The Jersey City news., 1892-02-09
A Free Library Blunder.


The defeat of Mr.. O'Neiil's Free
Library bill last night was partly the
result of misunderstanding and partly
of the spread eagle spirit with which
amatter of grave moment was treated.
A perusal of the debate will show that
the adversaries of the bill either
failed to grasp it's purport and effect
or else wilfully misrepresented it. The
fact that they were talking for effect
and were willing to talk nonsense SO
long as it sounded fine, is painfully
evident.
The bill, as framed, authorized the
Board Of Finance to appropriate any
sum it chose for the Library, provided
it was not less than $4,000. 1t might
give 100000, $4,000, even 100000, if
it thought the Library needed it and
the city could afford it. 1t must not
give less than $4,000; that was the
only restriction.
Yet Mr.. Heaney cody told the As
sembly that the bill would enable the
Board of Finance to kill the Library.
Mr.. Heaney is gentleman and
"a man of intelligence and ought to be
above such Misrepresentation. If he
considers $40, 900 less than a living al
lowance for the Library-as indeed we
do-he should have amended the bill
by increasing the minimum to say
$4,000, which is, beyond all cavil,
sufficient to maintain the establish
ment, even on its present. somewhat
inflated scale.
The buIncombe lavished on the
beneficent influence of .the Library
was wholly uncalled for. Nobody
disputes that the Library is a good
thing. 1t has no enemies. The only
question is as to whether it shall be
conducted on scale of expenditure
over which the City Government
has no control. The principle Of Mr..
O'Neill's bill was that fairly liberal
maintenance should be made manda-
tory upon the city, but that any ex-
cess over that for extension or for
fancy developments should be under
the control of the financial officers of
the city, to be allowed when the city's
affairs permitted, to be withheld when
the needs of the citizens in other
directions rendered the money more
useful elsewhere. Now if all this is not
In the line of sound governmental
theory, we are very much mistaken.
The Grgtsment,tm Gd homi1Dem adj
dressed to Mr.. O'Neill respecting his
salary and the pay of other city
officials is of course of no effect ex-
cept as controversial weapon to im-
pair the repute of an opponent. The
fact that Mr.. Potts resorted to it,
proves that he felt Mr.. O'Neill had
far the best of the real argument, and
some fling of this kind was needed to
turn the laugh on him." and thus
destroy the effect of his really solid
and sound propositions. What mat
ter if every official in the city was
overpaid? How would that effect the
principle of this bill. Mr.. O'Neill may
have looked ungraceful as champion
of economy and the regulation of ex-
penses; but are economy and so forth
any worse because he advocates them?
We think not.
Fact is, Mr.. O'Neill was right. The
time is not far off when every city in
the State will join in insisting upon
the passage of just such bill. The
arbitrary settlement of the Library
appropriation is wholly wrong and
vicious, and it cannot and will not
stand. Reform may not be needed in
other cities so badly us in this. just
now; but their time will come. We GER
tainly need to call a halt right now.
Last year we failed to get paid fire
department because we could not af-
ford it. We have TO borrow money
to build station houses. Our night
shoots are a farce. Our day schools are
insufficient. Our streets are i'll paved
and dirty. Our public offices are rat
tletraps.
But we can afford $50, 900 year for
a Library-just double the amount
needed to maintain one creditably.
1t is arrant nonsense, aud our repre-
sentatives in Trenton are doin g us a
serious injustice.