The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-30
RECKLESS GRIGGSY.
Allan McDermott Makes Mincemeat
of the Slandering ex-senator
in a Closing Letter.
TRENroN. October 2s, 1ss9.


In the hustle of the campaign you are
growing reckless and seem to forget that
there are official records in the State
House. l am afraid your memory will
get beyond the restorative powers of
even General Grubb's Burlington county
country physician" You have endeav-
ored to create the impression that there
was committee on equalization of tax
alton at work in 1884 before Governor
Albeit delivered his inaugural address,
and to cap the climax of your reckless
ness, you say in your letter Of the 23d
inst, that we agree on the following
point
That on the first day of the session OF 1884 a
concurrent resolution was adopted in the Senate
and House providing for the appointment of a
committee of three Democrats and three Repub-
licans to consider the subject and report bill
l have insisted that the COMMITTEES was
appointed after Governor Albeit was in
augurated. There is no use In bandying
words Of mere assertion and denial You
know the campaign is closing, and rely
upon the fact that but few taxpayers of
the State can visit Trenton to examine
the official records therefore make
you this offer:-If the official records of
the Senate and Assembly show your state
ment to be true, / agree to forfeit one
Thousand dollars to any charitable insE-
tuition you may name in Passaic county;
provided that if they show it to be false,
you agree to give five hundred dollars to
the Mcclellan monument fund
The Joint Committee having in 1884
reported q bill to tax railroad property at
the same rate as other property is taxed
and the House having in good faith
passed that bill, why did you not support
it in the Senate? You signed the report
of the Joint Committee. Then you
i'listened to arguments of counsel. = That
report taxed railroad depots. Think of
it Taxing railroad depot to pay for
fire and police departments and the
expenses OF Courts Of Justice. Perish
the thought. Out went the depots from
the things to be taxed. You voted for
it. Tell the audience at your next meet
ing what there is about a depot that it
should be protected gratis. Don't bother
about the depots in Jersey City.
Some of them are large and
cost over hundred thousand dollars, and
should be exempted from taxation be-
cause they are in Jersey City. But take
an ordinary twenty thousand dollar de-
pot in this city or Paterson, where only
the good prevails in municipal govern
ment; why should these structures pay
the house owned by ex-senator Griggs, or
the poorest individual owner of lands in
your city pays, this year. two and half
per cent. tax.
And the roadbeds of the corporations.
Their assessed value is over $50, ,000, 600.
The total tax on this property this year,
as Limited by your amendment, is $415,-
600. The total assessed valuation of the
city of Paterson for 1887, the last year for
which have figures at hand, was $23, 440,-
226. On this there is assessed q tax of $685.
734.S4, or over $780, 900 more than is as
sessed on $50, ,00e, 900 of real estate owned
by railroad CORPORATIONS. Yon voted
against this inequality, according to your
statement, in 1888; you signed report
against 1t as a member of the Joint Com
mittee. What changed your mind9 You
say the bill, with these exemptions, was
the best that could be obtained. How do
you know? You voted for the exemp-
lions. Why did you not fight against
them, and find out whether something
better could not be ''obtained?" Several
Democrats, you say, voted with you. This
was altogether wrong on their part and
against the advice of Governor Abbett's
inaugural address. You parade the fact
that you defeated Senator Gardner's mo-
tion to exempt the franchises of the rail
roads from taxation. The total tax as
sessed on all the franchises of the railroad
and canal corporations of the State is
S255, 600 year. AS you had secured the
exemption of over 500, ZOO, 900 of railroad
property from everything but State tax
of one-half of one per cent, you could af-
ford to advocate the imposition of $255, 1000
annual tax on franchises valued at $751;
900, 900, without endangering your stand
ing with the companies. You make quite
time over this, to create the idea that
you rendered some great service to the
people. The franchises of the corpora
tions are their most valuable property,
including all their privileges and rights.
~. Cal ra1t ~ h
been sustained by our courts On this
valuation you were willing to allow an
annual tax of S255, ,000
On similar valuation OF individual
property in Newark this year, the indi-
yidual taxpayers have to pay 81 ,060, 500.
You will notice that omit jersey City
from the following calculation. could
illustrate the injustice of your course by
figures from every city in the State, but
viii confine my comparison to the county
of Passaic, taking the figures of 1884.
That year the assessed valuation of your
county was 100000. The total tax
levied in all the cities and townships of
were on file in the State Comptroller's
office. Yet you argued in favor of limit
ing the amount which can be assesseda
in any year, upon $50, 600 worth of
roadbeds and depots to $4l5,000 or
$250,000 less than had been imposed
upon %S9, ,UUUUUu OI GQS ldQO anu
chattels OF the good people of Passaic
county. Voting for this manner of taxa
tion is what you call giving your "best
and most capable services in the interest
of the State" / do not "impugn" your
sincerity" A Senator who ]abored two
years to secure the exemption OF 100000
due regard for the rights of the ipeople,
but to question his sincerity would be
ridiculous. You quote Mayor Clevelands
statement that Jersey City has received
$S71 ,907 from the law of 1884 in five years.
The assessed value of the railroad
aud canal property in Jersey City is $751;
600, 600. On 500, 900 of property the in
dividual owners of pasaic county
have paid over S3,300,000 in local
taxes since 1884. DO you perceive
any reason for applause on the part of
the tax and exemption ridden property
owners of Jersey City, The most char
liable view that can be taken of your
course in 1884 is that You then had very
little knowledge OF what you were talking
about. .ROn the motion to strike out the ex-
emptions, you said "Thisact..gives Jersey
City half million dollars annually"
Cree State Gazette, April 81 That would
have been q, SOC, 900 in i've years. instead
of $S71, COO. Was your statement the
child of ignorance, or had you as
little regard for truth ON the floor
OF the Senate rs you have on the
s'stump?N In 1888 an attempt was made
to amend the Tax bill Among the
amendments proposed was one abolishing
abe limitation of rate to one per cent. and
providing for the equal taxation of all
property You voted against 1t. Whyl