The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-20
HARMONY
AT END OF
CONVENTION
Continued from First page,

gates was accumulated before his ap-
pearance on the stage by the singing
en- masse a parody of Hold the Fort
which is destined to be a campaign
hymn.
The eliminating climax, however.
was the handing of mis- resignation as
a Supreme Court justice to Governor
Edward G. Stokes before he uttered
one word to the delegates, accepting
their nomination. This was lore in the
presence of the assembled 1900 dele
gates, and it had a theatrical effect.
The Governor nodded to the man who
desires to be his successor, and the can
didate spoke-the first time in ten years
before a political gathering. He told
what he would do in performing the
duties of the highest office in the State
if elected.
A genuine uproar came from the dele
gates, especially from Essex, when he
said he favored "home rule" That was
enough for those who were not salts
fed with the excise plank that had
been placed in the platform, because
the inference they took from tho state
ment was that home rule IN excise
matters was meant. Justice Fort. how
ever, did not specify what kind of
'home rule" he meant.
At the conclusion of the speech New
Idea men, headed by Senator Everett
Colby, swarmed on the stage to share
in the handshaking that fell to the lot
of the newly named candidate.
Sheriff Frank H. Sommer, the unsuc-
cessful New Idea candidate for the
nomination, who had been promising
his support to his successful opponent
before the arrival of Justice Fort, was
in the centre of a crowd of New Idea
men on the stage, and Joined in the
handshaking when Justice Fort drifted
over to the Sommer crowd.
During the confab and the handshak-
ing Senator Colby pledged the newly
made candidate that he would go on
the stump for him this fall to aid in
carrying the party to victory.
When the delegates filed out of the
theatre at the conclusion of the con-
vention, they were optimistic, and on
every hand victory vas predicted,
Mayor Mark M. Pagan was jubilant,
and to a party of friends was heard to
say.
'That is the kind of convention ]
like. Thepe is harmony. Everybody
WIS heard. No one was choked off. II
means victory. That is all there is
to it."
The opinion was expressed, however,
that Corporation Counsel George L
Record, of Jersey City, lad Jared very
badly during the day when he tried to
explain the amendments TO the plat
form that the Faganites desired
adopted. He was hooted and Kissed,
o.l L,.f 80. farp,or GnUarnnr GriOQe
would have Jared very badly and per-
haps would have been obliged to termi-
nate his speech long before he had any
intention Of doing so.
The day was a memorable one The
big fight was over the excise plank in
the platform. About II o'clock the plat
form was drawn. AS was expected,
there was a fight in the resolutions
committee. The Essex men desired to
have the home rule plank adopted
1t was moi.
Surrogate George A. Russell pre-
scented Essex's minority report on the
excise plank on the floor of the con-
vention. as he had been instructed to
do by a vote of 537 to 619. This was de
feated after some argument in the con-
vention.
senator Colby then offered another
amendment to the excise plank pledg-
ing the Governor to use all means nee
essary to secure a uniform enforce
ment of the excise laws. In arguing to
this motion he said that If necessary
the Governor should call Out the mill
tia to see that the laws were en-
forced. This amendment was also voted
down., and the platform was finally
a--A11 -. - .,ota - QE1L 70 q00A the
Essex delegation and Fagan's 66A
Hudson votes being recorded In oppo-
sition.
Major Carl Lentz, the erstwhile Es-
sex leader, made a fruitful plea for
the adoption of the plank which oc-
/. casioned much bitter discussion.
Assemblyman Alfred N. Barber, of
Mercer, took up the cudgels of the
State committee for it's stand in the
matter.
Sheriff Sommer waxed warn over
the Essex minority report, and had the
crowd with him when he told Mr. Bar
Der that Mercer did not enforce the
laws.
The informal ballot having shown
Justice Fort to have over $50 more
thar the necessary number of votes to
nominate him, a motion was made to
make the formal nomination by accla-
nation, and unanimously, but there
were many calls for a formal ballot,
which resulted in 1885, for Fort, 110h
for Sommer and 5 for Pitney. Amid
much excitement former Judge Ben
jamin M. Jones, a Sommer leader,
made a motion that the nomination be
made unanimous, and this was carried
amid great applause.
h end of the convention was stir
ring in the extreme. The delegates
were weary and hungry. 1t was almost
7 o'clock when the nomination was
finally made. The convention imme-
diately sent William P. Martin, of Es-
sex, and william M. Johnson, of Ber-
gen, to get Judge Fort. While the con
vention waited the delegates cheered
his name and the men he had defeated.
Finally Sheriff Sommer arose TO speak.
The band in the gallery struck up
Hold the Fort
Quietly a dozen men had been at
work distributing copies of a campaign
rally song among the delegates. just
at the right moment Evangelist Birk-
holz moved to the front of the stage
and began to sing. Hundreds took up
the words. The vast a~ssemblage rose
and mems voices doomed forth the
and the chorus again and
again.