The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-10
1t Would Virtually Make Him
Boss Of the Whole Big
From Yesterdays s,,,dag Mornino Ne,es.

mans service since the Legislature
opened, in unearthing and exposing bills
that can scarcely be said to have been
drawn in the interest Of the public; that,
on the other hand, seemed to have been
devised wholly in the interest OF public
jobbers; but, of them all, none matches in
effrontery none is more palpably intended
to further personal ends than that intro
duced by Senator Mcdonald, into the
Senate, in the early days of the week, to
promote the erection of a new City Hall
for the city.
A prominent Democrat of the city who
has seen a copy of the printed bill, called
the attention of one of the gentlemen on
The SUNDAY MORNING News staff TO its
salient features last evening.
IRE COMMISSIONERS.
s'If you have not seen that bill,'' he
said, t'you should study ii. I have un-
covered one little Niger in the ~wood-pile.
There may be more concealed under the
logs; you'll have to find them yourself,
But I'll show you the little ~piccaninny
have discovered.
lOA hHO0 pht&u VIE lfatA dSotlOA-bll
only q~uestion-about which there can be
any two opinions in the City Hall project
is the site. Every taxpayer will want the
new public building pitched as near to
his property as possible. There will be,
also, no end of sites offered to the city by
those having tracts that they hope TO be
able TO unload on the public.
sit can easily be seen how the power to
make the choice could be used to great
personal advantage if it rested with a
single man, and in order to protect 1t as
far as possible from abuse. the original
scheme was to divide it between three
commissioners. The theory was that
either one of the three would defeat an
effort on the part of either of the other
two to force a site on the city from per-
sonal or selfish or. If you please, corrupt
motives.
WITH A STRING TO THEM.
Now, the bill which Senator Melon
aid has introduced into the Senate gives
color to the three men power fiction, but
its effect will be--and there a be little
doubt that it's purpose is-vto make a
single man the master of the situation.
And that man is Mayor Cleveland.
"Now, I'll prove this proposition to you.
Section 2 of the act provides
THAT for the purposes Of this act the
Mayor of any such city shall appoint a
Board of three commissioners =
each of sUh0Ta shalt se1-ue atntil The aeork
shah he finished UNLESS SOONER RE
vi By THE APPOINTING POWER. Any
vacancy caused by deatn. resignation, re
nloyal from the city, inability or other
wise shall be filled by appointment in the
same manner
'sSection 4 provides that 1.-THE acts OF
a majority of the Commissioners shall be
the acts of the Commissioners as herein
authorized. but SAID ACTS SHALL BE SUB
ECT TO VETO By THE MAYOR OF such city
as the acts of other boards in such city
are subject to Veto
HERE'S THE STRING,
.tWho selects a site under a bill with
such provisions? Why, no one else than
the Mayor. He appoints the Commits
%sioners, If they select y site he does not
want he can veto their action. If they
show 10 disposition to overrule his veto,
why all he has to do is to remove the de
liant member or members and fill his
place or theirs with more complaisant
tools.
"That act is intended to degrade the
Commissioners to mere dummies, and to
enable the Mayor to say where the new
hall shall be pitched. Bound down ia
such restrictions the three Commission
ers are mere puppets in his hands.
CAN CONTROL H WHOLE THING.
"Of course, the power the bill gives him
in the selection of the site, 1t gives him in
connection with all the other details OF
the enterprise, If they award the con-
tract to an enemy of his, or tail to give II
to q friend, all he has to do is to veto and
bounce. II they do not coincide with him
as to the kind of stone that it shall be con
structed of, all he has to do is to veto and
bounce. If they resolve to employ the
wrong architect, veto and bounce are in
order agin. Ii inspectors are to be ap.
pointed, and his friends fail to get there,
why veto and bounce. II the furnishing
should fall into the wrong hands, from
his standpoint, veto and bounce.
There never was a shallower scheme to
deceive the people into the belief that the
public interests are in their hands. and
iuoula IL al into nna hind than This acf I,