Evening star., 1953-10-22
The Political Mill
New Kind of Democrat
Growing Up in Jersey
Party Trying to Eruse
Memory of Fronk Hague
By Gould Lincoln


JERSEY CITY, N. j., Oct. ga
strong drive to lift the face of the
Democratic Party of New Jersey, so
that it will not have any resemblance
to Frank Il Am the Law Hague, who
for years bosSed the party as Mayor of
Jersey City and Democratic national
committeeman. is under way.
Heading the group engaged in this
project are Archibald S. Alexander,
Dwight Palmer, Thorn Lord and George
Drummer. They are all high-type citi-
zens. and they hope to succeed. Mr..
Alexander is a New York lawyer, living
in Somerset County, N. j. He has twice
been candidate for Senator. and was
defeated last year by Senator Alex
ander Smith, Republican. Mr.. Alex
ander succeeded to the New Jersey
membership in the Democratic Ma
tional Committee when Hague resigned
that Office. Dwight Palmer of Short
Hills, an industrialist and chairman of
the board of the General Cable Corp.
had the job of raising campaign funds
for his friend, Adlai Stevenson, during
the 1852 presidential campaign. Thorn
Lord OF Princeton is Democratic chair
man of Mercer County, which includes
Trenton, the State capital, and has an
up-and-coming organization. Mr.. Brun-
ner is Mayor of Camden.
Back Meyner.
They have tied their kite to the cam
didacy of Robert B. Meyner. Democrat.
for Governor in the election which will
be decided November 8. Meyner is an
attractive 45-year-old attorney of War;
rem County He served a four-year
term in the State Senate, but was de-
teated for reelection. Mr.. Alexander
and Mr. Palmer see in him a State
VIDE rallylng post for the Democrats
OF New Jersey, provided he can win
the governorship. His chances for VIC
tory increased materially, following the
disclosure that his Republican oppo-
nent, Paul L. Troast, had written a
letter to Gov. Dewey of New York ask
ing executive clemency for Joseph S.
Fay, convicted labor racketeer now in
New York prison. If Meyner wins.
1t means the final undoing of the old
Hague forces in Hudson County, the
Democratic stronghold of the State.
The Alexander-Palmer group believes
1T can deal effectively with the pres
ent Mayor-Kenny-Wh led the sue
cessful revolt against the Hague ma
chine in 1949. Kenny has never been
able to establish control over the party
throughout the State as Frank Hague
did. He seems content to remain in
his own bailiwick, and to let Meyner
become the No. Democrat in New
Jersey.
Kenny Defeated Eggers.
Frank Hague, now around 80 years
old, put his nephew, Frank Hague Egg
gers, in office as Mayor when he stepped
out number of years ago and it was
Eggers, backed by the Hague organi-
zatlon, whom Kenny knocked out Of
office in 1949. But EggerS staged a
comeback last spring in the Jersey City
elections. He was again elected one
of the five city commissioners, from
whom a Mayor is chosen. And pur-
suing the Hague-Kenny feud, Eggers
has come out for TroaSt for Governor,
in an effort to defeat Kenny's choice.
Mr.. Meyner.
The political situation in Hudson
County, which includes Jersey City, is
something out of book and has been
for years. 1t is the county on which
Frank Hague and other Democrats re-
lied to roll up huge Democratic ma
JorltleS-one way or another. Charges
OF vote frauds were numerous. But
little was done about them. If the
usual big Democratic majorities failed
to materialiZe in Hudson County then
the cry went out that Hague had sold
out to the Republicans for some favor
to be granted later, or that Hague had
acted to eliminate effectively a Demo-
crat who had incurred his diSpleasure.
For years the Republicans in Hudson
County have been tied to the coattails
of Democratic factions, little more
than political eunuchs. A truly amaz-
ing situation exists today. Of the five
Jersey City commissioners two are Re-
publicanS. One of them is an Eggers
Republican and the other a Kenny
Republican. Joshua Ringle is the
Eggers Republican and Donald Spence
the Kenny Republican. 1t simply means
that the heads of the two Democratic
factions each put Republican on his
ticket of five candidates for city COM
miSSionerS and each was able to elect
his man. Eggers himself was elected,
and Kenny not only was able to get
himself reelected but also one of his
Democratic candidates. This made pos
Sible Kenny's choice again as Mayor.
Patronage Is Prize.
The big prize in these contests Is
patronage. including the appointments
of all prosecuting officers and judges
in the county, kind of insurance
against disaster.
A great deal depends, in the coming
gubernatorial election, on the Demo-
cratic vote in Hudson County. If the
Hague-Eggers faction is able to deliver
enough votes to Republican candidate
TroaSt to cut the Democratic lead for
Meyner down to not more than $4,000
to 10000, it is believed Troast is pretty
sure of election. In that event, the
Alexander-Palmer group of Democrats
will have to go on fighting for new
deal in the Democratic Party, and the
Hague-Eggers and Kenny feud will
continue unabated. If Meyner wins,
then the Hague-Eggers outfit will be
pretty we'll done for, and the Alex