The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-04-04
90. ooo, 900 water Bond Issue.

A 10000 900 Water Bond Issue.
The interest THE JERSEY Cry
News has taken in Newark's water
contract has been due to our belief
that the same methods are soon to be
applied, by the same syndicate of
water schemers, to this City, No one
who witnessed Senator Edwards brave
fight in the Senate, yesterday, to save
this City from the operation of a bill
that was designed ~ostensibly only to
allow Newark to complete her con-
tract, could have failed to be convinced
of the community of interest between
the syndicates that are attacking
Newark and this City, or could have
had reason for doubt that this City is
to be taken by the throat speedily, as
Newark has been already.
The story Of yesterdays debate in
the Senate supports our argument.
Newark is about to buy, for SO, O0O, 900,
from the Lehigh Valley Railroad Com
pany, a water plant that has been in
the market in times past for about
half the money. She is not in pos
session Of the ready money to make
the purchase and has applied to the
Legislature for authority to issue
bonds. for the amount needed. Sen
ator Edwards has no objection to
Newark's assuming this mountain of
debt if she chooses, but when he reads
the bill he finds that it is as applicable
to this city as to that and he struggles
to amend it SO as to rescue this
municipality from the grasp the
water kings have on our sister
municipality.
One Of the amendments by which he
sought to achieve this end was that
the act should not bind cities that
have not already entered into a con
tract, or passed o resolution authoriz-
ing a contract, for a new water supply.
AS that describes Newark's case ex-
aetly, there could have been no OBJ
lection to it if the bill was honestly
intended only to apply there. But the
managers Of the bill refused to accept
the amendment, and insisted upon
having it apply to this city as well.
The managers of the bill did, how
ever, let in Mr.. Edwards amendment
that the bonds shall not be issued ex-
cept in accordance with a water
option under existing laws. The value
of this amendment may be large
if the water men have not secured
all the legislation they want. 1t will
be SMALL if existing laws'' enable them
to consummate all they have in view.
OF course, under the laws that they
have already planted upon the Statute
books, the Syndicate. which has at
tackled Newark, can as successfully at
tack this city, and the success of this
amendment is proof that they have
all the legislation they need for their
purposes.
Even more Indicative of the design
of this Exclusively Newark BILL was
the treatment accorded to the Ed
wards's amendments to the clause, pro
viding that the big issue of bonds,
which the act authorizes shall not be
made if the debt of the city equals or
exceeds fifteen per cent. of its rate
ables.
do you mean" the Senator asked
of the water lobby Fifteen per cent.
Of the property that pays municipal
taxi or of both that and the railroad
property hal is exempt from mimi
cipal taxation?n
"Of the property that pays NUM-
cipal tax"
Then say so in the bill, y said the
Senator as he offered an amendment
Of that purport. But the amendment
was voted down.
Jersey City's debt is about fifteen
per cent. of the total valuation on
which municipal tax is levied. But
when the railroad property here is
included, as the bill provides in spite