The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-08-27
OFFICIALS ON HOOKS.
Fearful That They May
Fall at Anv
Time.
A MEASURE OF ECONOMY.
But Certain Freeholders Think
They. Sec a Plot Behind 1t
and Will Not Agree.


Some OF the employees at Snake Hill
are much troubled in spirit. They have
the decidedly unpleasant prospect of be-
ing bounced from their soft snaps.
These anxious individuals are James
Boucher, Assistant County Superintend-
emf, salary, 81 200 a year; Frederick Hottie
and - Burke. carpenters. and carpen-
ter at the Court House. salary. So per day
each; John f. Connolly, gas and pipe
filter, salary. ss per day: Peter Cavanagh.
mason, salary SO per day; - Mccarthy.
the county farmer, who has been relieved
of much of his responsibility, and the
cook mt the Almshouse.
Boucher and Cavanagh are Freeholder
Tierney's appointees, Hottie and Connolly
were placed by Freeholder Hennessey.
and Burke and the Almshouse COOK owe
their places to Freeholder Ellis. Until
the present cook was appointed to the
Aimshouse few months ago, that insti-
tuition never had one, aud the work was
done by the inmates County Farmer
Mccarthy was placed by Freenolder KIM
meriy.
The low condition &. the county finances
has been matter or common notoriety
for more than three months. and In this
shortage lies the alleged reason for the pro-
posed removals. Freeholder Ellis has been
particularly active in asking In commit
tee meetings that the men be dismissed
until December when the funds from the
new tax levy will be placed in the hands
OF the Board Of Freeholders. But Mr..
Ellis does not want his cook bounced, Mr..
Kimnerly desired to hold his farmer and
the other Freeholders Insist on retaining
their appointees. Each Is willing to re-
move any appointee but his own.
HOW IT WAS DONE.
When the present Board was organiz-
ing many caucuses were held to distribute
the patronage. Freeholders Kimmerly
and Hennessey MANAGED to secure the
lions share, and obstinately refused TO
submit 10 a redistribution. This dis
pleased Director Bruggemann and Free
holders Ellis and Coyle, all from Ho-
boken. and Freeholder Noonan, from
Weehawken. They claimed that there
should be an even division. Finally
compromise was effected, Kimmerly and
Hennessev agreeing TO join the Hoboken
men in filling any vacancies that might
occur In other words, in case of a
vacancy, the Hoboken men were to I'LL
the place. Freeholder Tierney agreed to
this plan also. and the place OF Assistant
County Superintendent was created for
the benefit of his appointee.
ken Freeholders waited for vacancies,
but they did not then know the tenacity
with which a Jersey City office-hoider
clines to his position. No vacancies of
any consequence offered, bnt what did
happen were promptly filled in accor-
dance with the terms OF the agreement.
The decided inclination of the great
majority to hold fast to what they had at
last disheartened the patient Hoboken
Freeholders, and 1t is said they concluded
that determined effort under pretense
of reducing expenses must be resorted to
if they wanted anything.
The Hoboken men. according to the
new plan, were simply TO ask that the
men above men ntioned be removed until
December. The shrewd kimmerly and
Hennessey at once mtstrusted this sud
den outburst of economy and remembered
the agreement about filling vacancies;
therefore they were not in sympathy with
the movement.
SECRET MEETING.
AS a last effort on the part OF Ellis,
Coyle. Bruggemann and Noonan to OBJ
tain the desired dismissals the chairmen
of the subcommittee and the Committee
on County Institutions, with Mr.. Brug-
gemann and Freeholder Ellis. agreed to
hold quiet meeting at the Penitentiary
Yesterday and try to settle the matter.
Kirnmerly is chairman of the Peniten-
tiary Committee, Henuessey OF the Asy-
lum Committee and Noonan of the Aims
house Committee. At the appointed
hour all but Hennessey and Kimmerly
were present. The three others waited
for them until half-past two aud then
Freeholder Ellis, In disgust, went home.
He mad scarcely gone when Hennessey
arrived, but Kfmmerly failed to reach
the meeting at ALL Owing to his absence
nothing was done
The dismissals will probably be dis
cussed this afternoon before the Board
Iu is well known that Freeholder Ellis
is anxious to get rid of Boucher. He OPP
posed the creation of the useless office un-
til il was decided on, and then he opposed
the appointment of Boucher, whose rec
claimed now that Boucher is frequently
absent from Snake Hill for days at time,
that he often does not get there until nine
o'clock in the mqSping, though he should
be there at seveu put the men TO work,
and that he is geberally unfit for the I'M
necessary position.
1t need not surprise anyone il Free
holder Ellis this afternoon offers a reso-
luton dismissing Boucher for these Of
fepses. whether the other men are dis
missed or not. 1t Is not at all certain
that the conference this afternoon will
result in any dismissals. but it may.
One of the strongest arguments used by
Freeholders Kimmerly and Hennessey
for the retention Of the carpenters is that
there is much carpentering work to be
done at the Hall OF Records, and II there
is no work for the men at Snake Hill, it
would be better to let them work in the
Hall of Records than to dismiss them
only to hire others in their places A
man well posted in this matter told me
that he did not think any dislnissals
would take place just now. because votes
QnnnQI to a n il cnuia moi be secured.