The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-09
R OF HERHA M
STARTS HIS
FIGHT
Hudson County Clerk An
nonnces Candidacy for
Craftsmanship.
Especial to the Evening start

JERSEY CITY, Dec. 9.-Sandwiched
between an attack on the New Idea
faction of the Republican party and a
declaration that bossism in Hudson
County is dead, County Clerk John
Rotterdam today announced his ac-
tive candidacy for chairman of tbs
Republican County Committee In q
statement issued from his office. The
announcement is conceded to come as
the result of a conference in which
all of the machine heads of the county
participated, which was held in the
office OF Jail Warden Thomas p. Con-
nelly Saturday afternoon.
The statement In part is as follows:
During the past three years the Repub-
lican party has been engaged in a des-
perate struggle for the maintenance OF
against a strong combination. who had
organized to oppose and disrupt the party.
"These men had been high In the eoun-
ellis of the Republican party. They were
trusted and had placed at their disposals
enormous political power-the control of
the municipal administration OF Jersey
City. In addition they had charge of the
affairs of the Republican party In the
county.
Immediately on the discovery of their
plans the remaining members of the Re-
publican organization in the county fear
lessly stood up to guard the party against
their o~nslaughts.
"Our opponents organized the police de-
partment of Jersey City into an almost i'm
p%regnable political auxiliary, with the re-
suit that Republicans who had the temerity
to go to the polls on September primary day
had policemen's night sticks shaken over
their heads. Election boards were dragged
off to the station-houses while hundreds
Of voters, unable 10 cast their ballots dur
ing their absence, were d~isfranchised. In
that manner the Republican party was
robbed Of its candidates in Jersey City.
During all this time or organization
worked night and day to protect the
party. We finally succeeded, and anne
out OF the fray with our party intact"
He states that he will do all he can to
restore the present city committee of Ho-
boken to its former Importance.
During recent campaigns the New Idea
speakers accused the Republican party Of
being bossed," he continued. we replied
in denial that we did NOT and would not
stand for bossism. Now we are going TO
prove it,
In addition to this statement County
Clerk Rotterdam said that he intended 10
fight for the position regardless OF what
action. II any, tina Sheriff Kaiser takes. /,
Harmony between the machine and New
Idea factions of the party Is further off
II anything. than ever before. One of the
prominent leaders OF the reform move
lneut SAID to-day:
WHY should we bow TO the yoke Of the
machine? At the last Republican primary
for the election of members of the county
committee there were about 600 votes
polled in Jersey City and not over a thou
sand In the entire county, and they mean
to tell us tina this is representative of the
Republican party? Why, when Mayor
Pagan and Judge Mccarthy ran two years
ago they received In Jersey City alone
$500 votes, and il must be believed that
those were all Repuhlieans. We have long
advocated an open primary for the election
of County committeeman, and when II
comes so that we can secure fair represen-
tation, then we will talk harmony, but not
before.
''Rotherham's aspirations to the county
craftsmanship are nothing more than an
attempt upon the part of the colonel to
shift his leadership in Hudson County
from the shoulders of Kaiser, as his first
TO those of Rotterdam, and l.,
for one. would call the whole scheme
one OF the biggest botches that was ever
pulled off in this county. 1t is a wide
open and shut game. and there is no
chance for them to pull the wool over the
eyes OF the reform faction. No, you al
we are not going to join with that
clique while it retains its present posi-
ton
In the various conferences that were
Saturday, which ended with the one
In the county Jail Mr.. Rotterdam was
emphatic in his declaration that he pro-
posed to be chairman OF the Hudson
County Republican Comu1ittee.
He declared that advantage had bean