Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-04-19
A Shattered Machine.
fFronn the sunday can, NewarIx.

1ne legislature au1 0urneu early Etlslsay
morning and goes into history with our
ions and remarkable record. There were
II assembiymen OF Essex and nine or ten
Of Hudson, and one senator, Mr.. Colby,
who represented sentiment of the people,
which two-thirds Of the assembly and 20
out of 81 seniors no more comprehended at
the start than if they had been citizens OF
another state. The vast majority of these
controlling men were known as Republic
ans, although in fact they were nothing in
particular They represented no political
party's principles, but came from an organ-
ization which has controlled state and
county affairs for some years, for the bene-
fit Of certain cliques, and in subservience
to certain corporations Any partY's name
would have fitted them as well.
1t was recognized at the opening Of the
session that there was new and difficult
element to be commended with Although
the Democratic party had few members
in each house, they were negligible
quantity and, as matter of fact, haYe
simply aided the machine Republicans
throughout There were no more Demo-
Gratis than the majority Of the members
were Republicans. There was never a
more non-partisan body, in the literal po-
litical sense. 1t was straight fighting all
the while, between the men who were
chosen by themachine which in this state
has run our government these last ten
years, and a new element in politics, repre-
sentative of the people
During the unusually long session, the
minority in the house has mustered about
20 votes, on the average, and in the senate
about one. How happens it, then, that
the measures proposed by the small minor
ity in either house have been generally
successful? 1t is true many Of them have
been passed under the names of maj 5rity
leaders, and all Of them have been mangled
in details, yet the record shows that the
propositions submitted by Colby in the
senate and by the Essex men in the house,
have usually gone through both houses and
met executive approval. Attacked, snub-
bed, derided, scorned, hated, somehow the
reformers have won every time. Swearing
they would never consent, nor so much as
recognize the unpleasant critics Of their
methods, the majority has FASTENED to
enact any law which the minority seemed
to think desirable and popular. And al
ways with protestations that the minority
members really were wrong and should not
be given any credit by the public.
Ii has been remarkable spectacle from
she first and the very gods of politics must
laugh at it. Was there anything SO utterly
scorned, so completely cast out, as the in
surance investigation resolution Yet it is
adopted at the end, with no real change,
ezcept that the appointment Of the com
mittee is made from men whose personal
verdict will get scant respect. So it has
been with every other important measure.
The great scheme of putting the re-
formers in hole" by the local option bill,
merely developed into liquor bill in
which the majority disappeared into the
hole instead.
It has been all along suspected that this
great New Jersey Republican political ma
chine was shabby fraud. IL looked so
when the moderate efforts of few men in
Essex defeated the Essex end Of the ma
chine government, and a plain workingman
in Hudson downed the powerful gang
there. 1t has now been demonstrated
anew. There was no unusual brilliancy in
the sinsurgent' ranks at Trenton, but
there was such gross stupidity, such child
ish iealously, such blindness in the ma
chine ranks OF both house and senate that
the merest child could perceive the weak
ness of the gang which has so long con-
trolled the state and scared us all by its
seeming power.
The session Of the legislature demon
strates that it is easy to defeat the corpor
alton and political machine which ha
bossed affairs heretofore. At the next ses-
sion the gang will go down to Oblivion
without a mourner.