The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-05
A POSTAL CARD CRUSADE.
COLBY VEN FLOOD OFFICEHOLD-
Frs BITH PROTESTS.
Don't Want Essex county P~IacehOIders
R~euOVed-The REV. Horace Porter
credited with tho Inv cnti0n Desk Of
Auditor t'Onkrrn Loaded with Mystery.

received his mai in his Office at the new
court house in Newark yesterday he gasped
in sstoniehment. Never before in his eN-
Derience Of ten years had there heen such a
food Of postal cards.
He picked ont one of them and read il.
II was a return card, and the message il
lore vas printed out in imitation of a type
writer. The language was clear enough,
hut still he couldn't quite understand its
meaning. Turning to Harry Heisel, his
deputy. the Auditor said, See if you can
make anything out of this'"
Together they carried the card to a win
dow overlooking Market street and he Id
it toward the sunlight. MIR. Conklin' 3
face wore a troubled look, but Heisel smiled
~ he read.
some nmstc of the Overbrook Asylum
sent that, - he said.
Maybe So remarked the Auditor, M
then they both laughed at what see med to
Them a practical Joke. This / 6 what they
mad read
As a citizen Of Essex county I protest
against tho discharge of any wsrdens,
'u~perintendents or ether officials or EN-
rioyees from any penal OF charitable in
~-t!tut!on 81 EsSex county unless he he
dishonest. incompetent or otherwise unfit"
The protest seemed absurd, as all of the
officials in the county, from the legal coun-
.el down 10 the s~crubwoman in the court
house. were appointed by the Board OF Free
holders. which for the last ten years had
heen Republican. But in the election Of
last month the Democrats made a gain
that gave them a majority OF one, the in
comm board comprising sixteen Demo-
Gratis and fifteen Republicans. Naturally
all the inclmbcnts in county Offices were
.lnnrNaI AA-fIn DaA,A,rrtt. ,a..,,,a haI
agreed upon a complete set of new
anpointees;
Mr.. Conblin tried hard to solve the puzzle.
In going over his mail again he found more
than -four hundred similar postal protests,
some 81 them signed with the name OF the
sender and others with assumed titles such
as are found in the correspondents column
Of a country weekly. Most of them were
Orange and several from frvington and
Newark. The Auditor scratched his head.
he new Democratic board expected to
convene for organization in "A few hours,
though he had heard Of IA plan by which
a deadlock might be effected so that the
Republican oficeholders could hold down
their Jobs for two years longer.
Richard Booth, the County Treasurer,
whose offices adjoin those Of Mr.. Conklin,
was called in for consultation He, too,
laughed, but while he looked over the stack
Of postal cards he found one from which
The other end had not been detached which
clearly solved the problem. Upon it was
printed the following announcement
A Public Outrage Threatened. 1t is pub
licly announced that the incoming BOARD OF
Freeholders Of Essex County, n. j., is about
70 organize its committees under party
dictation, req uiring the summary discharge
Of two hundred and forty county officials and
employees from the penitentiary, hospital
and other county institutions. There is no
charge Of ineflciency or dishonesty against
these public servants.
This policy is contrary to decency and right!
4 political leader involved in this undertaking,
when demonstrated with. met il W Nh profanity
and arrogance Characteristic Of the attitude
Of a recently deposed boss" If YOU will
Join a non-partisan protest against this de-
moraliZation Of our public institutions in
the interest of paying political debts. please
sign and mail al once the attached card.
The Freeholders organize Monday morning.
Act promptly.
8. L. MERsHoN, Republican.
THOMAS MORGAN, Republican.
q, John CAMPBELL, Democrat.
THOMAS TRAVIS. Ind, Cit. Party.
JOSEPH PERIAM, Prohibi ZIONIST.
M~oSIcLArr. M
The sisners were active Colbyites and
workers for the Independent Republican
ticker in last months election All are
residents of Montclair, Mr.: Morgan being
the pastor Of the Cedar Avenue Presby-
terrain Church and Mr.. Travis the pastor
Of Pilgrim Church. They had circulated
the cards among the ministers and In
dependents throughout the country, hoping
thereby 10 prevent the removal OF tried
and faithful appointees by the new Demo-
cratic board TO he replaced with Demo-
cratic party workers.
The postal card crusade is said to have
hepn suggestedby the Rev. Horace Porter,
pastor OF the Watching Avenue Church
IN Montclair. a strong Colby man. and
he real head Of the Independent move
lnent in MontclaiT. But for ell that he
voted the straight Republican tickeI last
month. as he was not familiar with the
pranks Of the new voting machines, and
when he tried 10 split his ticket he became
confused over the complicated buttons
and, rather than lose his vote. he pulled
the closing lever and voted for all the can
didates he had so earnestly opposed during
the campaign.
Being sent out broadcast, some OF the
postal messages fell upon stony ground.
-cripts added to the printed protest. Some
of them we're more ~forceful and expressive
than polite and read like this:
This is a baby cry from a whipped
party-(Signedl 4 Democrat
We voted for q change and want It:
The 2tO displaced men were as honest and
competent as the Lentz gang-A Lincoln
Republican.
baldwin. D. V. s.. s Court street, Newark
Turn the rascals out. The people want
a new deal and a square eal.'-Roosevelt
Republican"
"Hurrah for Jim Smith!-IrvingtOn.'
Don't die so hard. Get them all out.
-Nugentus."
TO hell witt reform. Fire the whole
huuch.- Bryanite."
One Of the cards bore the name Of Carl
Lentz, late chairman Of the Republican
county committee, and another that OF
James r.. Nugent. the Democratic boss OF
the county, but the signatures were not
genuine. Politicians OF both parties are
firmly convinced OF this.
Thus far no new appointments have beer
made. and every Republican ontceholdeI
who was trembling I'm his boots for the
past month is cheerfully holding down his
iob-for the present, but not as the result
Of the postal card crusade.
The new Board Of F~reeholders didn't
organize Last week the Republican Com
mon Council Of Newark redistrlcted the
wards of the city and created an additiona.
ward. Yesterday morning they appointed
Reuben Odell freebooter for the new Six
teenth ward. He got his credentials from
!. City Clerk Connolly Just in time TO go up q