The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-10
THE new City HALL JOB
Mayor Cleveland is More
Than Reticent as to
His Hand in 1t.
ANOTHER BLOW At IHB TINANClERS
The Bill Proposes a Radical Change
in the Constitution and
Makeup Of the City Hall
Commission.

Mayor Cleveland was sought this MORN
Ing in the hope Of learning whether he
had been instrumental in having the bill
for the erection of new City Hall intro
duced into the Senate by Senator Nc
Donald. The bill, as shown in THE SUN
DAY MORNING News of yesterday. is os-
tensibly to cure some little deficiencies in
the original bill authorizing the appoint
ment Of City Hall Commissioners, but its
real purpose is, by placing the Commits
sioners and their acts entirely at his
mercy, to juggle the absolute control Of
the much needed public Improvement
into his own hands. 1t was drawn so
palpably in the Mayors interest that the
suspicion that he had had it drawn and
introduced was. so strong that the Mayor
was asked il it were the fact
This is the way he didn't answer the
questions
WHAT THE MAYOR SAID
''The City Hall bill, as understand it.
is first to avoid the necessity of building
an armory, which the State has already
undertaken to build for us. and to build
station house in connection with it,Which
we have already contracted to build in
dependently; also to increase the amount
TO De expended beyond the original $780,
coo, as it is universally conceded thar q
suitable and proper building to accommo-
date all of the departments cannot be
and the building furnished for that sum.
Another provision in the bill, as UNDER
stand it. is the machinery by which lands
may be condemned.
The present law says that the commis-
sloners may condemn property. but they
could moi do that because the la~ fur
n1shes no method for condemnation, and
without that power it might be impos-
sible to buy property at any price the city
could afford to pay. / have already APP
pointed the commissioners under the
present law, but | do not think the
amount they can expend is sufficient and
bnat is the opinion OF many prominent
citizens. II the city does not want the
city hall we shall do the best we cab in
the present building.
WHAT HE WOULDN'T SAY.
Did you, Mr. Mayor, have anythinAto
do with the Introduction of this billfAI
asked.
Il have nothing further to say on th3
subject"
The necessary inference from this re-
fusal is that the Mayor is the father Of
the bill, and that he is slyly seeking to
secure by legislation prerogatives that
people to trust in his hands. The Mayor
has penchant for selecting sites for
public buildings. It was he, it will be re-
membered, who many years ago was at
the bottom of the scheme for the purchase
by the county of the old Harrison
estate on the brow of the Hill as site for
new Court House; and those who are
acquainted with the inside OF things say
that unless ae can force the purchase by
the city of site for it which he has al
ready in view, he has no interest what
ever in the erection OF new City Hall.
Ihose who are acquainted with the an
fact that the Freeholders who aided him
in putting through the Harrison site pur-
chase were indicted for malfeasance and
condemned to suffer heavy penalties for
their contumacious disregard of public
sentiment and law in consumating the
scheme
ANOTHER BLOW AT THE FINANCE BOARD.
The Mayors statement of the purposes
that led TO the introduction of the new
City Hall bill affords an opportunity to
remark that it does a good deal more
than he says. Yesterday it was shown
how the Commissioners, who are to be
appointed to locate and build the struct-
ure, are Invested of all power of independ-
ent Judgment by being subject to removal
at the Mayors pleasure. The Mayor says
that he has already sent to the Board OF
Finance, under the old bill, the names Of
three gentlemen to act as City Hall Com
mISsionerS. The nominations have not
yet been confirmed and under the new
bill it does not make any difference how
long action upon them may be deferred.
The Mcdonald act leaves the Board OF
Finance entirely out in the cold in COR
nectlOn with the appointment. 1t takes
from the Board the wholesome check of
the right to concur or non-concur in his
selections 1t authorizes hin1 to make
the appointments without regard to the
Board of Finance, and then to guard
against the contingency Of his having
unaCyisedly named among them, any one
who will refuse to do his bidding, it au-
thorizes him to remove and appoint an
other There is absolutely no restriction
on his power over the Commissioners.
The delay on the part OF the Board OF
Finance in acting on the nominations ala
ready made has doubtless been secured
by the Mayor, in the hope OF getting this
new freak of legislation through the
Houses. If it should pass, the nomina-
tions already made to the Board OF
Finance may go to grass.
The new bill is printed in full ON the
second page of today's paper. 1t will be
seen that it enables the sale of certain
belonging to the city, and au-
thorizes the issue of bonds equal in NUM-
ber of dollars to twice the number of peo-
pie in the city besides. The last census
issue can, therefore, reach $306 900. This,
with 100000 that will probably be real
lied from the sale of the city property,
places total of upwards of S400, 900 at the
disposal of the Mayor. 1t is not pretend
ed that suitable City Hall can be got for
less than that amount of money; but the
people demand that every possible safe
guard against its waste be thrown AROUND
its expenditure.