New-York tribune., 1906-12-19
LETHBRIDGE CHOSEN.
SPE4KERSHIP CAUCUS
Democratic Choice Not Considered
a Smith TicfOru.

IN a caucus following several conferences
which were marged by some lively powwoWing
she Democratic Assemhlymen-elect. in the Con-
,,,enfal Hotel in Broad street Newark yester-
sev afternoon selected Edgar f Lethbridge OF
orange for the Speakership in the next lower
house 10 replace Joseph H Firth. Of Warren
county the choice Of the first caucus held A
neck sgo in Trenton. Firth was discredited
ozinr 10 his experiences with the court OF his
home county. where he pleaded guilty to an
,rsictrnent charging him with maintaining a
sIsorderly house and paid fine Of $500
TIE result 81 the caucus. while considered a
,,rrorv for Essex County, was not looked upon
srosether as satisfactory TO the combination
~ ex-senator James Smith. jr-. Of Newark:
William r Gourley. chairman Of the Demo-
cratic State Committee. Of Paterson. and James
p Nugent. a state committeeman and Smiths
hight hand man, who used every available in
euenoe 10 defeat the aims Of Robert Davis the
leader ~ Hudson County's delegation As far
rs Davis and his Hudson men are concerned,
Iethhridge's selection was. Of course. a victory
over them. but they put up good fight for
Archibald Alexander. OF Hoboken
The vote was LethbridEe, 10, and Alexander.
z The Essex man received the solid support
~ his colleagues from his own county. the five
members from Passaic. including Assemblyman-
elect Pawelski. who was thought 10 have been
rred Up with the Davis combination, and the
members from Warren, Hunterdou and Sussex
counties. Alexander received the entire vote Of
his associates in Hudson and that Of Leth-
bridge, while he cast his own vote for his rival.
Firth was in many ways the centre of attrac-
tion. He made q statement the day before yes
terday denying that he had authorized Gourley
n say that ne would decline the Spea6ership
because If the criticism over his selection Firth
,lv- 1,1-E III
rner yesterday. and talked with almost every
one of them
Before the caucus he declined 10 make a state
rnent To only few of his friends lad he con-
h6ed that he would not bolt the caucus. When
the caucus opened there was pleasant surprise
stamped on all faces when Klenert read
letter from Firth. It was:
Inotioe by the newspapers which have reached
ne that some of my colleagues are much con-
Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly. The
cause given for this is that five years ago I
was charged with q technical violation of the
law. in the county in which live the fact is
measured at its true value but fear that be-
yon5 our borders il is wholly misunderstood.
have been again and again since that time
honored by the votes of my fellow citizens and
the last election attained the unusual dis
tinction of being elected Mayor Of Phillipsburg
and 81 the same time a member OF the As
seUhly- I think this shows cOnClusively the
esteem in which held at home among my
friends and neigh bors.
I recognize. however, that many worthy peo-
pie UhO do not know me personally may
through the comment OF the public press re-
teive false notion of my character, and as
desire nothing so much as the success of the
Democratic party. I quite willing 10 relieve
NY associates from further consideration of my
name as Speaker. I therefore instruct YOU 10
csl a. once another caucus to take such action
this subject my colleagues in their good
judgment may desire. I take this action solely
that all misunderstanding may be removed,
and chiefly 10 aid in the promotion Of harmony
among Us all. 10 the end that we NAV have a
session Of legislation fruitful of good TO the
people and that the pledges we have made in
our respective county platforms may be IN
Cues-I0raDlv redeemed.