The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-08-25
SMITH At WORK AGAIN
He is Credited With Seeking
Colonel Prices Over
throw in Essex.
Especial to 1.-THE Jersey city News.a1

| NEWARK, Aug. 25, 1900.-No nominees
for election officers have yet been forward
ed to the County Board of Elections by
Colonel Price, Chairman of the Demo-
cratic County Committee, and those most
interested are asking each other what
causes the delay. Various reasons are be-
ing advanced, but the real fact of the
| matter is said to be the discovery of an
| alleged plan to overthrow the present
/ powers that be- in the county organiza-
ton and to secure control of the party
machinery in Essex
/ As intimated by member of the county
committee who is in sympathy with the
movement, the plan is to turn down
IColonel Price as county chairman, and
| to elect as members next December as
many candidates as possible who are
friendly. disposed to former Senator
4 Smith, so that the latter may once more
control the county organization. That
Mr. Smith is a party to the deal is not
known definitely The former Senator de-
clares that he is out of active politics, but
the men who are already quietly working
for a coup, explain their attitude to in
/ innate friends by saying that the Sena-
| tor wants it,
/ Whether the former Senator has formal-
! ly given his sanction to the movement or
not the game is being played very quietly
| and those who claim to know say that
the question at issue is whether Mr.. Smith
or Mayor Seymour is to be the bigger
man in the Essex Democracy. There is
no doubt that Mr.. Seymour would not
spurn the Democratic Gubernatorial NOM
nation if it should be rendered to him
next year, and local Democrats say that
it is safe betting that the nomination
would not come to Newark's Mayor if it
depended upon Mr.. Smiths giving it to
him.
Two years ago, when Elvin w. Crane
was nominated for Governor by the Dem
! ocrats Mr. Smith WIS opposed to Sey-
mour's candidacy. Again last spring
! Smith fought Seymour at the primaries
when the Mayor was a candidate for re-
nomination On that occasion, as is well
known the Smith faction was signally
beaten. Practically the same men who
| opposed Seymour then are credited with
! being in the movement to capture control
of the County Committee and they lay
their defeat in the spring to unprepared-
ness, as the fight against the Executive
was started at the eleventh hour
| That they might not be caught mapping
| again those of the so-called Smith faction
who are in the County Committee have
made their first move in the fight by sug-
| gesting as prospective election officers the
names of men whom they can count upon
as being friendly in an emergency. It is
a noticeable fact that the wards where
the most changes were suggested are
those in which the committeeman are said
4
Somebody, however. 10 not to have his
| feelings Jared when Colonel Price sub
mits his list to the county board, for the
power to nominate rests solely with the
chairman, and the Colonel is too old
j political warrier to supply his enemies
with weapons
AS a matter of courtesy the chairman
! Of each County Committee asks members
| to submit names for election officers in
! their respective districts. Colonel Price
| did this. but there is nothing in the law
! which provides that the names so sub
| mitted must be forwarded to the county
| board as the regular nominee. If certain
| stories going the rouids are to be relied
| upon, the Democratic hartman will use a
blue pencil on the original ist with such
effect that the committeeman from sew
eral of the wards will hardly recognize
the appointees.
1t is generally believed that the appoint-
ment of the election officers will stir up
| feeling in various sections, but there are
comparatively few Democrats who believe
| that the party nominees would have much
show of victory in this county next fall,
in any event. The men credited with be-
| ing in the game to change existing condi-
| tions are not figuring upon the results
| next November. They look beyond that
| to the election of county committeeman in
| January and the selection of committee
i men in Essex promises to be a very I'M
portant factor in the events which will
lead to the Gubernatorial nomination next
year.
An indication of what might be ex-
| pected was. given at the meeting of the
\ County Committee held last Monday
night, when Charles N. Bell, of the First
| Ward, strenuously objected to the filing
| of a vacancy in the Tenth Wad by APP
pointment. He wanted an election or
| dered. though the committees bylaws
4 authorize appointments under such cir
| cumstanees. The man whom Bell OBJ
jected to was George LIE elise, who is
not of the so-called Smith faction.
The County Committee is composed of
fifty-six members of which thirty are
| from Newark. Under the rules of the or
ganization the terms of all but fifteen Of
| the entire number will expire next Janu-
ary, the holdovers being one man from
/ each ward in Newark. Representing the
wards in the order here given, they are
ICharles N. Bell, DIR. Emery A. Miller
Louis Lewis, Charles p. Gillen, Colonel e.
L.. Price, Thomas Boyle, Dr. William Di-
mond John Erb, James H. MeMahon,
George w. lie elise, Thomas j. Rowe,
Charles ]. Keller, Frank Feersch, Valen-
i tine c. Trabold and N. ]. Ward, Jr.
At least eight of the above fifteen could
/ be figured upon to be with the so-called
| Smith faction in case their help was need
| ed, and the leaders Of the movement un-
| der way are laying wires to secure enough
/ of the new members to control major
| ity of the whole committee next year.
In the event of success, Colonel Price
| would be relegated to the ranks. Whether
/ those on the outside have any prospec-
| tive successor to the Colonel in view is
! a, question, but one of their number has
already given it out that Redmond p
| Conlon would be the chairman of the
next County Committee.
/ 1t is understood that particular atten-