The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-18
ALAS, POOR GRTGGS.


Assessors, 1 am enabled to give yo~ the
value of your services to the railroad cor
~porations.
The assessed valuation of the road-beds
of the railroads and the waterways of the
canals of New Jersey is over $50, coo. 900.
By eXemptin9 this from the clause impos-
ing one per cent. taxation for the benefit
Of the localities where the railroads are
operated you saved the corporations, IN
nually, $3.50, coo. The exemption of their
personal property increases the value OF
you favor to owe a million dollars a
year. The limitation to one per cent. of
the local tax on the property you graci-
ously allowed to be taxed for the benefit
OF cities. towns and villages was
worth, to the corporations, in the'cities
of Camden, Trenton, Elizabeth, South
lAmboy, Perth Amboy, Newark and Jer-
sey City alone over $3.50, coo a year. So
that the annual value, to the companies,
of this exemption and limitation, may be
put down at $l,500,000. You may not
have been sufficiently acquainted with
the subject to know what you were do
ing, and 1t might be well to ponder over
the figures, so that you may determine
whether your work has been sufficiently
appreciated. On the LIST of April, 1884, a
motion was made to increase the limit of
rate for tax in cities Il towns to one
and a half per cent. You voted No"
You were bound that the small portion
OF property-$37, 000, 900 out of $40, 900, 600
that was to pay local taxes should not
pay over n per cent. That mo" has
been worth, toAthe corporations. in six
years, the sum of 1898 ,292, and it's value is
growing at the rate of S167 900 a year. The
year previous you had introduced a bill
without this limitation. Within O month
you had signed a report fayoring fair
taxation. What changed your mind?
The bill, even as reported by you to the
Senate, subjected the depot buildings of
the railroad companies to a local tax of
one per cent. On the second of April,
1884, you managed to amend the bill to
absolutely exempt these buildings from
local taxation. The tax on $4,000 of the
valuation of the Opera House in which
you spoke is, this year, three hundred
and thirty dollars. The tax Oh 800, 900
worth of the depot in which you arrived
at Trenton is one hundred dollars.
This is some of your work, but it
returned to the House. That body re-
fused to concur in your amendments.
The Senate refused to recede. This was
Just where the railroads desired to get
the matter. 1t was now the 4th day of
April. The Legislature was in the thir-
teenth week of its session. But four
times in the history of New Jersey had a
session of the Legislature exceeded thir-
teen weeks, and but once III that history
had it exceeded fourteen, its session of
1876 being fifteen weeks. The private in
terests of the legislators Would soon force
an adjournment. You We're appointed
chairman of the Senate Committee
of Conference n you refused to
strike out an exemption or recede from a
Senate amendment. In this you were
ably assisted by your colleague, Senator
Gardner. And right here / want to do
Senator Gardner the justice of saying
that he never was and never pretended
to be In favor of any taxation OF any rail
road, 1t was the old game of 1853. The
Senate would not recede. If the House
did not, there would not be any relief,
and individual property would be sub
jected TO a heavy State tax. The House
accepted your amendments under
protest. Governor Albeit advised this
course, and you seem to entertain q
lingering wrath because the game of 1888
was blocked in 1884. This wrath was en-
t~ertained by the State Gazette (Rep.l,
which, on the morning after the bill
passed. e~ditorially said
In consequence of the Governors unwarrant-
able urgency, the railroad taxation bill was
rushed through with such indecent haste thar
its scope and meaning. IT any serious defects
shall hereafter appear, or any sacrifice or be-
travail of the public interests shall be found con-
cealed in the multitude of amendments that were
so hurriedly adopted, the Governor alone will be
responsible. He has rushed this business with
very suspicious haste.
This comment, Senator, seems rather In
conflict with your assertion that Governor
Albeit is not entitled to any credit for
the partial relief afforded by the act of
1884. The truth is, he is entitled to credit
for the taxation, while the Senate is to-
blame for the exemptions, of corporate
property. You concluded your ~harangue
by asserting that he did not recommend
what is known as the miscellaneous
corporation act" Take down the Gov
ernor's inaugural address, Senator. 1t is
in your library, Read page IA. and you
will find every feature of that act recom-
mended for legislation. Your Trenton
auditors will lind it in the State
Library, and they may. further verify
your record, as l have given it, by refer
ring to the original papers of the railroad
tax bin, on file IN the office OF the Score
tary of State. and by referring to pages
634, GAO. S02, S62. $50, $50, S92, 1913, 1874, 1856,
$40, sol, 902, g43, 955 and 96S OF the Senate
Journal, 1884, which is printed and in the
State Library. Your record for 1883 viii
be found indexed in the Journal for that