The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-11-29

case taken before it from the Kentucky
State Courts, that the rule of equity only
requires the same methods to be applied
10 all the constituents OF each class, SO
that the law shall operate equally and
uniformly upon all persons in similar
circumstances. There is no objection, the
opinion declares, to the discrimination
made as between railroads and other cor
porations in the methods and instru-
mentalities by which the value of their
property is ascertained, The different
natures and uses of their property justify
the discrimination in this respect. Prac-
tically the decision is that justice to all is
the primary object, and that it is not impor
tant as TO how a sovereign State reaches
the true result. Our State Courts have
dealt with the same question in the matter
of legislation for municipalities, and they
hold not only the legitimacy but the
advantage of proper classification. So the
constitutionality of the act seems to have
been settled in the Courts of the highest
jurisdiction, in advance of the decision of
our State Court on the points raised.
There can be little room for question as
to the result of the argument on the fair
ness of the State Boards tax bills, which
is yet to be discussed.
The basing, for terminal purposes, by
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany, of the Rapid Transit Roads on
Staten Island, has caused vast deal of
speculation in New Jersey as to the posi-
bility of bridge being constructed over
the Kill Won Kull, without which the
Staten Island leased property cannot be
utilized. There is no engineering diff
Guilty that cannot be surmounted, in the
way of the bridge. The obstacle is purely
of q legislative character. The reports of
the lease go on the assumption that Con-
gress has given its sanction to its construc-
ton. That is not the case. Even if ii were
there is vast contrariety of opinion as to
the value of such legislation. 1t is said
in Newark that the National jurisdiction
is only as to the channel, and that the
right to the shore is exclusively in the
State. The bridge may be built with Con-
gressional permission; but it can't place
its rests on New Jerseys shore without
New Jerseys consent The Baltimore and
Ohio advocates find their way out of the
dilemma by declaring that the General
Railroad law permits or authorizes the
construction of railroad bridges; but they
are gently reminded by the other side that
there is restriction on this bridge build
ing prerogative. The general railroad law,
these gentlemen retort, expressly provides
that no bridge shall be built across
navigable stream without the consent of
the Legislature. The Baltimore and Ohio
people attempted to secure legislative con-
sent last Winter, but miserably and
lamentabiy failed. This Winter if they
go to Trenton for aid. they will mean
business; and the fact that the company
has solid reserve fund of eighteen or
twenty millions of dollars will probably
be feature of much interest to the lobby.
A Republican once in office seems to
think that he has divine right to it as
long as he lives. Occasionally he succeeds
in legislating himself into place for life,
as the police and firemen did through the
agency of the absurd Civil Service Tenure
Bill but it sometimes happens that his
dream of drawing perpetual nourishment
from the public teat is rudely broken by
a prompt and summary withdrawal of the
teat. Then he gets mad, and beats his
little ingenuity for devices to avenge him.
self upon his successor in place; and he
frequently resorts to the most contempt
Bile of schemes to crafty his ugly spleen.
A case in point is the recently displaced
postmaster at Little Silver, a little borough
of Loag Branch. After his removal he
hung post-ofice box up on his store door
and sent invitations to his Republican
friends to leave their letters in this box for
him to mail. Very many partisans, as
small and contemplate as himself, accepted
the invitation. Instead of carrying the
letters thus deposited in his care to the
post office at Little Silver, it has been his
custom-and he probably still continues it
Ito carry them to more distant post
office run by Republican, and drop them
there. In this way he reduces the income
of his Democratic successor, which is
dependent upon the number of stamps sold,
and increases that of his Republican friend.
This is vengeance of mighty small and
contemptible kind; but, then, it was not
original with the Little Silver fellow.
Postmaster-G General Villas says that the
same kind of thing is being done in all
parts of the country, to such an extent
that he will call attention to it, and ask for
remedial legislation, in bis forthcoming
report.
Rev. Mr.. Nicholson, of the North Bap-
tist Church, spent his Thanksgiving Day
half-hour in denouncing Sunday papers
ftom his pulpit We have no doubt that
Mr.. Nicholson is opposed to Sunday pub
LEGATIONS on principle; and we respect
bis opiuion. But we cannot repress the
reflection that the ministers of broad repu-
tatioh, whose gifts are of themselves sufi-
clentIto attract audiences against all other
attractions, have nothing but good words
fnr t1,oI v,rnoo e,.rdov a wall oo uoo,,yori I