The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-04-12

From the State Gazette.l
A CALM REVIEW OF AN EXCITING


From the State Gazette,l
CALM REVIEW OF AN EXCITING
TOPIC.
What seems like n deliberate purpose
on the part Of certain New York news
papers to mislead the public mind with
reference to the rights aud principles in
volved in Senate bill 167, call for a candid
and dispassionate review OF tho famous
controversy over that matter in our legis-
lature. Nobody who cares enough about
the matter to look up the facts for HIM
self, and who is honest enough to give
these facts fair consideration, can be thus
misled.
From the day the bin was first intro
dueed in the Senate. its friends and adyo-
Gates have shown disposition to court
the fullest and most searching nvestiga-
tion of its merits have yielded to every
reasonable request for delay, and permit
ted the widest range in the discussion of
everything involved in its consideration.
They have, throughout the contest, acted
like men who had full confidence in the
fear from the brightest light being turned
on their measure. On the other hand
the enemies of the bill early proclaimed
determination to resort to every measure
to defeat 1t, without regard to the charac-
ter of the weapons used. How well they
kept their promise the disgraceful scenes
at the close of the legislature make mani
fest. They relied from the first, upon
n. Il sa.. ms fnt
and sought to create the false impression,
upon the minds of those who would not
take the trouble to look into tho matter
for themselves, that the railroads were
endeavoring to seize upon land that did
not belong to them, when, in fact, Jersey
City was seeking to filch from tho rail
roads what had been in their possession
for years, and for which they had expend-
ed enormous sums of money. by sys-
tematic effort, and the aid of some New
York papers, the Jersey City people sue
ceeded in raising great howl, and, by
presenting false issue, endeayored to
brighten members OF the legislature from
the support of the bill. Notwithstanding
these efforts, however, a large majority in
each house steadily supported the bill
upon every vote taken both before and
after the veto. A careful scrutiny of
each roll call will show in that majority,
many of the ablest, purest and most dis
interested members of either house, while
some of the toughest and most doubtful
elements of the Assembly were arrayed
on the other side. We ask every lover of
fair play to look over the list for himself,
aud form his own conclusion, After the
struggle had lasted four weeks, aud the
opponents of the bill had been fairly
beaten on every vote taken upon il in the
Senate and Assembly, and it was about to
become law, they played their last card,
and in the closing hours of the session,
developed the dastardly plot, that has
cast such shadow over the one hundred
and sixth legislature. The friends of the
bill appealed for such postponenent Of
the day of adjournment as would give
opportunity to print all the testimony in
the alleged bribery case, and enable all to
thoroughly examine into the truth or
falsehood of the charges, but were told
they would not be allowed to have vote
ON postponing the adjournment, but that
the opponents of the bill would talk the
session out.
Now there is nothing in Senate bill 1877.
or in its effects upon Jersey City to war
rant or explain such desperate efforts to
defeat it, and we shall have to look below
the surface to discover the motive which
prompted such warfare It's we'll known
that Jersey City is suffering from an
enormous load of debt the result of the
same recklessness and extravaganza Ito
call it by no harsher name) on the part of
public officials, that plunged into bank
ruptcy the cities Of Elizabeth and Railway.
1t is an open secret that she has, for some
time past, been casting about for some
upon others. 1t is rather fashionable
just now, to declaim against railroads and
monopoly, and perhaps, il the howl is con-
tiDued long enough, and pitched upon a
sufficiently high key, the people of the
State may be induced TO change the policy
which has worked so well in the past. and
kept the finances of the State in the most
prosperous condition of any in the Union,
and kindly come to the rescue Of the debt
laden city, and transfer to her the reve-
nue. now derived from these much abused
corporations. Bill 81, which passed tho
House but was lost in the Senate, certain.
" squinted in that direction. We believe
it will be wise for the rest of the State to
watch closely the movements Of Jersey
City, and we think it will be found that
there is ''method in her Madness" and
that much of this apparent indignation
against 1877, aud all the wild talk about
riot, burning bridges and tearing up
tracks, simply means that at the right
time she intends to shift the payment of
a part of her debt upon either the rail
roads or the State.