The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-11
AGAINST PARTY USAGE.
Mayor Cleve1and's Third
Term Aspirations in
Violation of Pre-
Cedent.
TWO INCIDENTS OF LOCAL HISTORY
Why Mayor O'Neill Refused to
Serve More than a Year and
How MIR. Cleveland Made
Mr.. Siedler the Gen.
tenniat Mayor Of
the City.
TWO INCIDENTS OF LOCAL HISTORY

| lochi pOiltlCal SitudblOu, nave not DeeQ
slow to notice that one Of the most seri-
GUS weaknesses in Mayor Cleveland's
canvass for a denomination lies in the
fact that he aspires to be a third termer.
Party usage entities Democratic Mayor
to second term, but sets its face reso-
lutely against third term.
"Mr. Scott" asked of the City Clerk
yesterday, "has Jersey City ever had
three term Mayorsn
Possibly" he answered, under the
old order of things, when the Mayors
term was only year. But not since the
| consolidation of Bergen. Hudson and Jer-
I sey cities into one municipality. when
4 the term was heightened to two years. .
| The theory is that four years are quite
! long enough for one man to be at the
helm of city affairs; and that, having been
there for that length of time he should
either have so commended himself to the
| people as to be able to achieve promotion
to o. higher station, or be content to step
back into the shade of private life.
TERMS OF THE MAYORS
AS matter of fact, even the double
| term mayors are few and far between.
Charles H. O'Neill was mayor only for
one year, from April, 1868. William Clark
| who succeeded him was only yearling.
O'Neill was chosen for two two-year
terms, and served from 1870 to 1874
Henry Traphagen. the next in the line was
a single term mayor Soldiers service
covered the single term from 1876 to 1873.
II enry j. Hopper, who comes. next in the
succession, had but one term. Issac w.
Taussig was at the head of the, city for
two terms, between 1880 and 1884. Mayor
Collins, who succeeded him: had bnt
single term, till 1886. and Mayor Cleve-
land, who went next into the chair, has
been holding on to it with an iron grasp
ever since.
Holding on to it with an iron grasp is
not main figure of speech. The words
mean exactly the idea they convey. He
struggled for his first nomination with
the combined shrewdness and energy
which he carries with every contest in
which he engages. His second
nomination went TO him be-
cause he had so intrenched
shaken out. The new charter, devised
in the public interest, became in his
hands personal machine to wiring
third nomination from the hands OF the
party--a political wringing machine by
the way that he expected to be of wonder
ful power. He was serving MS second
term when it was accepted by the people.
and its promoters had nothing to do save
allow him to serve the term out. But it
was the design on all sides to re-
tire him for some one else at its
close. The shrewder and longer heads
among the leaders urged that he might
employ the great powers the new Cover n
ment placed in his hands to serve per
sonal ends; to make himself stronger
than his creators, and to enforce third
nomination; but the system of reform it
embodied was so imperatively demanded,
and it was so necessary to take it when
it was within reach, that the risk of his
abuse of his prerogatiyes had to be run;
and the big political weapon was placed
in his hands
TWO MAYORS IN CONTRAST.
1t must be as plain to these deluded
gentlemen as 1t is to everybody else that
the Mayor has appropriated the weapon
to his personal use. He knew that q
third term would be hard thing to get,
and that unless he could take the party
by the throat his distinguished public
career would be an extinguished public
career at the close of the second term. So
he eagerly grasped for the powers the
new charter gave him aud has used them
for all they are worth.
1t has not, however, proven to be so
effective weapon as he expected it to be.
The interviews published in The JERSEY
CITY NEWS of Saturday, show that even
the gentlemen who owe their offices to
him are not anxious to see him retained;
and practically the only man who is pres
sing for third term nomination for him
is the Mayor himself.
One cannot but contrast this defiance
of public sentiment With the conduct of
Charles H. O'Neill when he was serving
his first term as Mayor. When he ran for
the Chief Magistracy in April, 1868, the
term was one year Mr.. O'Neill was
elected, but he had scarcely been sworn
in before the Legislature passed an act
extending the term to two years. The
one year for which he had been COM
missioned by popular vote to act expired
in April, 1869. Under the law passed
snaaher after his va. election he had adj yet
declared that the people had chosen him
to serve them for only year, and he felt
it to be his duty to the public to lay down
his office at the expiration of that time.
All arguments failed to move him from
this very conscientious view OF his duty
to the people, and on April 10, 1869. he re-
signed the position, the Council selecting
Alderman William Clark to serve the
balance of the term.
MAYOR TAUssIG's WITHDRAWAL.
The popular appreciation of Mr. o. Neill's
stern Difference to the popular will was
manifested year later when he was
chosen to serve two-year term, and was
still remembered two years afterwards,
when he was rewarded with second
term of two years.
If Mayor O'Neill's conscientio ions care
not to over step the limits Of the trust the
it did, the most popular Mayor the city
has ever had. Mayor Cleveland's attempt
TO override his partys usage, backed RS
that usage is by wholesome public
sentiment, in his vain struggle for third
term, has, in the same degree, impaired
his popularity. He is the one Mayor the
city has had who has deemed 1t
safe to rrample down the barrier. Mayor
Taussig made himself so strong and we'll
liked during his two terms OF service that
q movement was started to keep him IN
office for third term; but the spectre of
usage rose in his path, and in the inter
est of party success, the movement was
abandoned The recent past had brought
a lesson that it is safer to bend to usage
than to defy it, Only few years before the
Democracy of the ciuy had been treated
to sample of the party's loyalty to it's
traditions, and singularly enough Mayor
Cleveland had to pay the penalty of their
loyalty.
LESSON FROM THE PAST.
Henry Traphagen was chosen by the
Democracy of the city to serve the people
as Mayor In 1874, and was elected. Party
l..