Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1910-10-01
NO PROGRESS|vES
OR INSURGENTS
WANTED IN PARTY
Bergen Count, c'--'-----. Asks
Republicans Who Oppose Reg
ular Ticket for designations.

HACKENSACK. Oct. 1.-The bittel
feeling in the Republican ranks ir
Bergen County was further emphasized
today, when It. became known thai
Republican County Chairman Joseph
A. Brohel had attempted to read ths
Insurgents and Progressives out of the
party.
The attempt was made at the special
meeting of the Republican County
Committee in the Union League club
house, when Mr.. Brohel made this an.
nouncement:
Now that the primaries are over,
trust that all the members Of the
county committee will take off theii
coats and fight for the election of the
party candidates. The Democracy of
Bergen County is,feeling very confident
these days. but on primary day there
were 10000 votes cast for the Republic
can party in Bergen county,
which is more than the Demo-
cratic party has ever been able to cast
at election time. I would request any
member of the county committee who
cannot support the whole ticket to
kindly send in his resignation"
This hint to the friends and support
ers of County Clerk Candidate James
W. Mercer to take their hats and walk
out produced ill-concealed mirth.
Mercer Men Smile.
The Mercer men in the county com
mittee sat still and smiled shyly.
No resignation were forthcoming.
After the meeting BrohePs action
nrOdupad rnurn Comment
Even Regulars questioned the wis
dom of such move at a time when
extreme prudence must be exer-
cised to keep the Republican party in
control In Bergen County.
Insurgents remarked that as many
of the Mercer adherents were active
in Republican politics long before Mr..
Brohel was ever heard OF in the party
councils, 1t was a question whether
the county chairman exercised discre-
tion when he tried to throw out of the
County committee all Republicans who
do not believe that Speaker Ward is
entitled to the $500 county clerkship
with It's five-year term.
1t is believed Brohel's threat was
also meant for those Republicans who
do not yet see the wisdom of support
ing John r. Ramsey for State Senator
or Robert J. G. Wood and William
Pietz for the Assembly.
No Pledges on Martin Bill.
Roy M. Robinson. of Englewood,
secretary of thte Commuters League,
sent copies of the Martin bill with its
rate-making clause to Ramsey, Wood
and Pietz several weeks ago, but has
received no pledge from any of them.
At the recent primaries, David ID.
Zabrisl1ie, Progressive. pledged to the
Martin~Sullivan bill, received 4,456
votes, according to County Clerk Ram
sey's official statement. and John X.
Ramsey polled 5,100 votes.
Ramsey had a thorough machine
with ample funds working for him.
Zabriskie had no machine and no
thorough organization and few workers
at the polls, yet the returns as an
nounced give him only GA votes less
than Ramsey.
This was the first time that the
Progressives had ever attempted to run
candidates in Bergen County.
Brohel's notice to the Insurgents
and Progressives to either swallow the
whole Republican ticket or get out of
the party was answered today by the
supporters of Insurgent James w. Mer-
GER
Not only did the Mercer men decline
to be scared but they calmly proceeded
to organize in the interest of Mercer
and the following notice was sent out;
You are invited to attend meeting
Saturday evening, October l, at p. M,
to be held at the Susquehanna Hotel
meeting rooms to form an association
for the purpose of furthering the in
terests of James W. Mercer for election
to the Office of County Clerk of Bergen
County All voters will be made well
come regardless of party affiliations"
This is only tho first of series of
clubs to be formed by the Mercer in
surgents.
other Mercer Clubs.
In Lodi, Garfield and other munich
palities the Mercer men will also or
ganize in a week or two
The slogan of the Mercer men is the
demand for square deal They charge
that the recent primaries were manip-
ulated in some districts against Mer-
Ger. They furthermore fail to see why
| it should have taken nine days tc
complete the returns with a total OF
| 5000 votes.
The charge that Mercer did not gel
square deal is worrying even the
Regulars. Some of them, notably Eu-
gene K Baird, insist week after week
that the Regulars must face this
charge and meet it squarely and de-
fend themselves.
Mr. Baird is demanding thorough
investigation Of the primary returns
scandal, but thus far the authorities
have done nothing to bring the negii-
gent election officials to task
Candidate Mercer expressed himself
as greatly pleased today with the out
| look.
| He refused to comment on th'
proceedings at the Union League club
house, where the managers knocked
| the Mercer candidacy.
II shall make my appeal to the