The Jersey City news., 1892-04-01

1t is because | believe L can give you
better government than you now have,
that can make some reforms which Will
benefit the municipality. l do not mean
to charge the present irritation that ex-
lists co the officials now in office; but say
it is an aggregation Of twenty years
growth. don't propose now to discuss
the history of this discomfort, don't care
what was the cause; the result is this;-
The city is not in the condition as to CAP
ital and investments, is not in the pros
porous condition that the people living In
it should enjoy with all of its natural ad-
vantages, with the Hudson on the one
side and the Hackensack on the other;
and it has not that business that it should
have with these advantages.
A BAR TO PROGRESS.
II say it matters not the cause Of the
excessive tax, it is here. II man wants
to buy house, the first thing he asks Is
what the taxes are. If he wants to start
manufactory, he looks at the taxes. II he
wants to go into any business he looks
first at the taxes. say to you Jersey
City cannot today compete with sister
cities which have lower rates OF taxation.
People will locate where they can have
low taxes.
II believe the present tax rate can be re-
duced. l talk to you. now as business
man who has thorough knowledge or
the business of every department. In the
city, and If / am elected your Mayor
promise you the taxes shall be reduced,
EappiaaSsii hare With this AN Society fsS tonight
If it had taken an active interest in the
welfare of the city twenty years ago the
city and the members of the Society
would be better Off today. IT l am
Mayor will want the people to know
how their creasurv stands. 1t is their
right just as much as to know how their
individual bank account stands. If am
Mayor want your help. One man can
not do the work of reform alone. The
Mayor must have the brains Of every man
in the city at his service. ! will give
mine and want you to give yours, for 4
want to advance the interests OF the city
live in and expect to die in.
'IJ is true, as ex-Judge Garretson told
you, that we, here at home, do not feel
much the abuses in the Custom House.
but when it comes to abuses in your
municipal government you are touching
the object nearest your home, except your
household expenses. Bad municipal
government strikes home, and 1t strikes
~~~e>-~
not own property.
WHOLLY UNTRAAlAfELLED.
sThere is no man in this City who Is my
debtor, none who is my creditor for an
office, and say am not seeking to be
Mayor because want power. am run
ming in the interest of no clique, no ring,
and have made no pledges to any man.
| will keep those in office who do their
duty to the city, and will not hesitate to
remove any man from office who | find
fails to do his duty. / would thousand
times rather be defeated than take the
office bound by pledges to keep any unfit
man. Government is for the protection
of man and not for his support. A gov
ernment to be good must have hands
laid lightly upon its treasury.
DEADLY DRAIN.
"Of the SO, 000, 900 collected annually to
pay for the government of the city nearly
one-half goes to New York and other for
eign communities in the form of interest.
The Democratic party Is not chargeable
with this misfortune. In 1870. when the
CITY was consolidated the entire debt was
S. 7O6. OO0 After the consolidation the
same crowd that is yelling for my defeat
tonight is the crowd that ran this debt
up to $17, 73O, 900. almost $40, 900 in sew
en- years.
To-day the debt of the city is S1s.066.-
O0O."
TEN-FoRTY BONDS.
Mr.. McDermott referred especially to
the celebrated "ten forty" bonds bearing
z per cent. interest, issued in 1872-ln
other words bonds redeemable in ten
years, yet allowing forty years as limit.
Until 1913," he said, ''the taxpayers
must pay per cent. upon these bonds.
In no other city in the United States are
the taxpayers obliged to pay interest on
municipal bonds issued to meet ex-
penses incurred during the Civil War.
"Since 1887, 50, 229, 900 has been added to
the debt said he. That's more than 1t
the city debt. believe the best policy Is
to pay as you go. Be square about it,
Mr.. McDermott did not fail to empha-
size the fact that since 1870 the only
period during which the city's debt was
reduced was between the dates December
/, 1883, and April l, 1885. which covered
his term as the head of the Finance
Board. During that short time the debt
was reduced three-quarters OF million
of dollars. AT the end Of that term the
Board of Aldermen cut short the ftnan-
cial schemes he had formulated.
IMPENDING DANGER.
"For a long time this city went along
the downward course of Railway and
Elizabeth" Mr.. McDermott Went on.
"They went into bankruptcy and our city
narrowly escaped it. Ii our city debt
now increases any more, the city will
soon be in the condition of Railway and
Elizabeth. The debt must be reduced at
once, and If it is not then government
here Is failure, Under the new charter
the government of the city depends
wholly upon the Mayor. He is the per-
son responsible for the city's condition.
may not be able to fill the office and do
what want to do, but believe can. |
will certainly try. make no pledge
don't care to keep. will do what said
in my letter of acceptance would, and
IL don't. 1T will be because l am dishon es
and no man has ever yet said that OF me
If do not give good government it will
be because / am either dishonest or in
competent. IL am dishonest you must
stand il [laughterl; IL am Incompetent
and cannot do what promised, will re-
sign. [Applause.]
AN APPEAL TO THE RECORD.
"By my record l am willing to be
judged. To say this seems to me like q
man bloying his own horn; but it is
right. But you have the right If you are
going to make me your servant, to ask
me where my letters of recommendation
are, and il is proper for me produce them.
have several. Laughter
Il have held many offices. was Cor
poration Attorney from 1879 to 1852 and
there is not an act OF mine in that record
that / am afraid to face the public's
"I was in the Assembly two years and
stand by the record made there, and to-
night l would not, il / could, change q
single vote of mine in the Legislature.