The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-06-04
FOR UNITY.
Democratic Convention
Bringing the Party
Together.
VICTORY IS IN SIGHT
Robert Davis, Of hudson, Gen
orally Accepted as the
State Leader.
VICTORY Is IN SIGHT
Tspecial to "rbe Jersey city News."l


cratic State Convention in this city last
Thursday, despite some little turbulency,
gave many indications of healthier con-
dition of the party than has existed for
some time. While there was consider
able disorder in the convention at one
juncture of the proceedings, it was
equally noticeable that all the noise was
produced by a handful of men, as com
pared with the whole number in the con-
vention The Burlington county delegates
and a few more from Camden were in
sistent that the delegates to Kansas City
should be instructed to vote for the nomi-
nation of William j. Bryan as the Demo-
cratic standard-bearer for President, and
nothing else would suit them, and they
sought to accomplish with noise what
they lacked the votes to bring about.
They, however, made up such a small
portion of the whole number of delegates
present that, despite all the disorder in
| the convention produced by them, they
need hardly be taken into account in con-
sidering how far the convention repre-
sented a reunited and revivified party.
The convention itself was one of much
enthusiasm, and, barring the few ire
pressibles just mentioned, was kept well
III uduQ Dy lHOeG WHO were luG
spirits. Chief among those was Robert
Davis, the little Hudson county leader
who has created such a wonderfully CO.
| hesive organization in his own county.
Davis has a regard for detail which is
SO essential to successful party organiza-
tion, and a little incident happened in
| the convention which gave proof of
| Davis possessing one of those charac-
| teristics which has made General Sewell
| so potent in the Republican party. That
! characteristic consists of always living up
| to promises made, no matter what may
| come. At dinner in Plainfield some
months ago when Mr.. Bryan was present
as the guest of Farmer Orator James q.
| MARITIME a promise was made by Assem-
| byman Benny that HudSons support in
| the State Convention would be given to-
ward making Mr.. MARITIME a delegate-at-
| large to the Kansas City convention. That
promise was kept, although on the morn
! ing of the convention Mr.. Davis was
threatened with his own defeat If he
would not join with Essex in sending
Colonel Michael T. Barrett as one of the
| four delegates-at-large. It is probable
| that Davis would personally. have pre-
| ferred to support Barrett, and 1t is un-
questionably true that in the Hudson
delegation the feeling was friendly to the
young ex-senator from Essex, but a
| promise had been made, and that sattled
| it. Every vote in the Hudson delegation
| was cast for MARITIME and against Barrett.
| Had that vote been reversed MARITIME
would have been beaten over a hundred.
A proof of the harmony that exists in
| the Hudson organization was shown when
not a single delegate from that county
protested against the entire vote of the
county being given to MARITIME and against
Barrett. Leader Davis had said it should
be done, and everybody acquiesced.
The leading spirits of the convention be-
sides Mr.. Davis were Congressman Daily,
State Chairman Gourley, ex-senator Ed
wards of Hudson; Senator Cornish Sena-
tor Brown and ex-senator Hinchliffe and
Colonel Price, of Essex, and ex-Assem-
blyman Murphy, the chairman of the Hud-
son delegation. The most effective man III
the convention next to Davis was Con-
gresham Daily, whose adroit speech in
support of the platform presented by the
majority of the Committee on Resolutions
no doubt had much to do in keeping the
opposition down to such small proper
tions.
The platform itself was carefully pre-
pared document and was the work princi-
pally of Congressman Daily and ex-Sena-
tor Edwards. The platform was designed
to unite the Democracy of New Jersey. 1t
ignored the Chicago platform, but pledged
the party to support the platform that
should be adopted at Kansas City 1t de-
clared for bimetallism, but was silent as
to any particular ratio of gold and silver.
1t did not instruct the delegates. but it
said a lot of nice things about Mr.. Bryan
On the questions of trusts and imperial
ism it took a most decided stand in oppo-
stfon to both, and Chairman Zulich in his
speech put forward anti-imperialism, as
the issue of the hour. All this was ac-
cepable to the entire convention except to
the few radicals from Burlington and
Camden, whom Congressman DAILY, in a
clever way, referred to as men without
reason.
That the platform will be acceptable to
a great proportion of the gold men of the
State is generally believed, and it was
with view to accomplishing this end
that it was drawn as it was.
The victory of the conservative branch
of the party in the convention of last
Thursday, will have the effect of bringing
about hasty reorganization of the Jersey
Democracy.
The conservative Democrats, by a large
majority, controlled the convention. The
Trusty Democrats, as the radical silver
ties called themselves, we're confined to a
half dozen small counties that had no nu-
merical influence in the convention.
There were not $50 delegates in the con-
vention who believe that Bryan can be
elected, and by many of them it was OPEN
ly declared that the Democrats expect no
victory this year, either in the State or
the nation.
The belief prevails among them, how
ever, that they can win in the Guberna-
torial campaign next year. Therefore, the
money and energy is to be saved for the
better chances of a State campaign.
The coming leader of the Democratic
forces will be Robert Davis, of Hudson.
Under his leadership, his county remain
ed strongly Democratic, when every place
Democratic was lost to the party. Thurs
days convention was under his general
ship He has his candidate in the person
of e. F. G. Young. Essex Democrats