New-York tribune., 1907-11-02
orEER VIEWS or INDEPENDENCE.


'lr eccentric comedy element is supplied to
the New Jersey campaign by Newark clergy
man who furiouSly assailS, arraigns and con
demnS Senator Colby and reads a committal
service over what he regards the defunct rc
mains of the New Idea movement. and all be
cause, apparently, Mr.. Colby joined his fellow
Republicans in supporting the so-caled Bishops
bill--0ne of the most rational. equitable and
righteous measures ever enacted in any state of
this Union. Considering the very name of the
act in question and the known facts OF ills
origin. and the otherwise practically unanimous
support which is given to it by the clergy Of the
state it is both surprising and amusing to hear
this one solitary cleric inveigh so shrilly against
it. Surely it is enough to titillate the midriff of
the god Of misrule to have dominic posing
as the champion and advocate OF gnmil back
rooms, of liquor selling TO infants of tender
years and Of awbreaking behind screens-the
three things which the Bishops law prohibits.
The proper sequel to it would be for Bacchus to
be incarnated Il ProhibitiOnist, And a
comic pendant TO the it is further to lie OBJ
served that this ministerial ululatOn over the
death of the New Idea was uttered when the
ink was scarcely dry on the Governors signature
to several important laws enacted at the urging
of the New Idea people and embodying some of
the chief principles for which they have been
contcnding and for which their movement was
organized.
There is reason for suspectng, however, that
this odiRm eccicsiGsticum against Mr.. Colby
arose not merely or chiefly because of the Bish-
ops law but rather because the Essex County
Senator voted the same way that other Repub-
licans did and beCauSe-this Is the crux of the
matter-on matters concerning which public
opinion was divided he had the temerity and ef-
frontery to act according to his own conscience
and his own Judgment. "IIe supposed" says his
clerical critic, that he sent to Trenton to
do what his judgment and conscience prompted
'him to do for his constituency and the state"
Monstrous indeed, What loathsOme cOncep-
ton of public duty that was, that man should
follow the dictates Of his judgment and his con-
science! No wonder the Newark ecclesiastic ex-
communicates him with bell book and candle
for it. Because, you see the infatuated egotist
was not sent to Trenton for any such purpose.
He was instead sent thither to put his conscience
IN cold storage and TO forget that he ever had
such thing as judgment, and mechanically,
puppetlike, TO say and do whatever he was bid
den by his constituents. Practically he to
convert himself into an animated phonograph,
merely repeating the records which had been
talked into his mechanism by this sacred sage Of
Newark.
If" demands the preacher "a man accepts
"employm 1t under me- is he justified in decn-
science will not let him do as | tell him to do?
Never" OF course not. Conscience be hanged
But does it never dawn upon the ministerial
mind that representative lawmaker is the
want of not one man but of thousands of men?
That among his multltudinous empoyers-all Of
equal authority-therc wide differences of
opinion and desire? What, then, is the poor hired
man to do? He cannot obey all, for that would
involve voting on both sides of every question
and man cannot do that any more than he can
be in two places at once and the latter, according
to Sir Boyle Roche, is quite impossible unless
he is Il bird" For example, in Senator COlby's
own case there was Il great difference of opinion
concerning the Bishops bill. All the dvekeepers
and apparently minister wanted it defeated
so that the back room dens could be kept open,
behind screens. Others, probably the majority,
wanted il enacted to break up those
vicious practices. What on earth was the Sen
atOr to 90 but TO choose between the opposing
orders of his masters and 'dO what his Judgment
and conscience prompted him TO do? That is
precisely what he did, and that is what his cler-
ica censor condemns him for doing.
Perhaps the queerest thing about II all is that
this supine subservence is demanded in the
name of independence. To De truly independent
according to this philosophy. must be
absolutely dependent upon and servie to some