Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1901-08-22

bers-at large are named the commit
tee elects new chairman, who serves
until after the succeeding Gubernato-
rial convention.
When the Committees are Active.
Except in Presidential and Guber-
material campaigns the State commit
tees are inactive. They have no
written constitutions nor set rules nor
regulations, but practices and prece-
dents have built up unwritten laws
that are usually observed. No provi-
sion is made, it is said, for the filling
of vacancies, but when vacancy was
created in the present Republican
State Committee by the death of Vice
President Hobart, Governor Voorhees,
assumed the prerogative of naming a
successor to the late Vice President.
Nobody knows from what source he
derived his authority, but the Cover
nor simply acted and none of the COM
mitteemen interposed formal objec-
tions.
In the case of the Democratic State
organization, that body was for years
composed of one member from each
Congressional district and five men,
bers at large. This form was con-
tinued by the Democrats after the
Republicans abandoned it, but the
better results obtained by the latter's
reorganized body were apparent, and
in 1896 the Democrats copying closely
after their rivals, reorganized their
State Committee so that it consisted
of one member from each county and
five members at large, who are elected
every three years. Edward F. @.
Young, of Jersey City, was elected
chairman of the reorganized body,
but when William J. Bryan was nomi-
mated for President and silver was
made the issue, Mr.. Young resigned.
Colonel E. L. Price was chosen to
fill the breach, and he conducted the
1896 campaign and served as chair
man until Elvin W. Crane was nomi-
mated for Governor in 1898, when
William B. Gourley, of Passaic
county, the present chairman, sue
ceeded him. New chairmen are to be
elected by both committees this year,
but swho they will be is still a matter
of conjecture.
Getting Down to Business.
When the State committee gets
down to business every third and
fourth years, headquarters are estab-
lished, and the State chairmen are
practically the commanders-in-c chief
of the party forces with the members
of the committee composing their
staffs and the various county chair
men acting as captains of the field.
Upon the latter devolve most of the
hard routine work, the State body
debating the general party policy and
otherwise exercising advisory func-
tions. The State committees provide
most of the prominent speakers for
the county organizations, and cause to
be prepared and sent to the county
committees desirable campaign litera..
ture. The very important task of col
lecting and distributing the potent
sinews of war also falls largely upon
the State body, the distribution as
rule being made by the chairman and
treasurer, with the sanction of an Ex-
ecutive Committee.
1t has always been the policy of the
State and county organizations to
work in harmony, but the former have
no powers to intrude in county affairs
contrary to the wishes of the local or
ganizations, and there have been in
stances recorded where county COM
mittees have declined aid from the
central body, and have conducted
their campaigns in their own way.
NITT HND