The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-04-02
Colonel Heppenheimer's Ad-
mirable Plan for Meet
ing the Deficit.
WERTS BILL AMENDMENTS
The Baker Clauses Are Very Trou-
bIesome---Shall Essex Be Di-
vided?
Tspecial to the JERSEY citv Neaus.]

TRENTON, April /, 1889. Colonel Hep
penheimer dropped load Of bricks on
Aseemblyman Voorhees, head this even
ing 1t was in the discussion of the bill
levying State tax Of three-quarters Of a
mill on the dollar, and the House was sit
ting as Committee OF the Whole. The
Republican leader was urging his plan of
getting money to pay sthe States debts
when the Democratic leader pumped
down the suggestion that there would be
plenty of funds in the State treasury if
railroads were taxed as individuals are. 1t
was an able bit Of work, which made the
Republicans open their eyes, Mr.. Voor-
hees could only reply that ignorance was
the reason why he had not introduced a
bill with that object instead of proposing
State tax.
The suggestion came from the brain OF
Ex-Governor Abbett.s The railroads pay a
tax to the State of one and one-half per
cent, and to the municipalities OF
and and pee isnu hnlf per '0'aa cent . In IN
Jersey City this is about half the
tax laid on citizens. A bill equallzing
matters little this year would, of course,
meet with the determined opposition OF
the railroad phalanx, but if it were passed,
there need be no State tax and all appro-
priations could be paid
Mr. Voorhees, declared that there was no
politics in the bill, and Speaker Hudspeth
afterward sarcastically congratulated him
on keeping the matter out of politics. But
the fact remains that it is an attempt to
get Democratic Legislature to make an
| unpopular enactment for the purpose OF
oiI.i11 fbn rQqI1lfQ nf RpnIIhlipan
| travagance.
| Mr.. McDermit was the chairman of the
| committee. In hiN speech Mr.. VOORHEES,
| gave the figures already published in THE
| JERSEY CITY NEWS, showing that the
States probable income and balance on
hand would be about 81 1858, $40. and the
estimated expenses 81 $4,000, There were
| unpaid appropriations Of s35S, 900, and
| bills pending and passed involved the ex-
| penditure of $15, Goo To further show the
necessity of a State tax he pointed out the
fact that Comptroller Anderson's s estimate
| of the States income was S136. 900 higher
1 than the receipts last year, and So, ,00O
| higher than the Governors estimate. IT
was possible that the revenue might be
| less than Mr.. Anderson Is figures, IN which
| case the States financial standing would
be correspondingly worse than is now cal
! culated
| It was at this point that Colonel Hep
penheimer made the suggestion about rail
road taxation In the course of a little
! debate, Mr. Voorhees, said that the sugges-
| ton to divert part of the income from
Riparian rights, from the School fund for
the purpose of filing the States money
box, had been favorably considered by the
| Governor Colonel Heppenheimer replied
that he took pleasure in stating that the
gentleman was entirely mistaken.
Speaker Hudspeth made short speech,
| every sentence of which. carried conyic-
| ton. He said that the people of the State
| of New Jersey had been taught to believe
that it never would be necessary, in this
| generation at least, to impose State tax.
| and he declared that he, for one, would
never vote for such a measure.
He thought it wrong to deal with
| SO important subject in a sum-
mary manner, and he moved that the
committee report progress, saying that a
| bill would probably be introduced as a
| substitute for Mr. Voorhees, measure. In
reply to questions by voorhees, and Riker,
| he said that, among other devices under
consideration, was plan to take the
| local railroad taxes from municipalities
and one to effect temporary loan. AS to
| the former plan, Mr.. Voorhees, remarked
| that it would mean taking S300,0 from
| Jersey City. The matter then went over.
| 1t is felt that the direct tax has received
o severe blow, and that the Democratic
! leaders did themselves proud.