Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-11-20
HISTORY OF POLITICS
REPEATED IN 20 YEARS
Contest Which Now C0nfr0nts Sena-
tor Dryden Similar to That Of
Gov. Albeit in 1887.

TRENTON, Nov. 20:-ln the sit
uation that is likely to develop in
connection with the selection of a
United States senator to succeed John
F. Dryden, the candidate for re-
election, is being bitterly opposed by
members of his own party, there is
almost an exact counterpart in the
political annals of this state which
transpired in 1887 and was one of
the most picturesque and sensational
in all the history of New Jersey poll
tics.
Governor Abbott, who had long
been angling for the United States
senatorship and whose life ambition
Twas a seat under the gilded dome at
Washington seemed to be on the
point of coming to his own. There
was in his canvass for the senator
ship, however, this variance from
that of Mr.. Dryden. He had long
been an earnest worker for the popu-
| lar interests in assembly and in SEN
ate. He had just made his, wonder
full battle against the railroads and
overthrown the ''irrepealable con-
tract claims with which they had
, lodged the tax gatherers for thirty or
forty years. He had come to be
recognized as the great commoner of
New Jersey" and a popular senti-
ment that held him to have won the
lprize as the reward of substantial
ipublic services backed his candidacy.
After the election of the legisla-
ture that was presumably to name
| Albeit, there were protests in sever
al counties against the seating of the
members apparently elected, just as
there are now against the seating OF
| the Middlesex and Cape May republi-
cans. The house was democratic as
| it is now, and, as now, the senate re-
publican. Republican members from
Camden and Mercer were turned out
of the house and their seats given to
| the democratic nominees. And when
the legislature was ready to sit down
| to elect Mr.. Albeit to the senator
ship, the democrats had forty-one
and the republicans forty votes in
joint meeting.
But among the democratic forty
one were counted two labor men
from Passaic, who had been elected
on labor ticket with democratic in
dorsements. The presumption was
| that they would be part of the DEM
ocratic acucus and accept its candi-
date. But when Mr.. Albeit had been
named these two, to the surprise of
every one refused to abide its issue.
They were not strikers, either. They
held that their first allegiance was to
| the labor party that at the time was
coming into some prominence as a
political factor, just as the reform
republican element, led by Mr. Colby
1 tcx rna11U tbnnOht tb Qt
the row between the great party
gladiators might leave an opening
through which a distinctive labor
man might slip in and seize the prize
that every one had voted to Albeit.
When the republicans learned that
Carroll and Donohue, the two labor
| assemblymen, would not act with
the democrats, they assumed they
were out to be bought, but the offer
of fabulous sums did not tempt them
for second. To the end of the SEN
sational campaign they maintained
their attitude and their reputation
for integrity, and lived afterward on
the meagre wages their toll earned
for them from day to day. One may
see the parallel between the motives
and personnel of the boilers of these
uoyo, II IiCy arg " ue 50 CldSScu, ehu
the motives and character of the men
who now say they will not accept
Senator Dryden.
To what extent the remarkable
parallel between that contest and
this is to be followed out to the, end
depends upon the future. At that
time the attempt of the Albeit forces
to organize the house against the
combination between the republicans
and the "kickers" provoked riot
the like of which had never been seen
in the assembly chamber, nor has
ever been seen since. The Albeit
people had selected Hudspeth, of
Hudson, as the speaker of the house,
but the combine had arranged to put
Warren county herb doctor named
Baird in the chair. The two factions
came together with clash that was
heard all overthe country The pol
ice Of this city lfah to be called before
Baird was allowed 10 take his seat