The Jersey City news., 1902-05-29
FOWL-ER'S HAND
Elizabeth's Congressman In
duced Republicans of the
Fourth to Make No
Nomination.
MIGHT HURT HIS OWN CANVASS
Dewitt G. Flanagan. the
Democratic Candidate,
Extremely Popular
in the District.
MIGHT HURT HIS OWN CANVASS
Especial to .The Jersey city News; p

at L
dernoon to fill the unexpired Congress
sional term of the late Joshua S. Salmon,
would be the choice of the party IN t1e
new Fifth district at the regular election
next fall, when it is probable that ne Wlil
have as an opponent Charles N FoWlef,
of Elizabeth. the present Representative
from the Eighth district.
The decision of the Republican congress
sional convention at Phillipsburg yester-
dav 10 make no nomination for the short
term gives Flanagan clear fed, and ne
will probably be elected at the speclai
election on June IL without opposition.
The action of the Republicans in leaV-
ing F1anagan's nomination for the snort
term uncontested waa brought ABOUT py
two or three different reasons ana m
ffuences. In the first place, there was a
disnclination on the part of the leaders
TO make a fight for an Office so ephemeral
as the succession will be, and an even
more potent reason was that IL was con-
sldered nnwise to prejudice the nomina-
fion in either of the three new congress
sional districts into which the OLD fourlh
is to be dismembered by nomination al
tbs time that could not logically be ratl-
fed at the fall convention.
Under the new Congressional distrtctlng
Hunterdon will be a part of the Fourth
district, with Mercer and Somerset; War
rem and Morris will be Joined with Union
in the Fifth district and Sussex VIII be
in the rainbow shaped territory that is TO
compose the sixth dlstrlet' Will rassoio
and Bergen.
The Congressman elected to fill Salmon $
unexpired term will take his seat in De-
cember and go out of Office next March,
unless reelected. As the regular Con-
gressional nominations will be made and
the elections held before the short term
member takes his seat failure to renom-
- = mi n
being elected before he actually became a
member of Congress These facts had
much to do with bringing about the fight
for the Democratic nomination, as well as
preventing the Phillipsburg delegates
from naming a nominee.
1t was said yesterday that Congress
man Fowler had something to do with
the action of the Phillips5urg convention.
The Elizabeth man expects to be renom-
mated from the new Fifth district this
fall. and incidentally is getting ready for
hard fight for er-election. 1t was his de-
sire that if a candidate was named for
the short term it should not be man
from Warren or Morris, whose domination
might give him a claim on the award OF
next falls convention, and, incidentally.
aid the Kean forces that are expected to
be arrayed against Fowler in the new dis
triet. The latter, it turned out, nad
enough influence in his prospective dis
trict to have his wishes regarded. and put
quietus on the aspirations of John l.
Blair Kelley, of Warren, who was said to
be willing to make another attempt TO
carry the old Fourth district, in which
he was defeated by Salmon in 1888 by
Little more than 1900 votes.
With Kelley out. the only man whose
name was brought before the convention
was former Judge H. Burdette Herr, the
present prosecutor of Hunterdon county.
r1&r- Gcs1-
ator George H. Large. of Hunterdon,
who had also been spoken of as a posi-
BILE candidate, and the Hunterdon dele
cation urged his nomination. About the
same opposition was made to Herr, how
eveg, as to Reiley, but by different in
terests.
The new Fourth will be an entirely new
district, made UP of parts of the Sec
ond Third and Fourth districts as they
now exist Mercer. as the Republican
strexghold of the district, will claim the
nomination, and Mercer leaders have al
ready slated Moses Taylor Pyne, the
Princeton millionaire, for the Office and
there was strong opposition to the propo-
sition to handicap Pynes chances by
giving a previous nomina ton to anybody
else in the territory that will compose
the district.
The nomination of Herr, it was urged,
would give him valid claim to a renom-
inatien in the new district in the fall that
could hardly be overlooked, and to press
Pyne'a nomination under such circum-
stances would force a confess al the out
set of the first campaign in the district
that could not but be inimieal to the well
fare of the party. Sussex and Morris
offered no candidates for the nomination
and after taking one adjournment 10
await the action of the Democratic con-
vention here the delegates decided, by q
H.
and allow the special election to so by de-
fault. In the meantime Herr had an
nounced to the convention that he would
decline the nomination If it was rendered
him. His decision, it is said, was due al
least in part to the influence of Large
who was opposed to the idea Of making
a nomination.
It was announced by somebody tiia,
Herr had been nominated by the Repub-
licans. and at this the Democrats re-
doubled their efforts and the candidate
and leaders set about at ence the Plan.
ming of a campaign for the nominee ir
which he was to visit every section ot
the district and shake hands with his
prospective farmer constituents In view
of the Republican failure to nominate
the campaign may be abandoned. al
though several of the leaders consider
it wise to stick to the programme not
withstanding as preliminary step to-
ward the real fight that Mr.. Flanagan il
to enter in the fall campaign.
Although well known in Morris, the
nominee is comparatively unknown else
where in the district, and as he Will hav.
to go through two campaigns before i1e
takes his seat at all. his political mentors
and managers are inclined to believe III
cannot be injured by overtraining.
Leaders and delegates from the countie.
were jubilant over the outcome of the
fight. The JOY Of the Morris and Warrer
men was especially great, and the nomine;
he'd Informal levees at all the hotels In
town in succession, at which delegates
and natives shook hands sand pledged him
their support.
A novice in active politics and candi-
date for the first time, Flanagan begar
his campaign like a veteran
Z don't think it's necessary for me te
make any speeches he said to a News
reporter. The only question is whether
( am the sort of man who can be relied
upon to uphold the standard Of Dernue.
racy and properly represent my constitu.
snts. I realize fully the responsibility oi
he Office. and If elected viii stand by the