The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-08
WILSON'S SHARP MOVE.
He Beats the Machine in
the Eighth Ward by
a Clever Ruse.

Clever politics were played by Abraham
Wilson in the Eighth ward last night.
Wilson fought the machine He did not
hone to gain majority of the committee
men in the ward All he attempted was %
secure his own reelection to the County
Committee. He did it, but he may have
difficulty in securing his seat in the COM
mittee, as Edward Woolley has declared
that he was not legally elected ana tnat
his credentials will not be accepted. VIII
son declares that IL he was not legally
elected it was not his fault and that the
person responsible is John Bumsted, one
Of the Woolley gang. Wilson says that
in the event of the County Committee
throwing out his credentials he will have
Bumsted prosecuted for Illegally conduct
ing primary.
The game Wilson played was a shrewd
one He knew that he had no show OF
being elected in his own precinct, the
Third. which was merged into the joint
primary held at Weastelps milk depot on
Monticello avenue. 4 The Woolley faction
had SO arranged that primary that they
had an overwhelming majority. Up to
Yesterday it was not thought that Wilson
would put up any ticket at the joint
primary of the First, Second, Third and
Seventh precincts. AT the eleventh hour.
however. an ..anti-bossism'' ticket APP
peared. On it were the names of several
of the candidates of the regular ticket.
There were also the names Of number
of avowed Wilson men. 1t was a cleyerly
arranged ticket. Edward Schultz worked
with it among the voters and made a
great show. The ticket only secured 25
votes as against 1888 polled for the regular
ticket, but it served its purpose well.
The ticket was only ruse to divert at
tention from Wilson's real fight. 1t sue
ceeded.
AS soon as the anti -bossism ticket APP
peared in the field John Weastel and
ED" Woolley gathered their forces to-
gether and hustled around to get out
publican. Weastell got out his double
seated carriage and went to the further
most ends of the precincts in search of
voters who would swell the machine ma
jority. Shortly after eight o'clock pedes-
trians on Monticello avenue were amused
to see the smiling Johnny driving to-
wards the polling place seated on the
knees of two negroes, while two more
of the same race occupied the rear seat.
Harrison avenue was thoroughly can
vassed and all the other streets were
visited in turn. Every vote that could
possibly be secured was utilized to defeat
the anti ticket.
In the meantime little attention was be-
ing paid to the primary of the Fifth pre-
cinct that was being held in Arcanum
Hall. There Wilson had bobbed up as a
candidate, unexpectedly, as it was not
thought possible that a man could run
out of his own precinct Wilson had a
ticket on which he ran for the two year
term. while Frank Meyer was down for
the one year term. On the regular ticket
Frank Meyer ran for the two year term
and John Griffiths ran for the one year
term. Wilson saw to it that all his
friends were out to vote his ticket. John
Bumsted, the committeeman of that
precinct, whose duty it was to see that
| the primary was properly conducted, had
| not expected any opposition to the regu-
lar ticket which he was pledged to sup
| port, therefore when the primary opened
he took his place as clerk. James Skin
ner acted as judge and John We're as
When Bumsted discovered that Wilson
had worked a shrew game on him and
| was rapidly plling up votes against the
| regular ticket he felt that his place was
on the outside hustling for votes. He
| therefore asked Edward Vandersmlth to
serve as clerk in his place. Presently
| Skinner, another machine man, though'
| his services were needed to defeat Wilson
/ so he got William Darmer to take his
/ place as judge of the election. That made
4 almost a complete change of the election
1 board. Bumsted and Skinner did all
| they could to get votes for the regular
| ticket, but they had no carriage, and
! while Weasteli's ) carriage was being used
! to no advantage in the other precincts
| they had TO do all their work on foot
| They did not notify Woolley of what was
/ going on, probably not realizing how
| dangerous an antagonist they had ir
/ Wilson.
| When the votes were counted ii was
1 found that Wilson had AZ votes for the
1 two year term. while Meyer had bni
1 twenty for the two year term. Wilson
/ received six and Meyer forty votes FOL
| the one year term, while Grifiiths re-
4 cefHed an insignificant number Of votes
! for the one year term. Bumstead con-
/ tended that Wilson was not elected. as
1 Meyer had received sixty. votes in all,
| which WAS eighteen more than Wilson eTe-
/ ceiv@d Wilson cDnteuded that Meyer
| could not be credited with All the votes
1 for the term as some Of them were f91
1 q one year term, and others Were for a
4 two year term He confended thar he
| was elected 70 the one year term, but noi