The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1891-02-06

The Borough law of 1890, under which
Woodstown sought to be -e-ineorporated
last year, which move was certioraried
and is now pending in the Supreme Court,
was repealed by the Democrats in a hurry
on Tuesday. The following article from
yesterdays State Gazette explains the rea-
son Tor it's repeal, aud condemns in non
too strong language the "rule or ruin"
policy behind the Democratic majority in
| the Legislature. Read this carefully-it
sounds wonderfully like some of the ex-
perlences Woodstown has passed. through.
One of the dirtiest and most outrageous
pieces of partisan work ever perpetrated
by a New Jersey Legislature was the re-
peal of the Borough act of 1899, by the
| Democrats on Tuesday.
The facts are as follows: The govern
ment of the township OF High Bridge. in
| Hunterdon county, had fallen into the
hands of a ring, that misustd its pos er.
The village of High Bridge, that formed a
part of the township, is a growing place,
and the site of a thriving iron works. 1t
was hampered and misgoverned by the
ring, and there was a strong demand
among its enterpfising and philosophical
~citizrns for a more enlightened and pro
gressive form of government. 1t was ac-
cordlngly proposed 20 orga3lzs a borough
under the act OF 1890, aud the election was
to have been held, aud probably was held,
on Tuesday.
The hotel keeper in the village, distrust-
full of his ability to control the governing
body of the proposed borough as easily as
Ia. .,tl ,hn .yIpt,,,r aS.I-a attt,ntitia1
decided that he didn't want a borough,
and i~naugurated a Democratic pa~lti>sn
movement to head it off. This opposition
took the shape of a bill, Introduced by
Senator Evtrtt on Monday evening, to re-
peal The Borough act of last year. It was
rushed through both Houses of the Legis.
lature on Tuesday. under the merciless APP
plication of the Democratic lash. Tue
pretense was that the new borough Of
High Bridge would elect a Republican
Freebooter. But even ii this were true, it
could not possibly affect the political con-
troll of the Hunterdon Board, mich is
overwh elmingly Democratic. NJ. the
real Inspiration of this repeal movement,
railroaded through the l. legislature with
such indecent haste. was the fear Of IA
single hotel keeper that he might not Sc
cure a renewal of his license. The entire
borough system OF the State is overturned
for this absurd reason. Was partisauship
ever put to d lower, more ignoble INST?
This dirty piece of work threatens t, be
followed by the grayest and most disas-
trous consequences. Several large and
thriving boroughs in Cape May county,
repre- sentiug great vested interests aud
large populations, are thtown into politI-
cal chaos by this act. Their governments
we e originally organized under the Sea
side Borough act. Under the authority
thus secured borough bonds a~ggregating
hundreds of thousands of dollars were is
sued. Bat the Seaside Borough act was
afterwards pronounced uucons iiutional
by the Supreme Court. and they we're of
course plunged into a sea OF difficulties of
the most serious and perplexing character.
1t was to relieve them from this dilemma
that the borough act of last winter was
passed. TIE law vas framed with the
greatest care to cover all the varied inter
ests of our seaside resorts. Since its enact
ment new %borougls nave been organized
under this law, and the repeater abolishes
them all, aud leaves the skeleton frame
work of numerous governments of this
character, without any foundation TO stand
upon. 1t will carry alarm. confusion
and disaster all along the New Jersey
shore. 1t will leave communities without
government without means of maintaining
the social oIder, helpless, and at sea. Il
will take the basis OF value from hundreds
of thousands of dollars of bonds. 1t will
send a stroke of paralysis all along the
coast, from Sandy Hook to Cape May.
What have We come to when q single
hotel keeper can thu ~overturn the entire
borough system of a great State? The
Democratic party of New Jersey has Ger
tainly given itself over to ignoble USES.
kit, The Arkansas Traveller"
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