Bridgeton pioneer., 1892-10-06
CHAPTER II.
GENERALIZATION OF POWER.

GENERALIZATION OF POWER
All the appointing power was trans
ferred from the joint meeting to the
Governor. That was done to Increase
his patronage and strengthen his hold
upon his party. The State House
ring was enlarged and strengthened.
The local patronage was concentrated
tendent of the State House; the pa
tronage of the State Prison was con
centrated in new board; the power
to levy assessments on various classes
of corporations, was placed in the
hands of new officer, called Com
missioner of Banks and Insurance.;
new Board of Tax Commissioners was
created to punish enemies and reward
friends, by reducing assessed values,
and y:.other meens were devised
by which men with money or in
fuence, could be forced to contribute
to the success of the machine,
A new charter for Jersey City, said
to have been drafted by the Governor,
giving the Ring control of the city,
was passed. The Ring divided the
city into so many precincts that the
rest of the county had no voice in the
county committee. Thus the election
machinery passed into the possession
of politicians with little or no moral
perception and no scruples. The Ring
had control OF the city and county
treasures. They made places and fill
ed them They had the power of at.
torneys, In fact, to create mortgages
on every mans property by issuing
bonds, and the owners had no power
to avert the lien, nor knowledge of
the time it was fastened on their pro.
perty. They could not pay up the
mortgage because it was made for a
long term of years, and covered, not
single lot or building but all of the
taxable property in the city. The
taxes were increased to provide money
for the swarm of office holders, many
of whom earned their places on the
payroll by ballot-box stuffing. The
criminal process was used to protect
criminals of every kind.
THE INFAMOUS GERRYMANDER.
Another characteristic infamy In
legislation was enacted. The State
was outrageously gerrvmandered SO
that some of the districts in Hudson
and Essex were less tnan 2,0OO feet
square, while adjoining districts with
Republican majorities were from five
to twenty-five miles in length. One
Essex district embraced SO much terri
tory that 1t was called the rainbow dis.
trict. All the other districts of the
county are within it's inner boundary.
The gerrymander was made In the
face of the fact that the Democrats
have not had majority vote for any
Governor since 1878. Once, if not
twice, within fourteen years, the
Democratic Governor has been elected
by fraud. The official election re-
turns show that Gov. Ludlow had
1858 per cent. of the total vote, and
everybody knows that he was not
elected. The election returns were
s'doctored" in Hudson county to show
plurality of 651. Gov. Albeit was
declared elected on 1892 per cent of
the total vote. Gov. Green was de-
clared elected on 47.45 of the total
vote. The fraudulent election of Gov:
Albeit the second time only showed
51.37 per cent of the total vote, and no
one believes that he had anything like
that vote. The history of the fall
campaign of 1889 is known to all.
Hudson county as usual was the piv-
otal point. The election returns en-.
abled the people to appreciate for the
first time the full significance of the
repeal of the laws to prevent frauds at
the elections.
Our $75 Organ.
In order to give people of moderate