The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-01-24
JOHN F..
DRYDEN
Chosen for United States
Senator on the Nine
teenth Ballot.
GRIGGS BADLY BEATEN
Paterson Man Never Gets
Above Sixteen Votes
in the Republican
Caucus.
STOKES'S GREAT STRENGTH
South Jersey Unites Upon
Him as the Favorite Son
of the Entire
Section.
CROSS CASTS TIE DECISIVE VOTE
Exciting Scenes While the Field
Was Sifted Down From Six
to Three Candidates.

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News.')
TRENTON. Jan. a, 1sO2-After the most
exciting contest within the memory Of
most men who now take an active part
in the political affairs of New Jersey, the
Republican caucus mere yesterday agreed
upon John F. Dryden of Newark to sue
ceed the late General William ]. SewelI
in the United States Senate. It required
nineteen ballots to bring about that result
ard then it was accomplished in highly
dramatic manner Up to the eighteenth
ballot the six candidates fairly held the
strength with which they started off. AT
times the vote fiuctuated slightly and
each candidates vote would increase or
diminish slightly, but never enough IL
affect the result seriously. The Griggs
and Dryden men stood firmly by their
men and the South Jerseymen withstood
all efforts to draw them from their idols.
Thus the matter stood up to the eigh-
teenth ballot. The seventeenth resulted:
Gilggs, IS; Dryden, "a; Stokes, II; Card
ner, 2; Baird, 8; Gummere, 2. Convinced
by this time that the only way in which
they could hope to accomplish anything
was in union the South Jerseymen went
into conference. After considerable dis
cdssion they agreed to act as a unit and
to vote for Stokes first. If he did not re-
veal the necessary strength then another
o.1e was to be taken up. This narrowed
tie contest down to the three leaders.
and the eighteenth ballot resulted in "A
each for Stokes and Dryden and Is for
Griggs. The next ballot brought 81 20
Dryeen, % to Stokes and to Griggs. Be
fore the result could be announced Sena-
tor Cross of Union arose and changed nis
vote from Griggs to Dryden, which gave
the Newark man the so votes necessary to-
Nuke him the candidate
The Senators and Assemblymen went
into a caucus in the Assembly Chamber
promptly at . o'clock, but it was much
later when they finally settled down to
work This was due to a motion to ad-
nit the newspaper men to the caucus.
It had many advocates and almost as
many opponents, but finally after much
discussion it was decided that the news
paper correspondents having desks on
the floor of the House and Senate should
be admitted to the gentlemen's gallery.
When this was announced to the throng
which surged around the doors there was
a mighty rush for the gallery and people
were surprised at the number of news
paper men which suddenly sprung up.
In both chambers Just twenty-eight cor
respondents have desks and about three
times that number managed to get into
the gallery. Prominent in this crowd
were some former members, several SEN
ate officers and several members of the
Democratic State Committee. The latter
was more than the Republicans could
stomach. and the caucus refused to go
into session until the strict letter of the
resolution was adhered to. The sergeant
alarms finally separated the tares from
the wheat and the excitement began.
Although all the candidates were placed
in the race with nominating speeches,
the oratory was away below par. Sena-
tor Lee of Atlantic, new man, started
off by nominating John J. Gardner who,
he declared, was the. man for. the eocca-
sioTls- He spoke of the 1onghaired states
mans thirty-five years record as SER
want of the people, and declared he would
make an ideal Senator.
Bergen had no candidate, and for
Burlington Mr.. Horner, the young leader,
seconded the nomination of Mr.. Gardner
He said his candidate came from what
Lincoln called "the common people," and
for thirty years he had been the Gibraltar
Of New Jersey Republicanism, whereat,
the Essex men. thinking he was trying
to steal some Of Mr. Dryden's thunder,
scowled fiercely
Speaker Bradley said nice things about
Davy Baird and seemed to think that his
chief recommendation for the office was
the fact that he was such superior
politician that General sewell frequently
took his advice ia matters political.
Whom Cumberland was called Senator