The Penn's Grove record., 1916-03-31
STATE CAPITOL NEWS
What The State Officials Are DOInq.
What The Political Leader Are
Talking About.

"ecAs Apri L, Is the last DAY Tor hllng
petitions for candidates for delegates and
alternates to the National Conventions.
and the petitions began coming into the
office of Secretary of State this week al
a lively rate. The new law regulating
the election Of delegates changed the date
for the primary from May % to April
%. Under the new act, which was pass
ed over the veto of Governor Fielder.
these nominating petitions must be filed
Just a month earlier than heretofore, the
old date being May l. As this letter is
written no petitions nave been filed for
delegates at large or alternates at large,
but Secretary of State Martin expects
them all to be received tomorrow or next
day. There has been no change in the
states Of the leaders of the Democratic
and Republican parties.
The Democratic candidates for dele
sate-at-large, or the Big Four are
Governor Fielder, United States Senator
William Hughes, Congressman Thomas
j. Scully, of the Third District. and
State Chairman Edward f.. Grosscup.
Alternates-at-Large Former Senator
Johnston Cornish, of Warren; Robert %.
Foote, of Morristown Richard Stockton.
of Trenton, and William A. Logue, Iof
Bridgeton.
Republican Big Four" State Chair
man Newton A. X. Bugbee. of Trenton
David Baird. of Camden; Hamilton r.
kean, of Elizabeth. brother of former
United States Senator John Kean and
Ira A. Kip, Jr., of Essex. Alternates-
at-Large: Former Senator Bloomfield
H.. Minch, of Bridgeton; C. Ledyard
Blair, of Somerset Pierre P. Carver.
Mayor of Bayoone, and Myron W. Rob
inson. of Bergen county.
Many Of the petitions nominating the
candidates for district delegates have
been filed, and others will be placed on
file later this week. Very few of the
petitions mention any choice for Presj-
dent. Five or six of the Democratic pc
htions name Woodrow Wilson as the
choice for President, and one RepubIi-
can declares his preference for Col. Theo-
lore Roosevelt for President.
1t is certain. however. that the whole
New Jersey Democratic delegation will
go to st. Louis for the denomination Of
| President Wilson. The Republican dele
CATION. as matters now stand, will go 20
the Chicago Convention unpledged and
nninstructed and. therefore. will be in no
ShtipH ~ CdSl lUeiI NOltS III Tie f0HNen-
zion according to developments there.
1t cannot now be forcasted for whom
the New Jersey Republican delegates
will vote. If Supreme Court Justice
Hughes would declare himself a candi-
date, the situation would instantly be
clarified and the Jersey ballots would 20
to him. The Stokes wing of the party
is contending for the nomination of q Re
I nnhlioap of k.--
though no one has been endorsed nor
given special mention. The "Old Guard"
represented by such leaders as ex-Goy-
ernor Murphy and David Baird would be
satisfied with a stand-pat candidate who
is not too r~eactionary, but State House
politicians do not look for the nomina-
ton of a reactionary candidate. They
say TO nominate a man of that kind
would be to deliberately invite another
split in the party ranks.
=
The Democratic convention viii open
in st. Louis on Wednesday, June IA.
with more than a thousand Jersey Demo
Gratis present to shout for Wilson. Ow-
ing to the fact that the President win be
renominated without opposition, this
convention will probably not be a stormy
one, and will be comparatively short.
The Republican convention will be cali
ed to order in Chicago on Wednesday,
June Z. in the same building in which
William H. Taft was renominated -four
years ago. This gathering undoubtedly
will produce many interesting contests
owing TO the uncertainty as to who will
be nominated. The Progressive eonven-
ton will also meet in Chicago on June
1. and it is the understanding here that
the Bull Mouse delegates will mark time
until they see what the Republicans do.
Will Roosevelt be nominated? This
is hard TO answer. as far as the Republil-
cans are concerned. Former Senator
Everett Colby. one of the Bull Moose
leaders. says the sentiment for Roose-
velt is strong and is increasing. ana be
claims he viii be named by the Progress
sives. whether the Republicans select him
or not. Many of the New Jersey Re
publieans are bitter against the Colonel
charging him with splitting the party in
1912. One thing is certain, and that is
that Roosevelt will not be nominated by
the Republicans without a bitter hght.
If the Republican leaders of New Jersey
have their way, he will not be nominased
at all.
Friends of State Tressurer-elect Wm.
L. Read. of Camden county, viii tender
him a dinner at the Bellevue-Stratford
Hotel. in Philadelphia, on Thursday even
ing of next week. The function will be
in honor of his three years services as
Senator with one year as Senate Presi
dent. and his election to the State Treas
urership.
State Treasurer Grosscup. who las
been holding over since March 1 while
Treasurer-elect Read has been finishing
his work in the Senate. viii retire in a
few days. and if the Senate confirms him
as State Purchasing Agent, viii then BE-