The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-11-12
"rhe News and Mr.. McPhnlips.

.The News'' and Mr.. McPhillips.
When John J. McPhillips was a
candidate for election as Sheriff, we
warned the people of Hudson County
against him. We told them that
politically he was a product OF the
worst elements in the community,
and that personally he was a man OF
no brains, no will power, no capabil-
ity, a mere doll hidden behind a pair
of bushy whiskers.
The day after McPhillips was
elected on the face of the returns
from Hoboken and North Hudson,
we withdrew all opposition or hostility
to him, and promised to aid him, SO
far as we could. in performing the
duties Of Sheriff. tic the advantage OF
the public. Here are the exact words
we used
Mr.. McPhillips is elected as the re-
turns stand. He will probably be-
come the Sheriff of Hudson county.
For our part, we will, on the day he
takes Office, pass a sponge over the
record of the past and prepare to
judge him by his official course. LII he
makes a good sheriff, as we hope he
will for the public good, we will give
him full credit. If he continues the
methods of the past he knows what
he has to expect.
If we are now, once again, found criti-
Ching Mr.. McPhillips with severity,
surely we cannot be accused OF haste.
The words copied above were first
printed more than a year ago, and in
the interval, no one can say that a
single unfriendly or harsh comment has
been made on Mr.. McPhillips in THE
NEWS. His very first jury panel
showed that we had been right, and
those who supported him in his
election wrong. But we desired to
give him every chance to amend, to
improve, to get his footing in his
office and free himself of old infu-
ences.
After a while, occasional complaints
of his maladministration began to
come to our ears. Later they became
frequent. Incompetence and worse
things were charged against him. But
we were reluctant, for obvious rea-
sons, TO assail again a man with whom
we had dealt with unsparing
severity. We resisted solicita-
tons to expose the abuses
in the Sherif's office until
at last resistance became impossible,
and we finally chose the present
period because, of all times, it affords
the least danger of entangline
the issues with political inter
ests. The conversation between
Judge Lippincott and the Sheriff
merely precipitated the expose
by a day or two. Even If thai
occurrence had not taken place, we
would. by this time, have been giving
publicity to the complaints which are
matters of daily talk among lawyers
and others having business with the
courts.
We are in possession of a vast mas
of information regarding the office o.
the Sheriff, some of it confidential
but all of it available for the purpose
of compelling reform. We know o
lost papers, laundering service, vair
applications for statements of &C
counts, and if we do not know
we have the best of ground for ..be
lieving that there are still more out
geo abuses which the mos
elementary investigation by such
body as the Bar Association woult
reveal.
When the Legislature c~onvenes. j
no other step IS taken meanwhile, w
shall put it to the Democratic ma
jority whether a committee of tn
Houses should. not be sent dow
to thoroughly probe the Sheriff
Office. such a proceeding might result
not only in the impeachment and re
moval of the present incumbent, blu
also in the enactment of useful law
to prevent the recurrence of som
very gross abuses in the future.