Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-01-25
DRYDEN men
ARE WATERING
Republican Leaders Are Having
Much Trouble in Keeping Leg
iSlatOrs from DESERVING.

0kak4 kDOAA
atorship continues to be the allah.
sorbing topic in political circles
throughout the state. The fact thai
the Legislators will not meet in ioint
session to resume balloting until mex
Tuesday, far from lessening interest
has apparently whetted 1t, and the
gossips are making all sorts of prog.
~nostications as to who will be chosen
as John +. Dryden's successor.
The recess has given, and will con.
tinue to give, the emissaries of the
~Prudential's president an opportunity
to get out and electioneer for theil
candidate, and If the sights at the
state house during the ballotine
Tuesday and Wednesday are any
criterion, the eight republicans who
are opposing his reelection must be
Kept busy lodging Dryden lieuten.
ants.
But it is not only Senators Colby,
Alderman and Wakelee, and Assem-
blymen Smalley, Drake, Perkins,
Fake and Devine that the Dryden
forces are kept busy watching. About
a dozen of the thirty-six men who
have cast Dryden votes are now con
sidered very doubtful for further
support, and the ~adherents of the
Newarker are having their hands full
IN an endeavor TO keep them regular.
1t is expected that a split in the
Dryden forces will occur after the
first ballot Is taken next Tuesday.
Several legislators, who have consid-
cred themselves bound by the eau
Gus choice, believe that they will
then have fulfilled their caucus obi
cations, and will refuse longer to re-
spond to the bosses lash.
Thompson Waivers.
Assemblyman Henry D. Thompson.
of Mercer, is one of the men who
opposed Mr.. Dryden in the caucus.
He blocked the move that sought to
have Dryden made the unanimous
choice of the c%onferees, and has since
then shown decided Discrimination to
vote for the caucus nominee. The
Mercer county bosses had their
troubles in keeping Mr.. Thompson in
line last Tuesday. Samuel T. Atch-
ley, chairman of the Mercer COUNTY
republican organization, had Mr..
Thompson backed up against the
wall in the assembly chamber, and
talked to the Princeton professor like
a Dutch uncle. Finally Mr.. Thomp-
o consented to abide by the caucus
decision, and cast his first votes for
Dryden. But Wednesday, the same
trouble was experienced, and again
he was surrounded and baited. 1t is
understood now, however, Mr..
Thompson feels that he is absolved
from all obligations to the republi-
can caucus-which was in reality not
a caucus at all-and will cast his
vote independently.
The sentiment in Princeton, which
is Mr.. Thompson's home, is very
against Dryden, and Mr..
Thompson feels that he owes it to his
to vote against the sena-
tor.
Others who will welcome being re-
lieved of the caucus obligation, are
Assemblymen Tillman and Moxom, of
Union; Taylor, of Ocean; Senator
Avis and Assemblyman Sattell, of
Elvins, of Atlantic; Sen
ator Hillery and Asesmblymen Chap
lin and Buxton, of Morris. Nearly all
these legislators have bitterly op-
posed Dryden's candidacy, and every
one of them has opposed him to some
Who Will Land?
But when the stampede comes it
will be a prophet indeed who can
forecast where the votes will go to.
The prevailing opinion is, however,
Dryden has ceased to be a factor
and that the senatorial toga will go
10 either Governor Stokes, Senator
William j. Bradley, of Camden, for
mer Governor John w. Griggs, or
Supreme Court Justice Mahlon Pit
1ey.
The politicians at the state house
yesterday had a fund of good stories
'elative to incidents that took place
the balloting Tuesday and
and nearly all of them
lad to do with the schemes adopted
the Dryden men to secure votes
or their candidate. One that went
he rounds and was the source of
amusement recited how the
Dryden forces had attempted to win
'ver Assemblyman William w. Small
ey, of Somerset county, who is one
If the original eight that stood out
Dryden.
working on Smalley.
The first chapter of the Smalley
story opened at the state house Mon
lay night when the Somerset county
nan announced that he would not
the caucus nor abide by its de-
If Dryden was chosen as the
party nominee. The bosses got after
Smalley in great shape and, when
persuasion failed, threatened him
with all sorts of political punishment
inless he would get back into line.
TO threats and promises alike Mr..
Smalley replied that the people of
somerset did not want Dryden and he
would not vote for his reelection.
One of the senator's campaign
managers conceived the idea of at
empting to show that Smalley was
wrong In guaging his constituents
opinions. and a small army of Dryden
lenchmen were instructed to start
first thing Tuesday morning and
into the highways and byways and
nto the hedges of Somerset county
o get signatures to a petition that set
nrth fhQ unnd CtYo1ffgan - Az r.. 1