The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-07-09
NO cAND1DArEs YET IN SIGHT.

The political situation in New Jer-
sey is novel and peculiar. This is the
year in which a new Governor must
be elected and the first half Of the
year has passed without developing
an active candidate in either party,
upon whom public opinion has crysta-
lized, says the Jersey City Journal
Ex-senator johnson of Bergen would
have been the Republican nominee by
common consent if his impaired health
had not forced him months ago to an
nounce that he could not make can
vass and for that reason would with
draw in order to relieve his friends
from promises and to leave the field
free for the nominee of his party.
Senator Johnson wanted to be Cover
nor and was an admitted candidate.
Since his withdrawal there have been
suggestions of local character for
favorite sons, but no one has taken
the field as candidate for the regu-
lar Republican nomination.
A condition similar, at least so far
as the absence of an active, aggres-
sive candidate is concerned, prevails
in the Democratic party. They have
had favorite son nominations in half
a dozen counties, but none of the al
legged candidates has undertaken any
thing like a canvass, much less an or
gained effort to secure the party
nomination.
| 1t will puzzle the most experienced
politician to recall time when such
a. condition prevailed in either party,
much less in both at the same time.
Sheriff Sommer has declared him
self candidate for his faction which
is party formed from the marginal
overlap of the two parties, but no one
believes that he expects to receive
the Republican nomination. first be-
cause he is not regular Republican,
but is part of a faction now and for
some time arrayed against the Repub-
licans, and second because as an ire
gular he could not expect the support
of the regulars. This reason should
and no doubt will prevent the State
convention from selecting him as the
party candidate. In fact, the faction
al contests iii Hudson and Essex pfac-
tically put them out of consideration
in the search for candidate.
The Democrats are in a similar sit
uation. The strongest candidate they
had was Senator Minturn, but the
party leaders were not satisfied with
him for the very reason that made
his candidacy strong with his party.
He having accepted an appointment
TO the Circuit Court is out of the run
ming. The next most popular man in
sight on that side is Senator Cornish,
of Warren, but he would not get the.
undivided support of the party leaders.
The animosity between the Hudson
and Essex leaders will prevent either
of these counties from securing the
party nomination, and no candidate
has secured Endorsement outside of
his own county.
In the meantime the primary cleo
tions to select delegates to the State
conventions which will place the can
didates in nomination will be held in
about two months and there has been
no attempt in any direction to secure
delegates. 1t certainly.is novel con-
dition.
There are plenty of men who would
make good Governors and not a few
who would make good candidates, not
always the same thing, but none
seems to have been moved to make an
effort in the open field.
Perhaps the warm weather and the
vacation season may be the cause of
the lack of interest and the return of
cool weather may make change, but
it would be better for all concerned if
there were active candidates seeking
the Gubernatorial position.