The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1904-12-13
Stokes WON'T
CUT PATRONAGE
Rumor That the New Gov
ernor Intended Pruning
the Plum Tree IN
founded.
ASSEMBLY PLACES
No Likelihood Of Their Being
Curtailed at Today's Cau-
Gus Open Deer Sea-
ASSEMBLY PLACES
Special to the Jersey city News.'')


being written these days about the Won
derful things the new Governor is going
to do to curtail the patronage Of the Leg
islature, the manipulation of which in re-
cent years, it is declared. has come dam
gerously near to being a political scandal.
1t has even been said that the poor at
tendance upon the weekly conference of
the lawmakers at the State house on
Tuesday last was submission on the
part of the plaeeseekers to the wish of
the Goyernor-elect that the number Of
legislative offices be. cut down in the next
session.
This caused one Of the old followers of
political events in this State who is some
times Thought to be of a somewhat pes
simistic turn of mind. to unburden him
self on the subject in this wise:-
This twaddle about cutting down the
list af rewards for the boys who did the
good work in the last campaign which
made the Republican plurality so over
whelming makes me smile. Why, almost
every Governor Of the last decade has
expressed such wish before the session
began, and some of them had even gone
so far as to commit themselves in writ
ing on the subject, and then when the
lawmakers got together in caucus and
began to consider the claims of the faith
full who did the work which placed their
party so firmly in power they have quiet
II gone aIfeafan filed as many efiices
as ever the Democrats did in the palmiest
days of their regime. besides adding
few for good measure.
And it has always been found that
the recipients of his patronage have never
experienced any considerable amount
of difficulty in drawing their salaries
even if, like Solomon's lilies of the field,
they toiled not, neither did they spin.
The leaders simply know that they can
not afford to turn down the workers at
the polls, who, according to their views
of political ethics, are entitled to place,
however small, at the public crib, and so,
while the newspaper correspondents are
making copy in an. unusually dull sea-
son they are going right ahead making
out the states and apportioning the places
in the manner which will do the most
good | shouldn't be surprised if all this
talk Of what Governor-elect Stokes will
do to enforce strict compliance with
the act of 1895, which limits the number
of Legislative employees, was started
without the knowledge of that gentle
man. for no one knows better than he
does that the Governor is powerless to
control the Senators and Assemblymen in
this respect. The most that he can do
is to advise that the law be observed and
then if it is not done he can veto the in
cidental bill passed at the close of the
session for the pay of the boys. But
what good would that do. The same
vote which passed the bill can pass it
again over the veto, and the members are
going to stand by the boys who stand by
them at the polls, every time. You wait
until the caucus is over tomorrow and
then see how much Difference is paid to
the Governors wishes on this subject
The caucus of the Republican Assem-
blymen began in the State house today at
noon. Previous to that time, 1890 A.
NJ, the Essex delegation had a confer
ence over the share of the patronage
which that country will ask for. The
outcome was not livulged up to writing
Word comes from AIay's Landing that
old deer hunters Of Atlantic County seem
to favor bill making an open season Of
ten days for killing in the State. Since
the bill making it unlawful to kill deer in
New Jersey was passed by the Legisla
ture several years ago they have multi
piled surprisingly, and il has been COM
mon thing to see them in many sections
of Atlantic County. where d few years