The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-18
THE MAYOR SPEAKS.
He Helps Allan McDermott to Cover
Griggs With Shame.

The following letter speaks for ITSELF
Hon. ALLAN L. McDERMoTT.
Dear Sir:-Your admirable letter TO
Senator Griggs | have read with great
satisfaction. 1t places the Senator in O
position from which there is no escape,
but the object of this is to give you the
figures from the Comptroller's books to
show who saved the credit of this city in
it's financial affairs. / know that. the
credit had time and again been fully ap-
propriated for that timely work, but it is
time now that the facts should be stated
as they are, and no man knows better
than yourself the great need Of some saw
ing power to lift our financial condition
from doubt and fear TO independence and
pride. When / came to this office in May,
1886, / found the city carrying a floating
debt of more than $500, 900, independent
and above the usual shortage in the col
lection of taxes. | demanded to know
what had become of the monies received
from Governor Abbett's railroad a. law,
and found that the State had not paid
over any of it to the city.
After a vigorous effort We succeeded in
compelling the Republican State officers
to pay over 500, 600 October 20, 1886, but
we received nc more till another demand
was made, and August /, 1887, we received
E-tlO;ODO tOL LA GA W0 AhfG fCO
$871 ,907. IL, in consequence of and from
the operation of the bill for equal taxa
ton that Governor Albeit forced from
an unwilling legislation. This has en-
abled IS to pay off that floating debt that
hung like a black cloud over the city so
long, and that could not be carried blythe
city today If the credit of the city had not
been lifted up by the aid of Governor
Albeit. With the money market as it is
today and the credit of the city as bad as
1t was then, we could not 60 through if
we were still carrying those temporary
loans.
They would be called in and we could
not meet them, but by the aid of Gov
ernor Abbett's equal tax Law that debt
has melted away, and we are %independ-
emit. 1t is plain, therefore, that the en-
tire credit for lifting the city out of its
difficulties n placing il upon a sound
and safe and Independent basis, is due to
Governor Albeit and to no one else, and
while proper credit Is being given to the
Governor from saving the State from q
direct tax, known as a State tax, be it
not forgotten that he saved his own city
from q calamity that would by this time
have become inevitable, and that he aided
other cities and towns by bringing into
their local treasures a large amount that
would never have been received but for
his vigorous n successful fight. He
made the fight for US then and he has the
courage to make it again.
Another three years under Governor
Albeit and the finances of the State will
be raised to such a condition of success
and certainty that there will not be
needed q State tax again in twenty years.
But If he should be defeated, a return to
the old methods viii entail a tax upon the
property of the State of more than half a
million dollars a year and a modification
OF the present tax law will cut off from
Jersey City the partial tax now collected
from corporate property. That partial.
tax is a great relief, and we cannot afford
to lose it. Let the Governor lave the
credit justly due him for the payment of
u floating debt; it has been withheld
too long. Very respectfully,
OREsTES CLEVELAND.
JERSEY CITY, Oct. is, 1889.