The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-01-19
WANTED, FREE BOOKS.
The Public Library Trus-
tees and Finance Board
in a Tangle.
ALL A MATTER OF MONEY.
The Law Would Allow $4,000,
but the Financiers Say
Only $4,000.

It looks as though the Board of Finance
and the Public Library Trustees may
lock horns on the question of the money
set apart by the Board for the use of the
trustees. 1t is now nearly q year since
the Trustees were appointed, but not a
step has been taken towards the opening
of the library. The trustees are mad be-
cause. while, under the law for the estab-
lishment of the library. they are entitled
to about $4,000 of the tax moneys, the
Board of Finance has set apart only SIC, 900
for their use.
The trustees declare that unless all the
money to which they are entitled under
the act that creates them is paid they
will refuse to take any measures what
ever for the establishment OF library
THEY MAY FIGHT.
/ called last evening on several mem
bers Of the Board of Trustees to learn If
the boards had actually Joined issue ON
the matter in dispute, and found that the
trustees. at least, were in an aggressive
mood and were preparing TO push the
recognition of their claim to the full sum
demanded IN the courts.
Mr.. Nelson Edge, who was found at his
home on Wayne street, said that the
Finance Board had completely ignored
lion, and that the trustees are preparing
by mandamus proceedings to compel it
to pay the full sum to which they are en-
titled.
Have the trustees had any meeting
since their creation, Mr. Edge?n asked.
they have had three or four meetings,
the last one about a month ago.
Did they at any of the meeringe formu-
late any plan for the establishment of a
HDfaryl' was my next question
They did not" Mr.. Edge replied.
"They were in no position TO do So
Ten thousand dollars would be suffi-
eient sum to start ON, 7" l insinuated, 'sand
the trustees might then take steps to
compel the Finance Board to pay them
the balance"
but the trustees could not consent to
accept any other than the full amount"
Mr.. Edge hastened to reply. 1T would
establish bad precedent.
THEY WANT THEIR POUND OF FLESH.
DR.. Leonard j. Gordon, who is credited
with being the father of the law, was
next seen by me st the home of his
mother on Montgomery street.
Until the Board consents to pay us the
exact sum to which we are entitled we
will refuse to take any steps in the mat
ter of the establishment of library"
was the declaration with which Dr.
Gordon met my first question.
But they offer 10 pay you $40. 200 to
begin with, - suggested
DIR. Gordon replied with a curl of the
lip that indicated extreme disgust, "that
$4,000 was an insignificant sum with
which to even begin the establishment OF
public library for city of 10000 in
habitants.D
To MY suggestion that the balance
might be eventually paid to the trustees,
DIR. Gordon replied that the business way.
was to base their plans on such money as
they were absolutely certain of. No
adequate results could be reached with
$4,000
What do you propose to do in the mat
tery" Queried.
eve shall proceed against the Board
by a writ of mandamus. Mr.. Heppen-
heimer is counsel for the trustees"
l next called on Mayor Cleveland.
The Mayor said that he was only an ex-
officio member of the Board and attended
none of it's meetings, and knew nothing
of its proposed action. He refused to be
interviewed for the press unless the in
terview was taken down i'll his presence,
and the wording received his personal
sanction. As he declared he had nothing
to say 1 thought it unnecessary to inter
view MIN. But in the course of an in
formal chat he said some pretty pithy
things that were or less germane TO the
subject. He did not know what fraction
of the tax levy was TO be set aside for the
use of the trustees of the Public Library.
He knew the aggregate would be some
thing like twenty-four thousand dollars
THE MAYOR DROPS SOME HINTS.
He had not seen the land for some time
and could only speak of it in way
which. i'll the early days of holding court
when the judges used to ride their
circuits in the saddle, in the South used
to be termed "a horseback decisionn A
bulk sum OF ten thousand dollars had
been placed in the tax levy on the as
sumption that it WAS all that the tax
payers could reasonably stand. The
trustees might proceed against the Fin
anee Board by writ or mandamus, but
they had no power to employ counsel and
no money to pay one He did not think
the courts could compel the Finance
Board to borrow the money to meet the
deficiency, but could only order 1t 10
make an additional tax levy to cover the
sum. He did not think that any one
would risk the unpopularity a resort to
legal proceedings would be sure to breed
among the taxpayers.
Commissioner John Edelstein said that
the sum of $4,000 had been placed in the
tax levy after deliberation with the Cor
poration Counsel and the Mayor He
had not heard. until told by me, that the
trustees proposed to take legal steps to
compel the Finance Board to pay the ad-
ditional SIS, 900: but he supposed that if
the court SO ordered it would be obliged
to borrow the money and place a suiii-
Client sum in the levy of next year to re-
pay it.
TIE FAIR A SUCCESS.