The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-15
This paper as democratic In principles
and is Independent in its 0telcs on all
local questions.
A Suspicious Opposition.

"A Suspicious OPPO5AoAOhs
1t is lamentable to see the obstinacy
with which certain people some
times in contravention of their own in
terests-opposethe progress of public
improvements. Ninety-nine men out
Of a hundred see clearly the
vast advantages that the elevated
railway lines will bring to
this city, 1t is plain to
almost every man that population
will gather along their lines, that the
value of real estate will increase on
account of the increased demand, that
business will improve through the
greater consumption of goods, that
other public improvements will move
ahead, and that, in the general move
ment, every person living or having
interests in the city will benefit
directly or indirectly.
All these things being so plain, and
SO gen orally recognized, all being
proven through actual experience in
other places, is it not amazing as well
as lamentable to see the occasional
crank popping up to delay, and,
if possible, prevent the erection
of the roads on petty and vexa-
tious technical grounds? 1t would
seem to the average intelligence
likely that property owners would
contend eagerly for the construction
Of the Central road. 1t e money
in the pocket of every soul who owns
a foot Of land in Bergen, and yet it is
in the property holding class that the
opposition is apparently to be found.
One of the strangest features of this
opposition, and one which creates no
small doubt as to it's bona JfdeS, is the
legal ground on which the contest is
based. 1t is claimed that the statute,
under which the company holds its
franchise, only authorizes COM
panies already operating horsecar
lines to build elevated roads.
If this is the case, surely.
it would be the policy of property
mi first to keep the matter out of
sight until the Legislature could
meet, and then use all their influence
to secure the repeal of so odiously
monopolistic a law. Nothing can be
more injurious to property than
monopoly in the means of access to it,
and there is hardly any subject on
which property wner are more
or more justly sensitive.
We are expected to believe, how
ever, On this occasion that the prop
orty wner of Bergen Hill are deter
mined that the horse car lines of
Jersey City and none other shall con-
troll the G OF access to their hold
ings. They are SO jealous of the
rights Of these companies that they
themselves the expense
of a lawsuit to assert these
rights. What are we to think
of such a position7 Does it look rea-
sonable2 It is true the horse car SER
vice to the Hill is very good, indeed.
1t is practically as good as New York
enjoys, and far better than Brooklyn,
especially at night; but is it sufficient
for the development of the regiong
Is it swift enough to attract residents
in competition with the steam roads
of Brooklyn, for instance? Is it not
true that one can get to Newark
from the ferry as fast as to Summit
avenue? Is it true that the people on
the hill, the people who want to sell
or lease property, above all, are
wholly satisfied with the roads?
We simply suggest these questions
We leave the answers to the genera