The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-04-13
STOKES's BOOM
1t Comes to Grief at the
Launching at Mill
vile.
SENATOR'S GREAT RECEPTION
All Cumberland Turns Out to
Honor Her Favorite
Son.
Especial to "The Jersey city News

Especial to ..The Jersey City News."l
MILLVILLE, April l3. 190l.-Years ago
they used to build ships in this quiet lit
| tie town and launch them on the Maurice
River, which creeps lazily by its sleepy
precincts. Last night they undertook 10
| build a Gubernatorial boom and launch it
upon the stormy seas of New Jersey poll
| tics, but somehow or other it stuck on the
ways and refused to take the water. The
boom Was properly christened Governor
| Stokes" in pink lemonade (for this is a
prohibition town and nothing stronger can
| be obtained except in speak easies, and
they amt supposed to figure in public,
! but Senator Stokes himself thrust a
wedge in the cradle and the boom stuck
hard and fast. You can say for me-
was the wedge the Senator used, that
] am not a candidate for Governor in any
sense of the word. l am for Franklin
Murphy for the Republican nomination.
for Governor. That is my sentiment. 1
said from the start that | was for Mr.
Murphy and 1 have yet to change my
mind
The collapsed boom took the shape of a
reception rendered to Senator Stokes on
his retirement from the State Senate. For
eleven years he has represented tn county
in the Assembly and Senate and when his
last term expired with The present session
nis constituents determined to show their
appreciation of his services to him in
substantial manner. This part of the
function" as one of the speakers call it
it. was success. Citizens came from all
sections of the county and the oldest in
n aop ota9. ,1r1,a l1af old
town was as lively as it was last evening.
They came from Bridgeton in five trolley
cars and brought band with them.
From yineland, Port Norris, Morris
town and the other boroughs of the
county they poured into town until there
was enough here to make Republican
majority. The affair was confined strict
ly to Cumberland county, and no one
from outside was invited except Governor
Voorhees,, who dazzled the inhabitants
with a brand new silk hat. The recep-
tion was held in A. C. T. u buildingt a
large brick structure, which does daily
as a theatre, library building and general
hall. Senator Stokes, Governor Voor-
hees, Assemblymen Steelman and Moore,
ex-Assemblyman Thomas Austin and ex-
Assemblyman Minch who is slated to
succeed Senator Stokes, stood before a
mantle in a prettily decorated room, with
bunting and plants, and shook hands with
the populace as they passed. Then the
people passed into another large room,
where they were served with all the
pink lemonade they could drink and
all the fancy cakes they could eat.
When justice mad been done to the pink
lemonade and cake, the assembled citizens
climbed flight of stairs into the theatre
of the building. Those who had enough
standing in the community to be classed
as prominent citizens were given seats
on the stage while those who had no sucn.
standing stood on the floor. The theatre,
which is comparatively a large one, was
crowded uncomfortably SO. James Mitchell
called the meeting to order and introduced
Judge James H. Nixon of the Circuit
Court, who presided. The judge spoke of
Senator Stokes's long and honorable
career in the House and Senate. The SEN
ator, he said, was only one step from the
Governorship. and the time would come
when he would take that step. That, he
declared was not only the feeling IN
Cumberland county, but in all parts of the
State as we'll "He is young yet,' con-
Iinued the judge, only forty years old,
and as we used to say in war times, he
is subject to draft When the people
call him he will have to respond
The chairman then introduced Alexan-
DER r. Fithian of Bridgeton, who greatly
marred the occasion by a bitter and un-
called for partisan speech. Fithian is one
of those narrew minded Republicans who
would rather heap coarse and vulgar
abuse upon everything Democratic than
eat, and he humored his inclination to
the utmost extent. In speaking of the
period in the early nineties when Mr..
Stokes entered upon his legislative career
he viliied the late Governor Leon Albeit
in manner which would have made John
w. Griggs blush. As he went on ranting
Senator Stokes twisted uneasily in his
chair, Governor Voorhees, hid his face with
his hand and the others on the stage
looked annoyed.
Fithian is a candidate for Mr.. Stokes's
Senatorial shoes, but the leading Repub-
licans here say that last nights per-
formance punctured big hole in his
boom.
County Judge Thomas w. Trenchard
predicted that Senator Stokes would still
have higher honors thrust upon him. and
Wheaton Barault of vineland said the
Senator had reached the position where
many man would sell his soul to
sit in his chair tonight" by his honesty,
industry and perseverance.
In calling upon the next speaker Louis
H. Miller, the chairman, said that he
was so popular that two towns claimed
him. Mr. Miller did not respond and
Judge Nixon dryly remarked ..The other
towns got him tonight"
John w. Newell Of Millville predicted
that the day was coming when 1--WE will
cease saying Senator Stokes and say
Governor Stokes
Howard L. Tyler Of Bridgeton was next
introduced. but before he could speak a
gentleman stepped forward and, handing
Senator Stokes large bunch of mag
nifcent pinks. said citizen of Cumber-
land had been raising that species of
pink for eleven years and had not found
a name for them yet He was going
to continue growing them without
name until he can call them the "Gov-
ernor Stokes Pink
In a well chosen speech Mr.. Tyler pre-
sented the Senator with a handsomely
engrossed testimonial, which read
''This representative assembly Of your
fellow citizens gathered here tonight from