New-York tribune., 1880-01-17
J0cAL vIyPrLEJy NEU.JERSEY.


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LOCAL NISRCLE ~ NEU-JERSEY.
The first fruits of the Summary Investga-
tion law which was enacted by the New-Jersey
Legislature last Winter have just ripened
in Somerset County, and an unsayory crop
they make. On the 1st of September last
Judge Dalrimple, the presiding Justice OF that
district. in response to the petition of twenty
five FreehOlders, appointed committee to
investigate the county finances, aud the re-
port has Just been rendered. All the charges
of maladministratiOn, which have been given
in detail from time to time in THE TRIBUNE,
have been more than substantiated and In
spite of the fact that, just as the investigation
was growing uncomiOrtably warm for certain
rural statesmen, all the vouchers and books Of
the county were stolen, enough has been dis
covered in tho papers that remain to make
a shameful exhibit of official recklessncss
and rascality. Notwithstanding the burden
some taxation under which the County has
been staggering, it is now established that the
constantly accumulatng debt, consisting in
the main Of stealings amounts to Tl25,OOO
and how much more no one can guess, for
the prudent fnancicrs who have been iniiustcd
with the County's purse have never thought
1t worth while to keep amy account OF
what the County owed OF who held
the obligations. II Is the old story of over
chgrges by Shc.iiis and other officials, frandu-
lent accounts by Chosen Ere holders, rObbcries
by contractors, private bills paid with public
money, mll-dams constructed and charged to
ihe county as bridges, and the inevitable def.
cheney in the Treasury for which the dazed
Collector can oAer no coherent explanation.
These disgucciul disclosures follow each
other with such 1pidity in Northern New
jersey thnt they have ceased to excite any
public interest. and have come to be accepted
as necessary incidents 30 The system Of local
government in that State. A Collector of
Warren County is now in State Prison. \
Collector OF Mildicsx has just followed him
to that retreat, and it was the statute
Of limitation, which enabled his predecessor
To escape a like fate. IL has just come to light
that q Collector of Bergen County, who re-
Gently made away with himself, was a de-
faultcr TO the amount Of $1,000. And now
the Collector OF Somerset, man Of wealth,
social standing and fair repute, is called upon
to confront serious and suggestive g. dis
" crcpancy" in his accounts. so far as his free
and easy method of bookkeeping can
bee digaiGed with the name OF sac
counts" All these officials happen to be
Democrats. but it would be unfair 10 lay
these sins to the charge Of one party eXcu-
sivcly, for prominent citlzcns OF all parties
must have consprcd with or given counte-
nance 10 these leading pcculators, OF their
careers Of prosperous robbery would have
met with an earlier check. One thing Is GER |
tam. The exposures in the four counties |
named above, the Indictment, found against !
the Pa,saic County Chosen Frecholde Is |
the successful suit against the Frccholders Of |
Hudson County. and the loosencSs and IL
'' reguaiitics' discovered in other counties, !
to say nothing of thc frauds in the dcbt-bur-
dcncd cite, of tins District. show an amount |
of Official spoliation winch can hardly be
matched in any ueiehboring community of
the same size.
This state of things cannot be accounted |
for Oh the ground that detected criminals
escape pumshment Tor Jersey justice" has
passed into a progtrb and the State Prison is
pouulouS with statesmen OF every grade. Nor
is it owing to the low state OF business morality
prevalent in this region. for there are few COM
mumtics where commercial honor and far deal
ingarc more prevalent. The fault plainly has its
root in the pernicouS system of public expendi-
turc under which tAe same body which decides
how much money is 10 be raised has full
power to spend it, with no officer not the
creature of this board to audit any of its ac-
counts or to exercise upon it any restraining
Besides this, the mode of clecung
by districts offers fine field for
predatory politicians. In this very County of
Somerset one Corey, a buccaneer, who can
invariably get himself elected in the ltle
.OWnship where he lives comes down from his
.astie on the mountain year after year
% levy contributions on his wc-to-d0 neigh
Dors IN the valley, and he sits in the Board
IF FrerhOdcrs to-day and is the controlling
;pirlt i'm its councils. All the county knows
hat he has been the most efficient organizer of
hese raids upon its treasury, but the county
i pOwcrlcss 10 keep him ont Of Office. lhe
iew Summary Investigation law will have an
ntimidating effect upon public plunderers
n the future; but the whole system of local
needs thorough reorganiza-
ion The Legislature now in session can
.cnder a signal service to the state not only
Is regards its material interests, but as re-
rrds its honor and standing among en-
ightened c0mmuui ties, If it will make u
prompt. earnest, vigorous and courageous
,fIolt at reform in this direction.
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Baltimore is eager TO have ship-canal cut through