The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-10-24
A PIECE OF ABBETT,s RECORD.
How Albeit tried to make Farmers and
Laborers pay all the Taxes.


Laborers pay all the Taxes.
From The Trenton Times.
That Leon Abbett's ardor in advan
cling Che cause of equal taxation by try
ing to exempt everybody but farmers
and laborers from all tax on persona
property was not of sort to cool will
age or change by the passage of time, il
shown by examinations which Tn
TIMES has made into his record in sub
sequent years in the Senate.
OF INTEREST TO DEBTORS.
After his distinguished services in ait
of the Camden and Amboy Railroad
when Speaker OF the Assembly in 1870
and his persistent efforts in the same
year to secure the exemption from per
sonal taxation of manufactures, shipp
ing and money at interest, the star o.
Mr.. Abbett's political fortunes suffered
an eclipse. Whether because the PEG
pie preferred to send representative oil
themselves, instead of the railroads, oil
for some other reason, Mr.. Albeit was
not returned to the Assembly, and
it was six years before he again obtain
entrance to the Legislature. In 1876 he
was sent to the Senate from Hudson
county, riding into this position by
only the usual Democratic majority in
Hudson. upon the crest of wave OF in
dignation at the workings in Jersey City
of the commission system of city gov
eminent which Albeit, in the cases of
Newark and Hoboken, had helped to
inaugurate seven years before. This
latter fact, however, did not prevent his
being loudest among the denouncers of
the commissioners.
Among the first bills introduced into
the Senate that year were several re.en-
acting the Five County Act. Albeit
himself introduced two. and there were
eight or ten others. This Five County
Act was no stranger to Mr.. Albeit. 1t
was first passed in 1868, whom he was
not member of the Legislature; but in
1869, he being Speaker, the whole sub
ject came up again. The people deman-
ded release from so unjust and unequal
q measure. Numerous bills to repeal il
were introduced, but the people, MS
usual on such occasions, We're foiled in
their endeavor, and the only result of
the contest was the re.enactment OF the
bill IN still stronger terms. Leon
Abbett's vote was cast every time in
favor of the act.
Further determined efforts to repeal
this law we're made in subsequent years,
but always unsuccessfully In 1876 the
last Constitutional amendments went
into effect, and it was discovered that
it was almost certain that under the
''equal taxation" provision of those
amendments the Five County Act was
unconstitutional. The money powers of
the State at once aroused themselves to
wipe out all doubt on this subject by
securing the re-enactment of the law
Just sufficiently modified to make it
constitutional. An immense lobby was
set to work, and every possible influence
was brought to bear to bring about the
desires of the capitalists and moneyed in
stitutions that wished to escape the
payment of taxes upon the money which
they had loaned.
WHERE MR.. ALBEIT STOOD.
This was the situation of affairs when
Mr.. Albeit made his debut upon the
floor of the Senate. His path was cleai
before him to support the capitalists OF
the people. He chose the former, and
almost his first acts in the Senate were
the introduction of two bills in the
interest of the money-leaders.
The first OF these was known us No
66, and it provided that:
Hereafter il shall be lawful for the
owners of lands situated in the counties
OF Hudson, Essex, Union, Passaic, ant
in the cities of Trenton, New Brunswick
and Atlantic, to agree for themselves
and their assigns with the holder of any
mortgage now in existence or hereafter
to be made, which binds or may bint
lands in said counties or cities, not tt
apply for any deduction, by reason o
bond and mortgage, from the taxable
valre of such lands embraced in sucl
mortgage.
In other words the money-leaders wer,
empowered, in those particular sections
OF the State, to force every man who
came to them for loan, TO agree to pay
the tlxes, as we'll as the interest, on the
mortgage, before they would give him q
cent. This was an unjust and unequal
law in two ways: in the first place it put
every borrower in the counties and cities
affected ct the mercy of the lender to the
extent of being compelled to pay what
amounted TO from s to per cent. inter.
est instead OF the regular rate; and in
the second place, it inevitably drew
money away from the counties not affect
cd, and made it doubly hard for borrow
ers in them to get loans, because capita
would naturally seek the place where i
could secure the largest interest.
Senator Smith, of Sussex county, nov
Of thf. - L.,
and others ably presented these objec
tions to the bill, but it was nevertheless
passed, Albeit speaking frequently an,
ardently in its favor, and voting for it a
every opportunity. 1t was amended s.
MS to include Bergen county and leav
out Atlantic City, and in one or tw
similar ways, and then became a law Q
the State.
MAILING 1T FAST.
In order that there might be no poss
Utility of the borrowers of the State eva
ding this law or escaping from the un
equal burden which it laid upon them,
second act was introduced by Mr.. Abbot,
and passed with his vote and assistance
1t provides that:
Hereafter no mortgage or debt secur
ed thereby shall be assessed for taxation
unless deduction therefrom shall hav
been claimed by the owner of the land
and allowed by the Assessor.
Among the eminent coadjutors in TIL,
Senate Of Mr.. Albeit in this fight for tn.
capitalists of the State, was Levi d.
Jarrard, the same eminent gentleman
who had introduced in 1869 in the Assem-.
bly, the bills on this g Five County,,