The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-11-15


sINED.
THrs Is FALsEHooD ON THE FACE OF IT,
BUT WE CAN SAY IT WITH AS MUCH TRUTH AS
THE Journal AND PROPOSE TO KEEP ON SAY
ING TT UNTIL 1T HAULs DOWN THE FALSE
co1,oRs AT THE HEAD OF IT'S coLHMNs.
When Hugh Dugan was made County
Collector by the Board of Freeholders,
ex-County Collector Farrier refused to
surrender the books and money of the
county into his hands on high public
grounds. There was a question as to the
legality of Mr.. Dugan's appointment, he
said, that might seriously affect the nego-
tiation of the County securities bearing
his signature, if the County wanted to
borrow money. Pure patriotism and
self sacrificing public spirit, would not
allow him TO leave the County with en-
barrassments on its hands that he might
save it by holding on. The only personal
aspect the question bore to his mind was
whether Mr.. Dugan was an official to
whom he could surrender safely, without
making himself liable to the County for
the things he surrendered, in case it was
subsequently ascertained that Dugan had
no right to act as Collector. The personal
view of the matter was of only secondary
importance however, and it was mainly
for the safety of the dear public that he
concluded to keep possession OF the
County property. The natural presump-
ton was that the moment the Court de-
cided that Mr.. Dugan had been lawfully
elected, he would gladly relieve himself OF
his public burden, by giving all that he
held of the County's into the new Col
lector's hands. The result disproves the
presumption, and rather tends to show
that the Hon. George 81. Farrier's lively
concern for the interests of the dear pub
lie was not wholly disinterested. He did
not surrender to the new Collector the
moment Mr.. Dugan's legal status was
judicially determined by the Court. Mr.
Dugan had, in fact, to apply for a writ of
mandamus compelling him to surrender;
and when that application was made, Mr..
Farrier even had Mayor Collins in court to
resist the granting of it. The Mayor is a
well equipped lawyer, as every one knows;
but the Court declared the resistance use
less and granted the mandamus; and even
after he bad learned that it had been
granted, the ex-County Collector waited
for 1t to be served upon him before he
yielded. Mr.. Farrier can find no fault
with the public if they conclude that his re-
fusal was based upon desire rather to serve
the Hon. George II. Farrier than to serve
the dear people; if in fact it did not grow
out of well conceived purpose to hold onto
the place, for his own emolument and ag
grandlzement ID spite of the aforesaid
dear people. For, had the mandamus been
refused, the Hon. George Fl. Farrier
would have held on to the office and the
Doodle until the case had been argued and
determined by the Court of Errors and
Appeals-six or seven months hence-and
till, perchance, Republican Board of
Freeholders had been elected to give him
a new tenure by new appointment. It
is always sad to have ones faith in the
singleness of purpose of our high-minded
public men shattered by single blow;
but Mr.. Farrier has no one but himself to
blame if his attitude in this matter has
cost him something of public esteem.
The report in last Sundays TATTLER of
the proceedings in the State Board of
Education, that resulted in the election of
Rev. DR.. Houghton was not intended to
cast any reflection whatever upon the
action of the members of the Board. Col.
Fuller, who is one of the members. com
plains that it justified the impression that
politics and religious bigoiry had influ-
enced him and the other members who
supported the Hoboken clergyman. We
do not derive any such impression from
reading the report, and if such an impress
sion is abroad, the tenor and purport of
the article have been misunderstood We
do not believe that the fact that the an
pointee is minister-much less the fact
that he is Protestant minister-ipfIu-
enced their judgment in the smallest par
ticular, while, as to the political leanings
OF the Rev. Mr.. Houghton, they are not
known, and the probability is that he is
more a Democrat than Republican.
Attorney General Stockton planted him
self on the broad ground that, If PRINCIPAL
Kelly were appointed, he would in one
capacity be subordinate to himself in
another capacity; that he would be, or
might De called upon, as County Superin-
tendent, to act as Judge upon himself as
School Principal, and that there was an
lncongruity in the two relations he would
bear to himself, that would make the
selection an unwise one. The public, out
side OF that part of which pushed Mr.
Kelly for the place. will think that Attor-
ney General Stockton was pretty nearly
right about the matter.
A well-to-do Irish woman of Atlantic
Jity played cute Yankee trick on the
Jhancery Court recently. Her husband
eft her twenty three years ago for reasons
Unknown, and for all that time she has
padded her own canoe" with excellent |
Judgment and more than fair share of
uccess, her prosperity being due, in a
arge measure, to her parsimonious habits.
l short time ago she cS Included that she
ught to have divorce lest her husband |
night return some day and claim his rights
nd her property, which included a pros
erous hotel. So she went to lawyer
AIMED Sparks, and stated her case, telling
i'm she was too poor to pay for his SCI
ices. Sparks concluded that under the
circumstances it was of no consequence to