The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-31
$4,000 TO $4,000.
Iniquities Of the Water Depart
ment Exposed Worse
Than the Big Four.
Where the Indicted Election Ras-
Gals and the Uncles and the
Brothers Of the Ring
sters Come In.

Next Tuesday the people of this com :
munity will be face to face with one of
the most desperate gangs of thugs and
tl-ieves that ever seized city by its
throat, and made it stand and deliverl
When Robert Davis stood before the
people as candidate for Sheriff three
years ago, it was known that he was un-
der pledge to protect every lawless inter
est, by the Intervention of his grand and
petty juries, that the courts should puri
sue, aud TIE SUNDAY MORNING NEWS of
that day. which took on daily edition
for the campaign, boldly predicted that
his election would be the triumph Of
everything that is disreputable in the
city over everything that Is decent, hon
orable and praiseworthy.
The experience of the last three years
has more than fulfilled this prophecy.
What was thought possible under such
candidacy, repulsive and dangerous
as it was regarded, Is the most reputable
part of what has been accomplished.
The awful co nditIon of things that has
been brought bout as the direct result
OF his election wa s not even dreamed OF.
A GREAT CONSPIRACY
The most palpabIe result has been the
disfran nchisement OF the people by
fraudulent miscount of the ballots found
in them. Those who may have been dis
posed to condone such villainies in the
belief that they had been prompted
by INSCRIPTIONS overzeal to maintain
party supremacy must have been since
rlndeceived--or they are blind. 1t has be-
come plain as daylight that the yillainous
frauds of the election boards, whom
Davis grand juries have so brazenly
shielded from the pursuit OF the law,
were but the devices of public highway
men to bring and keep the public treas
uries of city and county within their
reach
There was no politics about theml They
were all business.
A gang of banded thieves had seen the
taxpayers Of Jersey City complaisantly
allow themselves to be plncked by one
band Of raiders after another The VIC
TINS were SO unresisting, and the oppor-
tunities 50 great that this conspiracy Of
rascals thirsted to have the opportunity
for themselves.
The polls were manned with consci-
enccless men, leagued one with the other,
to count Davis into the Sheriff's office.
There he would have the control or the
Grand Juries, and he could see that that
body OF inquisitors was made up of men
who would refuse to indict them for their
crimes. The courts could not reach the
offenders unless the Grand Jurors pre-
senttd, and 80 they could go on in their
assaults upon the suffrage with ample
guarantees against the punishment they
deserved.
PLANNING A ROBBERY.
The highwaymen would derive no sub
stantial reward for their daring crimes, il
that were the whole OF their plan. The
mere stufing Of ballot boxes to keep
themselves in place would bring them no
dollars and cents; and it was the wealth
Of the community gathered in the public
treasures that they were after.
The passage Of the new charter for Jer-
sey City was the next decisive movement
In the development of their plot. A facile
tool was the nominal head of the city
government; but this man, Cleveland,
was powerless to render them the service
be was willing -anxious-to render them.
The finances Of the city and its other de-
partments were in the control OF men
whom the people elected. They were not
under obligation to him for their places,
aud he had no power or influence over
them. The banded copspirators could
never reach the public places of profit in
the city as long as they were on guard:
It was to overcome this obstacle that
the new charter was devised. 1t turned
ALT department managers the people
had elected out of their places, and gave
into Cleveland's hand the right TO name
iii of their successors. Robert Davis
helped him to pass the charter through
the Legislature, and after its apparentac-
reptance BY the people-the ballot box
suffers did the voting for them, however
Cleveland and he opened the doors Of
the public places to the band of lootefs.
DIVIDING THE sWAG.
They had now reached the city treas
nry. 1t became necessary to devise some
Icheme by which the chiefs of the band
sould come by their reward. They as-
suIned that the men In control OF the vari-
bus departments would sell the appoint
nents ut their disposal; that they would
but into their pockets the money they
pretended to be spending Tor improve
ments; that they would let no contract
" make no purchase unless they re-
seiyed rs much as the contractoror or the
seller. And some system had to be de-
fised to prevent the rascals in charge Of
ne details from robbiDg the chiefs.
The result is that an agent stands at
jlle door of almost every publie Office in
he city to exact toll and tribute from
very man who gets an appointment or
lecures q contract. The generalruIe fol-
owed is to send the dealer with the city
one OF the heads OF the gang 70 make