The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-24
The Corporation Counsel and h
Boards-A Chance for Harmony.

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The Corporation Counsel and h
Boards-A Chance for Harmony.
The City has been more or less scan
dalized the last month or two by the
spectacle of two of its Boards engaged
in contention over their respective
rights and privileges, and occupying
altogether a belligerent attitude to-
wards each other. The spectacle was
all the more unpleasant because the
two bodies were of the same political
complexion and the enemies OF the
party they represented tried to give
their differences the aspect of a sort
of family quarrel. Those who know
the facts give assurance that politics
had nothing to do with the matter
and that whatever friction there was,
was caused by mere ordinary official
jealousy.
In our judgment, the dispute never
really amounted to anything serious,
and we believe that we will To- hear
UQ AuQIt VI It, OCltCAAAJ VIC cAChAA
not, for both bodies have an excellent
opportunity to adopt a pacific policy
without any sacrifice of personal or
official vanity. In the course of the
dispute, the Corporation Counsel was
asked to prepare an opinion, defining
Just how far the Board OF Finance
could exercise a power of revision
over the acts of the Street and
Water Board. He did so, and the
opinion was printed in full in our
columns on Monday. 1t is only ne
cessary to read it to soc hat ''honors
are easy as between the Boards. Even
if they were not, it would be fair to
expect hat both sides would be bound
by this formal exposition OF the law
and by merely following its indica-
tions they would insure peace in the
city government.
1t is well known that our sympa-
thies have in a large measure been
with the Finance Board in the entire
dispute. We believe hat its powers
OF concurrence or Inconvenience
should extend to every important ex-
penditure of money. We are sorry
to find that the law authorizes ex-
tremely large expenditures by the
Street and Water Board this year
without any check whatever. 1t is
well that this state OF things has
been officially set forth, how
ever. The responsibility is now
placed exactly where it belongs.
The Street and Water Commissioners
are absolutely and alone answerable
for the application of the excise
money to street repairs, and 1t is in
cumbent on them to spend it usefully
and economically. If they do not do
so, the public will know who is to
blame; if they do so, the whole credit
will be theirs.
The Corporation Counsel finds the
law just as everyone's common n
told him it must be, on the subject of
information to be furnished to the
Financiers. In cases where the func-
ton of concurrence exists, that is, in
the expenditure of all moneys appro-
priated by the Finance Board itself, the
Board is entitled to the fullest infor-
nation that is in the possession of the
coordinate boards, and if such boards
refuse to furnish it, the Financiers
may send into their offices and collect
it from their records. This is the
point on which we principally dwelt
in previous editorials on this subject,
and we find that the views we then
entertained are endorsed in the pres
ent statement of the law.
At any rate. the law has been de
fined. 1t seems to us that both sides
come out of the struggle we'll enough
to accept the situation as 1T is and
stop pickering. The honor of the
city, and the interests of the Demo
cratic party, to which we believe all
the gentlemen concerned are devoted
on broad public grounds. call for a re-
newal of harmony. Let US have peace.
gentlemen, and good will too. You
are all doing your best, why fall out
over some petty detail in the way of