The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-08-03
ONE ON DECKER.
Sometime Leader of Anti
Ring Forces Promised
in Excise Board.
THEN THE JOB FELL THROUGH
The Bosses Have What They
Wanted and Little
George Is Out.

Out of the Eighth Ward comes good
story of the recent deal between the ma
chine and George w. Decker, the apostle
of anti-ringism. Decker and his forces
held the Eighth Ward in their hands as
far as power went and the machine was
in the dumps. Decker was led into the
camp of the bosses. given a place on the
Finance Committee of the County Com
mittee, and told what a fine fellow he
was. He was promised more, it develops,
in return for the power he controlled in
that ward.
The rank and file. were not on to the
curves of the bosses and when Decker
was told that he would be made a mem
ber of the Excise Board to be, his delight
knew no bounds. The board is dead. The
leaders at that time knew it would even
tually be killed That is why Decker was
promised place.
1t took Decker <about one day to con-
vince his followers how good the machine
was and how they misjudged it and its
intentions.
He wound up by declaring that the only
place for them was in line with the bosses.
Such was the confidence placed i'll Decker
that his cohorts broke their precious
necks falling into line. 1t was all over in
a few days. The bosses got Decker and
his crowd. Now the former anti-ring
men are worse off than before. Shorn of
power, in the hands of the bosses, they
are now so helpless that there is no kick
lfet
Decker may now see the matter in the
same light as we do" said an Eight.
wareer today. '.He has been sold so
H. a,~J
Our power is gone and we are almost
helpless 10 make fight against the ring.
Now we see why Decker was desirous OF
joining the new club and giving over his
control of the crowd. Well. he was nice
ly fooled and ne deserves all ne didn't ge1
for his miserable selling out of his friends
These people are all for themselves. There
is no thought of party ties. Each indiv-
i3ual wants all he can get regardless of
how il is gotten.
I'VE have small club here, what is
left of the Decker Association. Our num-
Der is about forty. These fellows refused
to join the machine club when Decker
went ever. We learned that Decker was
catering to the BOSSES 1t did not take
US long to see that they would gobble up
everything in sight and give nothing in
W llD ever DSlAeNCu ma
chine intended to split the patronage with
the Decker people or give anything else?
Decker was ropein easily. Does anyone
think for a minute that Decker would be
given a berth in the Excise Board if that
Board were held constitutional? Never.
That was a clever way of disposing of a
formidable opponent. Now we are wait
ing to see how long it will be before the
of lao are napnpd
''The club formed from the fellows who
refused to join the machine is called the
South Bergen Republican Club 1t is only
a spark but some day it may be a flame.
Then we may develop into strong oppon-
ents of the ring. Decker has lost his
standing with the people here. Few would
support him. He could not get in our
club if he wanted to- We have no use
for him.
1--WE have as president Abraham Will
son, who was president of the Deckers.
Wilson has never been at one of our
meetings since May He, too, is consid-
cred machine man and his finish will
be speedy one. The whole game was
one of individual gain. None of them got
anything in return for the trick played,
but they dare not howl at present. They
feel their position keenly."
When Decker went over with his forces
he took with him all the committeeman
and the Ward Association is in the hands
of the dictators. When Decker sees that
he has been chasing rainbows, there will
be the biggest sort of time in that ward.
It is a bitter pill for the anti-ring men
to swallow after working so hard and 80
long to gain control. In a few weeks
time every bit of power was turned over
to the enemy. There are sore men in
the Eighth. some who are living just to
square matters with those who turned
them down.