The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-15
E[tMEL
WARM POLITICS.
Exciting Contests in Almost
Every County Of the
State.
SENATOR REEDS AMBITION
Will Seek vindication For
His Five per cent Vote in
denomination.
Ispeeial to ..rhe Iersex civ News.nl

of United States Senator Sewell for a
vacation trip on the Continent will not
lave any depressing effect on politics.
for this is a year of local contests and
one that does not concern the Republic
can State leaders or the State Com
mittee, except in a personal way.
The political pot has begun to boil
here and there, and will continue to do
SO, even with the State leaders on a
vacation trip. The election this fall is
one of far-reaching interest, as it will
influence the election of a United States
Senator and the next Gubernatorial con-
test. 1t is really the turning point in
the history of the parties. The contests
are all local, but ave a wider State sig
nifcance than usual. 1t is a campaign
in which the State leaders cannot do
anything but give private advice to their
friends and leave the local leaders work
out their own salvation.
Every county in the State has nearly
all county officers to elect, particularly
Sheriff, which, as a rule, is the most
profitable office in the county, and for
which there is always a very warm
contest for the election. Some eoun-
ties are now in the throes of the pre-
liminary campaign. There are five to
fifteen men seeking the nomination LOT
Sheriff in every county. and this bounti-
sful crop of candidates will have the eff
feet of keeping politics interesting all
through harvest and cider making time.
Everything looks favorable for general
Republican success in all counties that
for the past few years in all counties that
for the past few years have maintained
a place in the Republican column. There
are some doubts about Salem and Mon
mouth, in which counties there are small
but persistent Democratic gains In Es-
sex County there is a general feeling OF
confidence that the county will go Re
publican. 1t is important for the Repup-
licans that it should, because a change OF
eleven Assembly votes might be en-
barrassing.
The Republicans will renominate
many of the present A~ssemblymen, their
records individually and collectively be-
ing sufficient ground to warrant their
return from a Republican point OF view.
The townships are nearly all Repup-
lican. and now thai Newark has gone
the same way and the Board OF PUBIC
works is controlled by them, the Repub-
licans think they will have easy SAILING
for several years to come. There is more
thar a grain of comfort in the thought
that Essex County is secure, for the
county has been a source of anxiety Tor
some years.
There is a report from Somerset county
that Senator Charles Reed will be a can
didate for a second term. 1t was under-
stood at the time that he was elected
the president of the Senate that ne
would make an effort to go to Congress,
and later his ambition was to be a wee
Chancellor. With the report comes the
announcement that he is anxious TO De
returned to the Senate to demonstrate MS
/. popularity in the face of the very strong
statements made by his constituents be-
cause he favored the 5 per cent. interest
bill.
Reed has many in his county that are
engaged in the money centres OIL new
York, who denounced him for that vote,
but Senator Reed stood by the farmers
as against his commuter constituents, be-
cause he hopes some day to be the Con-
gressional nominee and his is a distinc-
lively agricultural district. The renomi-
nation of senator Reed would mean an
interesting fight in Somerset county. II
it is a fact all the present Republican
Senator'S, with the exception OF Senator
Ketcham, of Essex, seek a denomination.
The Senator of Essex has had six years,
and tina is the limit in Essex. All the
Others have had but one term, or three
years.
On the authority of a prominent Demo-
crat who espoused the cause of the Chi
cago convention in the national campaign
the statement is made that New Jersey
Democrats stand ready to give support
to Colonel Bryan in the next national
campaign. He-states that the delegation
that goes to the next national convention
will be only those who were consistent
in the last campaign, and that a fight
will be made to keep all yellow men out
OF the convention.
He says the silver men will effect nc
compromise on national issues. They did
yield in the State campaign and they
mixed in the municipal campaign, but
that they will not do SO in Presidential
campaigns, and that they claim the pre-
rogative of representing the Democracy
of New Jersey in the convention. He fur
ther stated that the silver men control
the State Committee and a majority OF
the county committees, and that they
have practically the machinery which
will enable them to elect their kind OF
delegates.
In old Monmouth, where there are lu-
cratiye offices to be filled this fall, the
campaign will be one of the most exc.t-
ing ever seen in that county. The offices
at stake are the State Senatorship, thi
County Clerkship and the Shrievalty,
From a national standpoint, of course
the Senatorship is of the most import
ance. because the man who will be elect
ed will have a vote for a successor to
General Sewell in the United States Sen
ate. Each of the other offices is worth
thousands of dollars a year in fees.
Although Monmouth is naturally a
Democratic county. yet the Republicans
expect to capture at least two of the
offices. They are making preparations to
that effect at any rate. This would not
be a new feat for them at all, because
heretofore they made similar conquesIs-
During the last quarter of a century only
one or two Democratic Senators have rep
resented the county. Local dissensions al
WAYS interfered with Democratic success
and as a consequence Republican victor
les were comparatively easy. The hard
o FOOLISH PEOPLE