New-York tribune., 1885-01-04
A FREAK or JERSEY JUSTICE.

THE LAW THAT WAS PASSED TO RELIEVE ELIZA
BrTH-iTs INJusTfCr.
The financial daiculte, of the city of Elizabeth
n d. caused by its enormous Indebtedness. the
urgency of it, creditors and the ndisposition
nab ty of the owners of the heavily mortgagcd real
estate TO pay up their taxes, caused the passage of
law last winter which contains what l. considered by
the tenants of property at rental Ia he an unjust
hurdensome and unson stitutioral statute Its avowed
object wna understood to be TO protect the city from
the assaults OF It's creditors through mandamuseI. and
70 compel the and collection of The
proyison Of the law which is the most Objectionable
part of Section Z, and Ii ~ follows:
II shall be the uiy of the officers 10 whom warrants
for the collection Of taIes shall DC directed ana DE-
property belonging 10 any delinquent as may be found
On The premises from which tax IL due for either real
or nj property and the tenants other persons
in possesson or having the of any lands or tene
nrnt. and their goods aud chatels shall be and they
are hereby made liable for the payment Of taxes which
shall be mr osed said lands under this act and IN
,i ca,cs when any tenant shall any rent for real
estate occupied rented by him. on which any tax
levied in pursuance of this act may he due said rent
sba he mid to the collector of taxes in discharge Of
said tax or 40 much thereof ~ shall be necessary to
satisfy the amount Of tar 30 due and II any such
tenant other person shall pay or his goods and
cha tels shall be levied and sold to pay any such
tax IL shall DO lawful tor him to deduct the sum so
paid out of he rent to the same from the
landlord or;cwner by aetioa OF debt with costs .
~. iii.
Elizabeth. said to o TRIBUNE reporter recently;
This recently revived, squeezes the men and
women who rent houses Outrageousy Tho financial
condition Of this long suffering city has not materially
improyed In the last eight years. She has seven
millions Of debt, no available assets, and Judgment
creditors clamorng for payment. When things seemed
nj their worst and all strateges To delay matters had
been exhausted clever Governor Abbett put out q
lite eboat in the shape Of bill for Elzabeths special
government, which promptly put through the
Legislature under the good Cove rnOrs auspices. This
bill etfectualy squelohed the bOndh Oders who, may
be said tn their lasting credit accepted the situation
with graceful camncss, thus showing proper sense
of their moral turpitudo In being bOnholdcrs This
law appears to old and obnoxious one Of forty
ha, created general disgust among those who hire
HORSES Ii seems he the motto of tho city officials
that the end justites the means. The landlord
refuses to does not pay his taxes The tax collector
hands in bill tn the tenant who is informed that the
oty has power to hold whatever property is on the
prc misses until tho taxes the house paid Tho
tenant has already paid his personal tax his house.
hold goods | might particuarze eases OF great
hardship but II il not my desire to do
"Tbs law should be promptly repealed. Such an
iniauitous dishonest and unconstitutional statute
hos no right to exist Hereafter, any acquainted
with its existence WILL before renting house, require
evidence that the taxes 10 are paid, or that his
| landlord 10 responsible. The bills To Let will have
10 be amended by the addition Taxes paid am told
over tho result Of this coercive measure. Robbery
against the law is no worse, II as bad robbery
through the enforcement of such laws this against
| innocent people. Augustus Tomlinson, tho great
philosophical rObber in Paul Clifford persisted in
the justncss OF his theory to rob the rich that the
yirtous poor might be relieved. Elizabeth reverses
| this and saves her neck by Jersey Justice"