The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-09-17
THIS paper IS democratic in principles
and Is Independent IN its Vtelcs on all
local questions.
Our Ring Fire Departme M,

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Our Ring Fire DEPARTING mt.
The most abominable crime of the
ringsters who have 20 long misgov-
erned us is the reduction of our Fire
Department to a condition of crazy
inutility.
There is hardly an engine in it
worthy of the name.
There is hardly a length of hose
that will stand the pressure of even a
moderate stream of water.
The men are demoralized.
Supplies are scanty.
The force is slow in getting to fires
and tardy in getting to work when it
arrives.
Rottenness and corruption have
honeycombed the whole system.
Those who witnessed the little blaze
in the telephone Office this morning
realized what might have happened
but for the fortunate rain.
Those who habitually attend fires in
this city know they are, on the aver
age, twice as destructive as they
would be If capably handled-no re.
Elections on the Chiefs of the Depart.
ment, who have the reputation of
knowing their business.
But presently there will be a big
fire in Jersey City, and then the peo-
pie will realize what the Cleveland
Davis New Charter combination have
brought them to.
The breakdown of the crank vot-
ing system of the extreme reform
ers.' seems to be clearly foreshadowed
by the two experiments which have
been made in New York State. Both
have been tried under comparatively
favorable circumstances. The com
munities were small, the Offices few
and the candidates not numer-
u The people, too, were peo-
pie of good average intelligence.
And yet there was endless trouble
and turmoil and error and confusion,
and dozens of voters were d~isfran-
chised by the cumbersome humbug
operations of the law. Wait until it
is tried in a big city and see what a
circus there will be.
Mr.. Cronan's Shrievalty Prospects.
All the indications are that Mr.. Cor
nelius J. Cronan will be a candidate
for the %Shrievalty with the united
backing of the Jeffersonian Demo-
Gratis, the Labor party and the Repub-
licans. He will besides have the sup
port of every citizen who desires to
see Jersey City and Hudson county
freed from the vile domination Of the
Davis Ring.
Mr.. Cronan is a Democrat. He is a
better Democrat than the Ring lead
ers ever thought of being. His notion
OF Democracy is not to stuff ballot
boxes, to pack juries, to dicker for
lucrative offices and to divvy with
contractors. He is a man and an
honest man and a good citizen.
A leading Democrat put the Shriev-
atty situation in a nutshell the other
day in u hearing. He said:-HA
democrat if we can; a republican if
we must7 but anyone to beat the
Ring"
Yes, a Republican Sheriff if we
must! So says every decent man in
Hudson county. But if we can get
such a democrat as Cornelius J.
Cronan, then our good fortune will be
redoubled.
kmpudent Trickery-The Freehold
ers and the People.
Artemus Ward used to get off a very
good joke in one Of his lectures. He
used to dwell upon the obligation he
selt to his audience for coming to lis
ten to him. As a small token of his
gratitude, he used to say, he would
present them all with tickets for his
next lecture, which was to be de-
livered--in the Sandwich Islands.
The Board of Chosen Freeholders
OF this county have been studying the
great humorist. AS a token Of their