The Jersey City news., 1890-07-30
A STORY OF THE WAR.
How Jersey City Happened to Have Re-
cruits Credited to Her in the
Next War.


cruits Credited to Her in the
Next War.
An incident which sets off Orestes
Cleveland's demagogucry in pretty bright
colors takes US back to the stirring times
of the rebellion. Before his election to
Congress Mr.. Cleveland had been Mayor.
He was at the head of the city govern
ment in fact during the rebellion period
The Mayoralty seems to have peculiar
periods. He aspired to be the War Mayor
of the city in 1864, just as in 1876 he as.
pired to be the Centennial Mayor of the
city. In 1864 he succeeded. In 1876 he
violated party usage by knocking Trap
hagen out of a second team as he is try
ing to violate party usage again now by
scoring third term for himself, and re-
ceived an inglorous whipping for his
audacity.
The present incident that serves to IL
lustrate the extent to which he is willing
to sacrifice the public welfare to make a
point for himself came to the surface
during his war term. Mr.. Cleveland had
not been very enthusiastic war man. It
is said indeed that when the government
tried to collect its war taxes from him he
refused to make any return to the asses
sors unless the government furnished him
with bookkeeper to get mp the figures.
The government wouldn't, of course, do
anything of the kind; he knew it
wouldn't; and it was only one of the
means he resorted to obstruct the powers
that We're in carrying on the affairs of the
nation. Bnt he found it policy to tack
about when he managed to get into the
Mayoralty in 1864, and when at the end of
the term he wanted to be reelected.
AwAR STORY.
No one needs to be told how hard it was
for the Federal authorities to secure re-
cruits for its armies. The volunteer
spirit of the times had lost it's edge, and
drafts were resorted to as occasion re-
quired.
One demand upon Jersey City was for
quota Of 169 men. 1t was big thing to
fill the quota with as little forcing of un-
willing residents to the front as possible,
and Jersey City tried to make the honors
of active service at the front as attractive
as possible to her sons by Offering large
bounties. These bounties were paid out
of the public treasury, and some of the
bonds on which the funds were raised
are still, probably, extant upon the mar
kets.
Well, when the demand for 1859 addi-
tional men was made upon the city, the
politicians here were preparing for a
fresh local election, and Mr.. Cleveland
was looking forward to denomination.
To have dragged young men from their
mothers and older men from their wives
and children would have been to create
an excitement that would have shown
itself in the vote. 1t could never be per-
mitted, and bargain was made with
Reilly. Allen & Hughes, who were in the
business of supplying recruits, to fill Jer-
sey City's quota with substitutes. The
firm agreed to do it for the round figures,
$l30, 600. Mr.. Cleveland drew the money
from the City Treasury and went over to
Hoboken and paid 1t over to Reilly, Allen
& Hughes.
100000 WORTH OF BOUNTY JUMPERS.
When the names of those whom the
firm had enlisted to ill the quota We're
sent on to Washington it was learned
that very large proportion of them-so
large proportion in fact as to be practi-
cally all of them-were the names of
bounty jumpers and deserters whose SER
vice already belonged to the government.
The government very properly refused to
credit them against the 169 men the
city had been called upon to supply and
the city was threatened with draft in
spite Of the large payment. v
During all the war Jersey City never
saw such excitement as this complication
Of affairs brought on. The whole gang
of men furnished by the firm was hustled
over to Fort Lafayette as bounty jump
ers. Allen and Hughes were arrested
and brought to this city. United States
Commissioner jackson required them to
furnish $40, 900 bail, which Noah Taylor
stood for them. Reilly made himself
scarce in Canada. Marcus Cicero Stan
ly, who was In the deal, went to Cuba.
Demands were made that civil suits be
instituted on behalf of the city TO get
back the wasted thousands of dollars,
and to make things worse confounded,
the Governments insistance that the