The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-18
Chancery Clerk Vivian N.
Lewis Picked Out as
Second Choice by Leaders.
WORRY OVER PLATFORM
Fort Will Not Stand for Tinker
ing With Excise Legisla-
tieD.-RepubIican Leaders
Confer Over the
Situation.

On the eve of the Republican State
convention, which win be held in the
Taylor Opera House In Trenton to-
morrow, the indications are that Su-
preme Court Justice ]. Franklin Fort.
of East Orange. will capture the ma
jority of votes in the Essex delega-
ton and will receive a majority of
the votes in the convention after the
favorite sons of various counties are
disposed of.
1t Is understood that the New Idea
men, If 1t is seen that their candidate,
Sheriff Frank H. Sommer, cannot get
the majority, will switch to the East
Orange man. Senator Everett Colby
made the statement yesterday. The
support of Essex, together with the
pledged support of Hudson and sew
eraI of the South Jersey counties, Will
secure the gubernatorial nomination
for Justice Fort.
The New Idea men, however, are
going to make hard fight for Sheriff
Sommer and their platform. They
CLAIM no votes for their man. The
Regulars, however. give them only s2
votes.
If the plans of the Essex Regulars
miscarry, and by any happening the
Sommer people capture the Essex dele
CATION, it Is likely that the leaders
will switch to Vivian M. Lewis, clerk
in chancery, who will get the support
of entire South Jersey, according 70
statements made by leaders.
The situation today seemed to be
Justice Fort for the nomination, with
the chancery clerk second choice.
Nearly all politicians agree that the
support for Justice Mahlon Pitney will
be small, though his friends say he
may be the dark horse"
Former Governor Franklin Murphy,
chairman of the Essex delegation, has
called a caucus of the Essex delegation
for tomorrow at IL o'clock in the
Masonic Temple in Trenton to poll the
delegates on their choice. All the dele
gates have been invited. If they at
tend the showdown will be at hand.
Aside from the selection of a candi-
date, the leaders are more concerned
over the platform than anything else.
The New Idea men are going to insist
on the adoption of a platform very
similar to the one .hey fought for In
the Essex County convention. The
Regulars are going to have theirs,
which will call for the advocacy OF
direct primaries, popular vote for
United States Senators and reference
to the public utilities bill introduced in
the Senate yesterday.
1t is not known whether the excise
question will be referred to. 1t is pos
sible that no reference or only slight
reference will be made to the subject
1t is known that Justice Fort viii
not stand on platform that advocates
the repeal of the Bishops law or any
drastic changes in the present laws.
In the absence of Senator Colby,
Gardner Colby, chairman of the New
Idea county organization, was in
charge today at the headquarters. Sen
ator Colby was at his West Orange
home in conference with leaders Of the
New Idea, and was preparing for the
fray tonight and tomorrow.
While not very sanguine of the ultf-
mate success of Sheriff Sommer he
thought that their candidate would get
the majority of the Essex vote.
1--WE calculate on the sheriff having
10 votes" said Gardner Colby. THE
strength of Major Lentz for Justice
Pitney will probably be what 1t was
at the conference.
81 think that Sheriff Sommer VIII be
the choice of Essex"
Asked whether the sheriff had any
chance to secure the nomination, Mr..
Colby said:
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