The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-04-08
Views of Citizens Concern
ing the Adyisabi1ity Of
Accepting the New
Charter.
A BOOMERS MEETING YESTERDAY.
A Circnlar in Favor OF the Bill
Issued and Distributed Through
the City Today.

A hastily summoned meeting OF citizens
in favorof the charter was held at Roche's
Hall yesterday afternoon. The idea of
the meeting originated with DIR. Leonard
j. Gordon. He had an army of special
messengers in his service in jiffy, and
sent personal letters to many prominent
citizens to meet him at Roche's Hall at
two o'clock P. M. They came in large
numbers, and every man among them
was enthusiastic.
c. H. Benson, of the Journal, was made
chairman Robert elliott, of the Gas
Company, secretary, and DR., Benjamin
Edge was chosen treasurer.
A committee consisting of DR.. Gordon.
Joseph A. Dear, Colonel John I. Mean
erny Jacob Ringle, DR. Edge, M. ID. Til
den, Charles S. Furst, James Luby, Editor
of TIE JERSEY CITY NEWS, and Charles
s. Clarke were appointed a to draw
resolutions favoring the adoption OF
the charter
Those present subscribed 81 1000 towards
aiding the success of the charter. Among
them were:-John Edelstein, Postmaster
John Kelly, Gustav Metzler, Edward
Hoos, NJ B. Holmes, J ohm Kinney, Hugh
Dugan, County Clerk Dennis McIough-
lin, Police Commissioners Kelly and Rob-
erts, Commissioners Voorhees, and Moran,
Mills, Jailor Birdsall, Sheriff Davis, AL
derman P. H. O'Neil, Charles d. J.
Noelke, Alderman Reardon, Hugh Kelly,
John Pearson and ]. I. Kelly.
The result of the meeting was the isSu-
ance of a circular, which was distributed
throughout the town today, urging the
passage of the charter for these reasonS:-
1st The present charter has been dis
astrous in its operatihns to all the inter
ests of this city 1t has given us an ineffi-
cient and irresponsible government, under
which taxes have been increased and
property values denoralized. Our streets
are unpayed and dirty; our sewers un-
cleaned - nearly useless; our public
schools now in existence are falling into
ruins, and the accommOd alton wholly inr
sufficient for our increasing population;
our water supply, once source OF profit, is
nowa an annual charge upon the city; our
parks and public buildings are neglected
and Inadequate to our wants. RepreSen-
tative citizens have left and are leaving
in disgust, to the great injury of the trade
and commerce OF our city. In short, our
whole city government is wholly ire
sponsible and unduly subject to corporate
influences. For these evils our present
charter affords no practical remedy.
The proposed charter to be submitted
for your approval on Tuesday next has
the following meritS:-
1t creates fixed responsibility which
can be controlled by the people at every
election for Mayor 1t clothes the Mayor,
who is directly responsible to the people,
with power to hold all the subordinate
officers Of the city government to the
proper performance of their duties.
1t provides better and more uniform
method for the assessment and collec-
ton of taxes and the care and control of
the finances of the city.
provides an independent authority
for the care of the Sinking Fund.
fdacf tlno ofrl lfafao 1f
streets and schools by the apportionment
for that purpose of part of the moneys re-
ceived for licenses, thus lessening the
burnden of direct taxation.
AS no commission can be composed en-
tirely of members Of one political party.
it provides for a representation of the
minority, and instead of interfering with
the tenure of office acts and the laws con-
cerning the public employment of vet
Grams, every right established by these
laws is preserved by special provision
1t remains only for you to secure these
benefits by seeing ON election day that
your ballot contains the words New
Charter of 1859 accepted"
John McAnerny, Joseph A. Dear,
l.. j. Gordon, Benjamin Edge,
Jacob Ringle, Mortimer B. Mills,
Simeon FL. Smith, &. HI. Benson,
Edward Hoos, Frank Gallery,
John Kenney Henry Steffens,
Marmaduke Tililen, Charles S. Furst,
i. NJ Watson, Chas. S. Clarke, Jr.,
Samuel D. Garrison, William J. TAFT,
Thomas Egbert, John L. Bonham,
Michael b. Holiness A. j. Ditmar,
James Luby.
THE JERSEY CITY NEWS surrenders a
large part Of its space today to q presenta-
tion of the views of citizens on the ques-
tion of the new city charter. This is not
only because it is one Of the most
important matters ever submitted to
consideration of the local voters, but also
because it is the one topic of talk in all
circles Theinterviews given below pre-
sent wide diversity of opinion in the bill
itself, and there is q general agreement
that the time allowed for consideration is
very short, but at the same time the gen
1ara1 rntinn that thara shn1ld he n chn,,rro