The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-05-17
CDLBYITES ARE
AGGRESSIVE
g TF-vTs
Republicans Determined to
Reorganize to Offset the
March Of Reform
LEADERS BADLY SCARED
CHAIRMAN BRIGGS BUSY COL
LECTING DATA FROM OTHER
STATES - COLBY PLANS A
STATE CAMPAIGN.
Especial to 'Arhe Jersey City News

Especial to ''The Jersey City News'C
TRENTON. May II. 1906.-The ag-
gressiveness of the Colby reform move
ment has at last got the G. O. P. state
machine leaders scared, and State Treas
urer Frank 0. Briggs. chairman Of the
Republican state committee, has called
meeting of that body at the Trenton
house todayat II a. M, to get ready for
an active warfare.
There was considerable discussion
about the state house yesterday as to
the object of the meeting, and it was
stated that the committee had merely
been called together for the purpose of
adopting a constitution and bylaws. with
view of getting more active organi-
cation.
State Chairman Briggs, when asked
about the meeting, said the call had no
further significance than the carrying out
of the determination that was reached
by the Republican leaders some time ago
to make the state committee more ac-
tive and effective organization. This, he
said, accounted for the unusual proceed
ing of calling meeting of the committee
just before a campaign IN which neither
president nor governor was to be
elected.
Chairman Briggs has spent consider
able time gathering data with reference
to the workings of the political commit
tees of other states. and has learned that,
as a rule, they play very important
part in every campaign. have permanent
headquarters and issue reports of value
and interest to the members of the party.
The New Jersey state Republican
committee has heretofore confined its ac-
tivity to years when presidential or gu
bernatorial campaigns were to be fought,
and this is thef first time in a se-called
soff'' year that the body has been called
together this early in the year. 1t was
admitted yesterday that it was with the
idea of changing this that the meeting
had been called.
The regular Republican leaders
realize that much of the success Of the
Colby movement in Essex County last
year was due to the fact that the re-
form campaign was started early. and
was aggressively waged all Through the
summer.
With the United States senatorship at
stake this year, and iny order to get in
shape for a successful guberAaterial
campaign in 1907, the Colby leaders have
commenced active operations even earlier
this year. There are already at work
planning aggressive assaults upon every
county in the state. Several have ali
ready been invaded with success.
Judge Runyon, Of Plainfeld. has for~
saken the regular ranks for the Colby
party. and has been made the Colby
leader in Union county.
Glittering offers of fat offices from the
G. O. p. plum tree have failed to tempt
him to turn from his new love. General
E. Burd Grubb, of Edgewater Park. is
the latest prominent regular Republican
convert to the ranks of the reformers.
This has given the new movement very
decided impetus in Burlington coltnty.
Colby is now at work in Bergen coun-
| ty, and has plan mapped out to skir-
mish the entire state.
These are some of the things that have
| opened the cy@ Vi tie regular Republi-
can state leadsrss and osu.sd them sud
denly TO sit up and rake notice. 1t may
be taken for crested rhsrsfora that there
is really more in the meeting scheduled
for today rhan ssme Of the leaders have
been willing 10 adnsit.
/