The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-18
TOUGH ON THE MAYOR.
The Board Of Trade Sits
Down Hard On All of
His Legislative
Schemes.
EXPRESSIONS OF DISTRUsT
Mr.. Joseph A. Dear Was the Mayors
Only ApoIogist, and Even
He Weakened On
Some Bills.

EOUi6 EitlSs
If Mayor Cleveland and the members of
the Board of Street and Water Commits
sioners were prese1t st the meeting Of
the Board Of Trade last night they would
have been very much interested in the
deliberations of that body. The purpose
Of the meeting was 70 discuss several
legislative acts affecting city government
and the spending of moneys in different
departments The discussion of these
bills prompted debates In these debates
the only defender Of the present Mayor
and the new city government was Mr..
Joseph A. Dear.
The meeting was called to order by Dr.
Gordon Among the mem bers present
were James Flemming.L i. b. Booraem, +.
NJ. Doane, w. J. Taites II. Hamlin, Frank
Stevens, G. ]. Rochat, J. J Detwilier. IA.
Steffens, w. g; Fisk J; Lehane, J. @.
Lindsay, Jacob Ringle and II. w. Carr
After James Leo had been made direc-
tor, vice John M. Jones. declined, the re-
port of the Committee on Law and Legis-
lation, which was appointed at the last
meeting of the Board and of which Mr..
FlemDling was chairman. was taken up
THE PAVEMENT BILL.
Il
the notorious patent pavement bill. Mr.
Flemming said it opened the door to lots
of iobbery and did away with the concur
renee of the Board of Finance.
Mr.. Booraem said it was one of the most
outrageous bills in the House, and was,
in his opinion. intended for Grove street
pavement.
Mr.. Detwilier moved that the sentiment
of the Board of Trade be against the bill
DEAR TO THE RESCUE.
The question was about to be put when
Mr. Dear arose and said:-'I share the
general distrust of the bill, but If we have
a Mayor whom we can trust and who
will appoint an upright Board of Street
and Water Commissioners, what neces-
sity need there be for the concurrence of
the Board of FinanceY Ii the Mayor APP
points a bad Board of Street and Water
Commissioners what right have we to
think that the Board of Finance will be
any better?
on the Mayor"
Mr.. Dear then went into a lengthy
speech in which he attempted to defend
the present Mayor and the city govern
ment. but he was cut short by Mr.. Flem-
ming, who said:-
"As a discussion of affairs in the past,
Mr.. Dear, your remarks are exceedingly
apropos, but this bill Is notori0usly bad
ana grants extraordinary powers to a
Board, which should not be granted
Them" ~ ;s
The question was then put and it was
decided that the Board oppose the bill.
CITY HALL JOB.
Mr.. Booraem then unearthed another
bill. "This bill,' said he, lis Senate bill
No. 90, or the so-called City Hall bill,
which gives the Mayors in certain cities
the power to appoint commissioners to
supervise the erection of a new City
Hail.
Mr.. Dear moved that the Board decide
that the bill was an unsafe one. Mr.. Det-
willer asked that the word dangerous be
substituted for unsafe. as it would better
express the sentiment Of the Board, and
it was so decided by DR.. Gordon remark
ing that one comical feature of the bill
was the perpetulty of Office, as the bill
provided no time for the commissioners
to serve.
The next bill discussed was Assembly
bill No. 228, relating to street cleaning
that if the appropriation for street clean
ing purposes are not deemed sufficient it
shall be proper for the Board to borrow
money on temporary loan bonds not to
exceed the original appropriation.
Mr.. Dear said that this bill practically
doubled the appropriation and was in
direct violation to all principles of home
rule. This bill, f" said he. would shift
the responsibility from the shoulders
of the Board Let the new government
agree and not call OH the Legislature to
make special legislation for them" He
then started out with q defence of the
new charter officials, which seemed to be
exceedingly wearisome to several of the
members. 1t was finally agreet that the
sense of the meeting be against the bill.
NOW FOR THE FREEHoLDERS-
Mr.. Boyle's Assembly bill, No. los,
which gives the Board of Chosen Free
holders power to erect county insane
asylum, and the issuing of bonds to the
amount of $25O,000 for the erection of such
building, was next discussed.
DIR. Gordon stated that the railroads
which centred in Hudson county are O
great medium for the arrival or unatics
from other States, and that in great
many cases they had been shipped here.
The doctor thought new asylum
was needed. Having settled tnat
the Board talked about the cost of the
new building. Mr. Flemming said the
amount asked for in the bill was ex-
ceedingly large and he thought the bill
concealed job. I'm fact" said he, "of
the 100 bills of the present Legislature
that / have examined seventy of them
are grabs at the Treasury and fifty of
them were for the increase OF salary of
different officials
Mr.. Fiske volunteered the information
that the proposed new asylum at Trenton,
which would be an elaborate affair, would
only cost 800, 600, and thought $3.50, 900 an
exceedingly high figure.
PARKS ON THE TABLE.
After considerable discussion it was de-
cided that the Board favor $50, 600 instead
Of $3.50. 600 for new building.
AssemDlyman Kelly's bill No. AZ re-
pealing the granting of power TO pur-
chase lands for public parks was next
taken up and provoked much discussion.
Several of the gentlemen were in favor
of the repeater while others favored the
county parks Mr.. Detwiller spoke long
and favorably of the proposed county
parks Mr.. Ringle favored the repeater.
He said that the county could not afford
to think of parks. It was finally decided
to lay the matter on the table.
Assembly bill No. 142, by Mr.. Mullone,
was next taken up 1t provides thai the
Board of Finance shall act as q Board OF
Appeal.
WILL HAVE A NEW MAYOR.
eThis BILL" said Mr.. Booraem, II con
slider good one, and IL should be sup
ported" -
This set Mr.. Dear on his feet again.
"Now. gentlemen" said he. II do not see
why we should favor this bill. The pres
ent Board of Tax Commissioners are APP
pointed by the Mayor, and | object to any
concurrence of any other Board in their
doings. If the present Mayor, gentle
men. does not fill the bill, | say let us get
another.
Mr.. Booraem--I think you will.
ssThe spirit of every business Mr..
Flemming said, IFS q system of check aud
balance on everything. Every business