New-York tribune., 1901-10-21
MURPHY DOESN'T DODGE
HE is WILLING TO MEET HIS DEMO
CRATIC OPPONENT ON THE STUMP.

| Another week OF campaigning in New-Jersey
| has emphatically than hitherto enforced
| attention to two facts one Of which is that
Franklin Murphy is frankly discussing the issues
| of the campaign, and that Mayor Seymour is
| lodging them the other fact is that the people
seemingly are as deeply interested in comparing
the records of the Democratic and Republican
parties as they are in the two candidates who
| are supposed to represent what their partisan
ship stands for The result Of these features or
| the campaign is up to this time entirely salts
factory to the Republicans and is likely to be-
| come more so it goes on. Mr.. Murphy repre-
sents the conditions which prevail. and Mayor
Seymour the theories which he fails satisfacto-
rily to explain. Indeed, he makes no attempt
TO explain His speeches-which he Is or
6ared II is said 70 limit to as few words as pos
sible-are confined to himself the friend OF
the laboring man. Inasmuch as Mr.. Seymour is
not apparently, well informed upon the LABOR
question his remarks invariably with unlimited
assurance point 10 himself as the one represent
tative of labor and as the single exponent OF Its
wants and needs. Discussion he avoids. IN
sinuation is his best card, and he plays IT, as ne
has always played it, with a bland smile ana
strong grip of the hand, which has not been
made horny of late years by contact with labor.
if it ever was. although the plain inference Is
that he and labor are inseparable.
AS an illustration of this position of the Demo
cratic candidate for Governor, the remarks OF
leader of his party. who shares the commence
of ex-United States Senator Smith as perhaps
no other man in Essex County shares II. VIII
suffice. Il am organization Democrat ne
said and have never been anything eise' OUT
when I review the conduct OF Mayor seymour
in office my gorge rises. He has been an IN
CRATE to his party and to the men VINO iiaue
him what he is politically. His egotism is ooth
offensive and insufferable. To read his speeches
or the sketch Of his life (Which. unfortunately
for the party. is being circulated as a campaign
documenD il would be possible to reach the
conclusion that Newark has a total population
of three people, and that he is the majority.
Since his election as Mayor of Newark he has
lived in a halo OF his own greatness. and yet,
beyond the prominence which the office has
given him, he has not one element Of greatness.
I expect to vote for him. but 1 say now that
unless We pound the organization Democrats
into voting for him they will not. a rule. do
So If Thomas NJ FerreN had been nominated.
Essex County would have returned majority
for the Democratic marty. and easily could
have beaten Franklin Murphy. By pushing
upon us Mayor Seymour we have been relieved
of the responsibility of the election. however It
may 60 for We warned the Democrats in other
parts of the State that he already suffi-
ciently offensive TO US, and that we did not be-
lieve that he. without the united help Of the
Democrats OF Essex County could be elected
Governor"
To the foregoing should be added the state
ment Of a Hudson County Democratic leader.
which was made few days ago: IF Mayor
Seymour continues his lodging tactics up to the
end Of the campaign fear for the result. He
forgets It would seem, that the people whom he
meets intelligent. and that he Is not the
whole Democratic party he assumes TO be-"
MR.. MURPHY DISCUSSES THE ISSUES.
On the other hand. Mr.. Murphy does discuss
the issues of the campaign. What he ~ to
say about labor which is almost Mr. Seymour's
only theme, he says with sincerity and with an
intelligence which shows his familiarity with the
subject. He has said that he would like TO meet
Mr.. Seymour in discussion OF the issues Of the
campaign. Both he and Mr.. Seymour have been
the employers OF labor for many years. To Mr.
Murphy has come voluntarily the testimonial
OF his employees that he is the kind and consider
ate friend Of labor, although he has never posed
the friend Of the laboring man." To Mr
Seymour has come the criticism that he lodges
the discussion Of this issue, and relies upon his
assurance to win him the votes of labor The
contrast between the two men in this important
relation to the campaign differs in no respect
from every other issue. Mr.. Murphy contents
himself with pointing to the record Of his party
Mr.. Seymour satisfies himself by blinking the
record Sf his party and pointing TO himself He
might judciously omit the record but he would
do even better. unless all the signs of political
campaigning are deceptive. to eliminate himself
To these conclusions the observations of the last
week Of travel through New-Jersey inevitably
point. and the frequently the comparison
of the candidates and the issues Is made the
more conclusVely they will point that way
AS TO the outlook, the Republicans ask for
nothing better than full vote. Overconfidence
is their one fear. The Republican county organi-
cations were never more harmonious never so
confident Of victory. At the State Republican
Committee are coming in daily the assurances
of enthusiasm. At the State Democratic Com
mittee the converse is true There is an air of
solemnity at the Democratic headquarters which
tells its own story. At points where the halls
have been too small to contain the Republicans
who desired to attend the meetings the Demo-
Gratis have found IT necessary to run special
trains to get the crowds together This was
notably the case at two Democratic strongholds
Pennington and Lambertville. where the Repub-
lcans greeted by larger audiences than
their members would warrant them in
expecting while the Democratic leaders were
put TO much expenditure of effort and time to
Republicans long experience has taught wisdom
from observation OF and contact with the peo-
pie the necessity OF unrelaxing work and well
directed effort appear to be necessary to the
achievement Of success.
One fact which will be encouraging to the Re
pubcans is the growing division Of opinion
among the Democrats of the ability of the chair
man of the State Democratic Committee to sue
cessfully conduct political campaign. This d.