The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-18
ZHE
COUNTY BATTLES.
Republicans Seriously Divi-
ded Over the
Spells.
soMERsETs UNHAPPY STATE
Sharp Contest in Union
Threatens Trouble For
Senator Cross.
Ispecial q ..The Jersey city News


Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News."]
TRENTON, Sept. IS, 1Ss9.-The fall
campaign for tho nomination of candi-
dates in the various counties is now on
in dead earnest, and some lively contests
are being waged. One of the biggest
fights in the State will probably be thai
in Mercer county over the Republican
nomination for Sheriff. The primaries
will BIZ held this week. The contesting
candidates are Freeholder Charles Nc
Dermott, of Princeton. and Samuel Atch-
ley, of Ewing township. The nomination
is conceded to the country end Of the
county, but the fight W McDermotf
n Atchley will probably be settled py
the city Of Trenton, which will have two
thirds Of the delegates in the convention.
MdDermott and AfchIey have both been
conducting a vigorous campaign for
weeks, and the fight has reached that
point where a good deal of bitterness is
manifested. Atchley. who is a farmer,
claims that he should be nominated as
the country's representative on the county
ticket, in preference TO McDermott, who.
although a township man. is a contractor
and was born in Trenton.
The bigger leaders in the party, Ike
State Comptroller Hancock and County
Clerk Gumnere. are keeping their hands
off. Senator Hutchinson, who is himself
a township man, is, however. taking q
vigorous hand in the fight for Atchley.
Atehley people are claiming that they
will carry six of the eight townships, and
that this should settle the matter. The
McDermott followers are just as conf
dent that they will have a majority Of
the thirty-three delegates from the town
ships, and every township but the two in
which McDermott and Atchley live will
experience on Thursday the liveliest pri-
maries they have had in years.
In the city of Trenton there will be a
contest IN every ward. The county gov
is for McDermott, while the
~officehoIders in Trenton are divided be-
tween The two aspirants. The result .
hard to predict, because Of the expected
participation in the primaries of many
who ordinarily leave the making of NOM
nations to those who run the machine.
Neither McDermott nor Atchley would be
the first choice Of these, but they have
no third candidate to turn to and must
make a choice between the two Their
choice will be largely determined by their
feelings toward the party workers in The
different wards and townships who are
working for one or the other of the two
aspirants.
The feeling is so bitter in this Sheriff
fight that the Democrats have a good
chance of defeating whichever of the two
gets the Republican nomination.
While the Republicans are having such
a fierce contest over the Sheriff their
county convention. which met yesterday
to nominate a Surrogate, gave the nomi-
nation unanimously to John Wesley Cor
nell, who has already had the office for
fifteen years.
In Union county there is going on the
l~iveliest kind of contest over the Repub-
lican nominations for Sheriff and Surro-
gate, and out of this contest may grow
combinations calculated to defeat the re-
nomination of Senator Cross, although
the Senate has no direct opposition. As
semblyman Huston, of Elizabeth. and
Frank Coryell are aspirants for the nomi-
nation for Sheriff, and the contest for
County Clerk is between Assemblyman
George Squire of Elizabeth and William
Howard of Railway, the present incum-
benz, who seeks a second term. Each
is at present working independently
for himself, but 1t is expected that even
tuaIIy they will pair off with Coryell and
Squire working together against Huston
and Howard. Either combination may
need a few delegates to win out in the
convention, and these may be obtained by
a combination on the Senatorship. In
this way Senate Cross is not sure OF a
denomination, although. as already stat
ed, he has no direct opposition and is ac-
ceptable to all sides. The Senator is not
a politician, however, in a practical sense,
and the offices of County Clerk and 6her-
if are SO valuable tina the question as
to who should get the Senatorship nomi-
nation would probably not be allowed to
stand in the way of success of any of
those who are seeking these lucrative
places.
Another thing which might make 1T
uncertain as to the denomination of SEN
ator Cross is that he halls from Eliza
beth, which, although Democratic, has
nearly all of the important elective offices
of the county. There is, to begin with,
Governor Voorhees,, United States Sena-
tor Kean, Congressman Fowler, the Sur
rogate and Assistant Surrogate, the Pros
ecutor and the County Collector.
There are not wanting indications that
the Union county situation may develop
a contest, with Senator Kean and his
supporters on the one hand, favoring
Huston and Howard, and Governor Voor-
bees, Congressman Fowler, Mayor Ran
kin of Elizabeth and County Chairman
Codding supporting Squire and Coryell.
Up in Somerset county the prospect of
Senator Reed being accorded a renomina-
ton by the Republicans seems to be dis