The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-10-02
REpuRL1cAN coNvRNr1oNs.

It
gatherings on Saturday.
y The Senatorial Convention
was held in Mount Holly. The eightet
9 Colby delegates put some ginger in tt
proceedings, and if they had not bee
present the meeting would have been vel
: tame. The chairman of the conventio
brought them to a sharp turn as soon !
disturbing tactics were resorted to.
] After the convention had been called
: order by Charles H. Folwell, DR.. l.
Leedom, of Bordentown, was nominate
r as the temporary chairman. He was e
D corted to the platform by Isaac E. Harris
on and DR.. Baird.
, Horace G.. Roberts, of Moorestown, an
Thomas Mooney, of Burlington. wei
J named as the secretaries.
Dinner tickets were distributed to th
chairman of each district as the roll wa
: called for credentials.
Chairman Leedom then announced tn
following committees:
CredentiaIs-John II. Hutchinson, Border
town; John K. Mallery, Burlington; Robel
Peacock, Florence.
Permanent Organization Joseph KaighI
Chester; Carlton Haines, Tabernacle; Spence
II. Powell Lumberton.
RuIes-Caleb S. Ridgway, Mansfield; DIR.
L. Sharp, Palmyra; William Ii. Reeves, Pen
Resolutions Howard G. Stoughten, River
ton; Warren c. Pine, Riverside; Samuel
Jones. Chester.
After a recess of ten minutes the com
mittee on credentials reported all tn
townships and districts represented excep
Willingboro. The temporary officers wer
made permanent and the rules that gov
erned the last convention were adopted
The roll of townships was then calle'
for nominations and there was no respons
until Chester was reached.
In placing the name of Samuel K. Rob
bins before the convention, Charles Leon
ard Moore, of Chester, said:
Mr.. Chairman and GsntEemen:-It is m,
privilege TO place in nomination the Hon
Samuel X. Robbins for state Senator OF Bur
lington county.
make This conven ton knows Mr.. Robbins
| 1t appreciates, it honors him, and what cal
say will add but little weight to the mere
mention of his name. To explain to you hi
merits-the merits of the best representative
the best Speaker of the House New Jersey
has had in decade. will be IKE telling YOU
shines in the daytime. Yet, because the thing
is customary, and because of our friend. the
enemy, must try to give you slight sketch
OF his character and achievements.
Edmund Burke, the English statesman
once said of himself that he had not beer
Graded and handled into legislator. Al
every stage on his journey through life he
had TO show his passports; at every crisis he
had to prove his right to serve the public
Something of the same kind may be said OF
Mr.. Robbins. No kindly corporation has
spread its shield of protection over him OF
smothered his pathway to success. What he
has done he has done unaided, save by the
people who have trusted him. w nat he mas
won he has won by his own hand ana brain.
tlcesh1p in the town meetings OF chester
township. The American town meeting has
been nurse of civic virtue, training school
Tor Statesmen. brought our political
leaders close to the people, fought them what
the people needed and lessoned them now TO
move among men. No one can nave nad a
larger discipline in this business than Mr..
Robbins. For nearly twenty years he acted
as moderator or chairman Of the Moorestown
meeting. The fruits of this training were
abundantly apparent in his last triumphant
year at Trenton.
M. Robbins went from this work and his
law practice straight to the Legislature. In
three terms he fought his way from an OBJ
scure membership to the Speaker OF the
House. and, finally, to the domination OF the
House. His legislative record is an open
book. You are all familiar with IL, ana are
as able as am to assess its value. Nevertne-
less, there are few items in the tale OF good
legislation which he assisted in or accom-
pl1shed to which l would call your attention.
Mr.. Robbins first term was devoted mainly
to committee business-wOrk better appre-
ciated by the House itself than by the pub
lie, and for which Mr.. Robbins gift of rising
generalization, peculiarly fitted him. He
could work and think and his fellow mem
bers soon found 1t out.
The most conspicuous event in the second
session was his opposition to the Morris canal
abandonment bill. This bill proposed the
abandonment of the canal and the sale of its
property. TWAS backed by the report of a
committee consisting of three able lawyers
each an Ex-Governor of the state. That,
islator. But Mr. Robbins, subjecting the bill
to his usual scrutiny, could find no clause in
It safeguarding the reversionary interests of
the state in property at Jersey City worth
millions OF dollars. He offered two amend
ments for this purpose and also question ed
the constitutiOnahty of the bill. His amend
ments were rejected by q close vote, but his
fight had reused the Senate and they refused
to pass the act. More than this the Legisla-
requested the Attorney General to employ
the best counsel and test the right of the
state In the Jersey City property. So much
good to the public was brought by Mr.. Rob
bins opposition-an opposition, be it remem-
bered, in the face of great corporate inter
ests. To Mr., Robbins 1T brought prominence.
and was probably the one great cause of his
selection as Speaker the succeeding year.
There are theorists in this state who tell you
that to oppose corporate interests is political
death. such did not seem to have been the
case this time.
In the past session Mr.. Robbins champion
ed the automobile law which curbed the right
of those dangerous engines to run wild on
the highways OF the state. And he gave his
influence to the trolley freight bill, which,
again In opposition to corporate interests,
brought promise of relief and opportunity
to the farmer.
bub Ln6re are TWO incidents OF MI. Robbins
late career which stand out prominently, re-
veal1ng as they do the nature of the man,
showing, as by glimpse of lightning. the
immovable and granite-based height of his
character. These incidents were not of Mr..
Robbins choosing. He did not plan them to
snow OF. They came upon him, as 1t were,
cally.
The first of these incidents was in connec-
ton with -, the Judges salary bill You re,
the salaries OF the Circuit Court Judges from
$500 to 5000 per year. Think OF the stua-
ton. Mr.. Robbins is dependent on his law
practice for the support of his family. The
Judges are gentlemen, of course. They can
recognize integrity in Others and allow for
differences of opinion. But they are only hui
man, and they have an immense power over
a lawyers fate. So at least thought the many
were afraid to antagonize the Judges and
| meekly consented to pass the bill, until Mr.
Robbins, leaving the chair, made forcible
speech and defeated the unnecessary and
wasteful measure.
The other affair was even more Important
In the matter of the Judges salary bill Mr.
| Robbins only r1sked a possible dfminution OF
income. In the matter of the bill for regu
| lat1ng the lobby, he risked unpopularity
not deserve to get any, but votes the life
blood of political career. The case was this
| There were rumors of bribery and corrup
\ ton floating about the House, rumors arising
| from the Morris canal bill of the preceding
year. A bill was introduced which practi
cally made the members five bonds for gooC
on themselves in order to keep the peace
Now, gentlemen, 1t is certain that your legis
lators are the men you elect to represent ant
lead you. You can hardly treat them like
pack of unruly school boys. You canno
shut them in an iron dungeon and feed then
through pipes, so as to keep all outside infiu
ences, even the ambient air, away from then
until they are done their legislating No
They have got to be men of the world. lik
the rest of us. And what man of honor /
there who would submit to the stigma whicl
this bill sought to fasten on him? Mr.. Rob
bins took the floor again, and in speech Q
into their manhood and killed the bill.
4 Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen: There ar
three qualities indispensable to great pull
lie man. Those qualities are intelligence
honesty and fearlessness. Without intelli
gence a man cannot know the right. With
out honesty he will not choose the right
Without fearlessness he will not stand up 70
the right. MIR. Robbins friends know that Il
the possession Of these qualities, he is tn
peer of any one. They believe that in the pc
culiar combination of these qualities. whic
: | go to make up an effective, fighting man
affairs, it will be hard to find his mate
among the public men of the state. Burlin.
ton county can be proud of him. Bur1ingto
county is proud of him. The lioness will d,
fend her cub. 1t needs no prophetic soul
. forecast the issues of this days work or tn
his party to victory in this county, and wi
give the state a splendid service in the futuI
as he has already done in the past.
The nomination of Mr.. Robbins WIS
;; seconded by many townships. Secretar
! Roberts arose and said that people frol
! Mount Laurel township had occasion I
go to Trenton more than once to see the
representative and they always found hi
Z on the side of the farmers.
When the township of North Hanov,
was reached there was another interruI
ton of the roll call by Isaac E. Harrison
] who said there were other virtues besid
intelligence, honesty and frankness i
dependence was characteristic feature
his candidate, and he placed in nominate
George Wildes, of North Hanover.
n One ballot was then taken, resulting
a II votes for Robbins and IS votes f