The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-09-20

The Infamous BlackIisting System.
1t was reported at last nights meet
ing of the Merchants Protective As
ISOLATION that there were now over
1900 names registered upon the black
list of that body for this city alone.
Nothing could more conclusively
prove the gross abuse to which the
secret blacklisting system is liable.
Four thousand names on the black
list means that about one family out
of nine in the city is posted as de-
linquent by these gentry. Does any
body believe this to be the case2
Blacklists have been shown in the
courts on many occasions, to be simply
agencies of blackmail. There have
been certain indignant protests
against this in Jersey City, one which
indicate that it is not free from the
wrongs which have prevailed else
where. A merchant has a dispute
with a customer over a bill. Right,
or wrong, the customer refuses to pay.
The creditor will not go into court.
He just slaps his opponents name on
a blacklist and rests content. He is
revenged If not paid.
The blacklisting system is an in
famous one. 1t is against the spirit of
law and government. It aims to SUBJ
stitute private mean of redress for
those established by the State. There
a be no doubt but everyone whose
name is placed upon such a list can
receive heavy damages. whether he
owes the money set down against him
or not. Why do not some Of the vic
Tins revolt. and crush the wrong?
The Newark Sunday Call, being
unable to offer any reasonable excuse
for libelling Mr.. Young in the interest
of a political faction, affects to be joe
ministered to it. Its ribald mirth is
as unbecoming as its original offence.
We accused the Call of scandalously
libelling one of the leading business
men of the State. We said the libel
was uttered knowingly. What is there
funny about that? Is that the sort of
accusation that honorable men are in
the habit of being jocular about? 1t
seems to us that if the Cab felt the &C
cusation was unjust, it would have
fastened to prove its injustice. As the
case stands it must appear to every
candid mind that it cannot deny and
will not confess, so it passes the charge
with a cynical grimace intended to
pass for a smile. This seems to us
just disreputable.
In passing, the Call says THE JER-
sEY CITY NEWS has not proven its
side of the case. This is simply i'm
pudent. The NEWS gave the con-
elusive, unanswerable reasons why
Mr.. Young and his bank have not in
many years-if ever, had any financial
relations with the city of any sort,
kind, or description. 1t is not now
and has not been for many years-if
ever-a city depository. 1t has not in
a long space of years, if ever, lent
money to the city. The city deals
and has dealt for SO many years that
nobody could tell without Searching
the records, when il was OTHERWISE.
with the other banks Of the Getty, to
the exclusion 81 thar with which Mr..
Young has been, sol honorably CON
nected all hisglifel that his namesisa
synonym for5aiiinltegariitys aud h~onornin
the community vi Where he Ids best
known. ='
Before leaving Cd1A we have a
word to say about aan editorial utter
ance in which it INDUCES about Mr..
Winfield. 1t pretends to think that
the present indignation against him is
based on his prosecution of the cleo
ton cases. This is not true. The
present wrath against Mr. Winfield is
The result of his action in borrowing