceded that Senator Charles =
Reed, of Somerset county, will be the
president of the New Jersey Senate. III
the predictions of the wiseacres comes to
complete realization, Senator Reed will
have won a great victory.
It is only three years since Somset
county was honored with the presidency
of the Senate and in the matter of rota-
ton Somerset is not entitled to the presi-
dency for many years to come, but Sem
ator Reed has no deep concern for the
chronological order of vents. He jump
ed into the fight to yindicate himself and
the administration wing of the Somerset
Republicans. Senator Reed practically
leads a faction in Somerset county.
Chancery Clerk Thompson leads the
other wing, and it is a fight between the
two men for ting supremacy. Senator
Charles Reed is a s~on-in-law Of former
Congressman A1vah Clark and is ae-
credited with being a political pupil OF
his. Whether he is or is not the Sen-
ator has been a very aggressive young
politician.
He is called the Tall Sycamore Of
!, Somerset n is in this matter well nam-
ed, for he is the tallest politician in the
State. He is ambitious to go to Con-
gress and In consequence of this arnbi-
ton he is obliged to demonstrate his
political value and worth.
He showed his political sagacity in the
recent Guber1BatoriaI fight. He was fav-
orable TO Acting Governor Voorhees,. and
secured for him delegates to the State
! Convention and helped materially to run
up his plurality in the county.
Chancery Clerk Lewis A. Thompson has
always been accredited with being the
Republican leader of Somerset. He was
an enthusiastic Griggs mai and for help
ing him to get the nomination was made
the Clerk of Chancery. He served in the
Senate with Foster NJ. Voorhees,, but lat
sterly he was NOT enthusiastic for him
and led the opposition against him. SEN
ator Reed looked after the Voorhees,
fences and kept them in good repair.
Notwithstanding that Mr.. Thompson
was President of the Senate three years
ago, Somerset asks for the honor again.
Senator Reed is making the demand on
personal grounds. He wants the honor
more for Senate Reed than he does for
Somerset County A majority of the Sem
aters appreciate the position of<the Sena-
tor and are willing to give him a lift
to vindicate the Reed or the Voorhees,
end OF the Somerset County fight.
AS it stands now a majority of the Re-
publican Senators are willing to vote for
him. He does not have pledges enough
to guarantee his election, but it is gem
orally understood that he has votes
enough to elect him.
Senator Ketcharn, of Essex county, is
practically out of the fight. Chairman
Franklin Murphy, who stood sponsor for
Senate Ketcham's boom for the Senate's
presidency is not as enthusiastic now as
he was a few weeks ago.
Carl Lentz, the chairman of the Essex
County Committee, has on his own ac-
count made a canvass of the situation
and has advised Senate Ketcham to
get out of the fight. Senator Johnson,
of Bergen county, has a few Senators
who will vote for him unless he with
draws.
Senate Johnson is likely to withdraw
at any time, but only with the assurance
that he is to have the honor next year.
He is now entering on the first year of
his second term and he has two years to
wait for the honor, and the hold-over
Senators are willing that he shall be con-
sidered the candidate next year.
Congressman Pitney has entered on his
duties in the last session of the present
Congress. He has some business to com
plete for his district and he will then re-
sign as Congressman and come to Tren-
ton as State Senator.
Considerable interest is taken in the
coming to the Senate of Congressman Pit
ney. He is expected to become one OF
the leaders on the floor Of the Senate. He
is expected to take a lively interest in the
legislation of the next few years, because
he is a logical candidate for the nominal
tion for Governor three years hence.
He is very much in earnest about His
political ambitions and he accepted the
nomination for Senator with the under
standing hat he was to be considered the
logical candidate for Governor.
There has been many expressions of
disappointment because Morris county did
so poorly in the recent election. The coun-
ty narrowly escaped being lost to the RE-
publicans, while everybody expected that
with Pitney as the standard bearer that
IT would surely give 1,5Oo for the Rubii-
can candidates. Congressman Pitney has
the ability to become a State leader, but
many of his friends are afraid thu mis-
~ III oSidlS WILL nut JIG bciS-
fetal to his G-ubernatorial aspirations.
The Democratic members of the Senate
have decided to make Allan L. McDer-
mitt the leader of the Senate. The
minority Is to have a conference the first
week of January.
The Republican, House caucus over, and
the result Of the Senate caucus almost
entirely f-oreshadowed, the interest in the
preliminaries of the Legislative session
has been superseded by thought as to
what Is likely to engage the attention
Of the legislators when they get down to
business. OF course, the inauguration of
Governor-elect Voorhees, and the formal
choosing of ex-Cengressman John Kean
as the successor of United States Senator
James Smith will be the interesting fea-
lures of the first two or three weeks of
the session.
The greater city fad is likely to find
DEVELOPMENT in the Introduction Of bills
consolidating municipalities or annexing
suburban territory to now existing NUM-
cipalities. Asemb~man Benny, Of Hud-
son County has already prepared for sub
mission a redraft of his last years bill
providing for a commission to take the
preliminary steps toward merging all the
subdivisions Of Hudson County into a
Greater Jersey City. Then there is
another proposition to take the Hudson
E6afstty municipalities of East Newark.
BatfiSois and Kearny, just across the
Passaie froE4 Newark. and consolidate
proposition isklook upon as a f~orerunner