Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-10-24
Who is Murphyi
From the Jersey CITY News.l

From the Jersey City News.l
The unfortunate question which the Re
publican Literary Bureau sprung upon the
State last week-''Who is Seymour ?''-is
having no end Of a career as boomerang.
The answer, mayor of Newark, now
serving his third termp' is so complete and
overwhelming that it closes all discussion.
And when Old Echo begins to get in his
fine work, and the question comes back
from all quarters of the State-''Who is
Murphy ?"
Then the Republicans looks embarrassed.
Who is Murphy, anyway? What office
has he filled? What is the record of his
public services? What experience or train
ing has he to fit him for the Office of Gov
ernor? What guarantee does he offer the
people that he can perform the duties with
any advantage to the people?
There is no answer forthcoming to any of
these questions. The record affords none.
Mr.. Murphy is an unknown quantity. He
once held a small office in Newark. He
was an alderman of that city. The only
ripple that he has left upon the surface OF
her municipal history is the alleged brutal
remark that ga dollar day is good enough
pay for any man." He says he did not say
this Perhaps he did not. If he did not,
he served his term and went out of office
leaving no trace behind that he ever had
been in it.
But, Mr.. Murphy's admirers tell us he
has been chairman Of the Republican State
Committee for several years, and several
campaigns have been won under his gen
eralship. 1t will appear to the average
plain, honest man that there is considerable
confusion of ideas in this plea. The State
can hardly be asked to make Mr.. Murphy
Governor as a reward for services done the
Republican party. The mere suggestion is
in keeping with the usual Republican
assumption that the State government is a
party snap, but it is not often that this
theory is so naively revealed to wondering
voters.
1t may further be said that Republicans
themselves, behind the scenes, give very
small credit to Mr.. Murphy for the victories
over which he presided as fgure-head. It
is true that he was the nominal chairman Of
the committee in several campaigns; but
all who know the inside of things insist
that Edward C. Stokes, of Cumberland,
was the power behind the throne, that to
his shrewd leadership is due all the work
of coordination that was done in Republi-
can politics, while a host of smart and
INSCRIPTIONS leaders, such as John ].
Gardner, David Baird, Barker Gummere
and Carl Lentz rolled up big votes in theil
respective bailiwicks, irrespective of any.
thing that the State Committee did or did
| not do.
One thing, it is admitted Mr. Murphy
has always done. He has bled freely. But
this can hardly be called high claim TIC
election as Governor.
The Republican Literary Bureau some
what amusingly announces that Mayor
Seymour is a very poor speech maker.
Perhaps his oratory is weak; but if this is
to be bar to his election as Governor
where will Mr.. Murphy come in? There
will be no hope for him. Anyone who was
present at the convention which nominated
Il him lxYnxrc hour Y11rah ~ no 10
As one of Carl Lentz's disguised lieuten
ants expressed it, eff he was speakin' fol
steamboats, he wouldn't get a gang-plank. ,
His attempts to disclaim his carefully edited
acceptance of the cut-and-dried honol
bestowed upon him was failure to the
extent Of being painful. None recognized
this quicker than the Republican organs
which apologized for it next day by saying
that it was "a simple, unaffected, heart-to
heart talk with the boys" Phoebus, thinl
of the exquisite Franklin coming off hi
iceberg to have heart-to-heart talk will
anybody-above all, with the boys. 1t i
to laugh.
The managers Of the Murphy campaign
had better drop personal comparisons
They will not gain much by them. VIII.
not go back to first principles and wave th
bloody shirt? 1t is good old chestnut
and will do as well as anything to yawl
over when all the live issues are too hot t.
touch.