The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-02-15
MOONS RAIL ROAD BILL.
CITIZENS TRYING no FIND or WHAT
IT MEANS.

Kali Road Oppression Followed b,
One or Two Sensible Talks.
In accordance with call male by Mayo
Collins, meeting Of citizens was held il
Aldermanic Chamber, City Hall, last night
to consider the bill introduced by Senator
Moone, Of Warren County, commonl,
known as Senate bill %. The bill provides
that any corporation can by permission Of
tina municipal board of any city upon the
! payment of the cost to the city for improv.
ing same, alter, change the grade of or or.
der vacated any street or public highway
any portion of which was under tide water
prior to tho year 1853.
| Mayor Collins was made chairman and
Mr.. E. s. Cowles, Secretary of the meeting.
Among those present were Messrs. James
Fleming, Thomas v. Gator; S. B. Ransom,
NJ B. Holmes, w. B. Rankin, G. NJ Cleri-
hew, Surrogate McAyoy, DR.. !. N. Quimby.
| The Mayor stated his reasons for having
called the meeting, and considered the
reasons worthy
Mr.. Thomas " Gator said that Senator
Brinkerhof had asked him to express his
deep regrets at not being able to be pre-
sent at the meeting, and had pledged him.
self to do all ne could do to defend the
bill or so amend it as to make it harmless
"Senator Schenck" said Mr.. Gator, ssagrees
with me that the Act of 1874, to which
Senator Moons bill is q supplement,
is vicious and never should have been
passed, and if there is any legislation upon
it, it should be to repeat it. "The vicious
part of this bill, continued Mr.. Gator, s'if
that part where contract can be made
between the railroads and the Board os
Aldermen by resolution of the latter.
such bill as that would not be entertain
ed by the Legislature of any other State in
the Union; but here, in New Jersey, the
railroads have grip on the Legislature by
which they can accomplish almost any
thing"
MI Flemming declared that the bill eff
fected jersey City particularly; that the
arguments of the members of the Legisla-
ture as to everything that refers to Jersey
City that sit only affects Jersey City and
wouldn't care much about it." He said
that this treatment by the Legislature has
been carried far enough. ssWho owns the
highways? and who should give away their
rights ?" asked the speaker in rapid sue
cession. "a half dozen Aldermen and a
few representatives at Trenton, who say
yer glibly, 'let us vacate street +" The
streets have been given up to one man for
a coal yard and to another man to run
little private railroad on. and again
to great railroad corporations that have in
some instances taken whole streets. do
not believe you can find another city in
the United States where the people have
been subjected to such treatment" Mr.
Fleming said that in 1904, according to the
Coles map of the city, all the streets ran
from the river, which added great value
to property. Snow" he declared, ssfrom
Hoboken to Cavan Point we have paltry
hundred feet of open front where we can
go without permission from some corpora
ton, and that privilege cost the city over
100000. assert, as have before, that
this is an astounding outrage. He said
that men should legislate for the future.
GAS long as we are subjected to this kind
of thing" he said, Capitalists will not
come here, and without capital we can't
thrive" He pictured the rise and import
ance of Brooklyn, and declared that it was
due to the fact that she had throttled the
only railroad that had ever attempted to
ride over her. 'sJersey City, he continued,
sis of less importance than she was so
years ago." At this point the Mayor said
that he objected to the irregular manner
in which the discussion was progressing,
and suggested that somebody make a mo-
ton and discussion follow in regular or
der. Mr., Collins said that DIR. Quimby had
misquoted him as saying that he had no
opinion on the bill. 'sWhat I did say
said the Mayor, 'swas that did not care to
express my opinion"
Mr.. Collins said the bill was very deep,
and he confessed that he did not have that
ease of understanding that he would like
to have concerning il. He said the Trainer
OF the bill had tried to draw it in such a
general way as would serve his ends
from constitutional point of view, and at
the same time hide its Objectionable fea-
lures. think that when corporations de-
s. res relief tn ~ should clearly state their
desires SO thot no one could go astray. 1t
is undeniable that there is some interest
behind this bill. 1t has been framed in the
interest of some railroad company. Some
railroad wants to locate in some city, and
we can see plain enough that it might touch
jersey City. In other words, the bill is
| far-reaching enough in its effect to make
it look suspicious.
Mr.. Gator thought that if the municipal
| boards were to have the power which the
| bill granted to them, it should require a
2-3 and "a vote. If the bill must psss, it
should be so amended as to do the least
UOh6lD10 lAl0tJe Qub LII Vl0 nOb bc0 AOH ~
could be drawn so as not to be very injuri-
| Gus. He said the Senate would pass any
thing, but the lower brauch of the Legisla-
ture had done great deal for Jersey City,
and he did not think as a general thing they
were a bad class of men, Notwithstanding
| the aspersions sometimes cast upon them.
! He also described how far-reaching in
its effect upon Jersey City was that portion
| of the bill which included all streets which
had been covered by tide water prior to
1858 Washington street. south of the gap,
the streets running with the D., L and w.
tracks between Jersey City and Hoboken
| aad east of Greene street on First.
Ex-Corporation Counsel Lewis said
ssTnere is peculiar feature both In the
bill and in the supplement (Seaate 28)
/ The motive ostensibly is, as expressed in
4 its language, to promote the interests Of
Jersey City. Why is it that rises to pro
mote the interests eft Jersey City2 Sena
tor Moon Of w rren county Who evtl
heard of such thing before? The Sena
tor from Wnrren desiring to promote tn,
interests of Jersey City! The idea of the
Pennsylvania Railroad promoting the in
terests of Jersey City when they compe
us to climb up one pair of stairs and dowI
another in order to get to their depot. Th'
point wherein that supplement is danger
GUS is that it is limited in its application
The original bill was generally applicabl
to every city. The supplement is Limited
to cities wherein parts Of its streets wer
under tide water IN 1868. Surely none o
the streets in Warren county were eve
under tide water for as understand
tide water is salt water. My idea is tina
the bill was drawn with the idea of effect
ing Jersey City in Hudson county. Thil
teenth, Fourteenth, ann Fifteenth street
and the vasts interests there Jarvis Te
bacco Inspection) which have pal
TO this city in taxes, over 100000, az
sought to be affecten BY il. He also sal