The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-20

ago to the Board of Finance of $414, 900. the
Street and Water Board were up to the
time of the passage of the act continually
defaulted in its payment. Since the pas
sage it has met its interest regularly.
Mayor Wanser having Instructed steno-
grapher Clarence Sackett to spread on his
record sec. 159 of the charter of 1871, also
sec. 80 of laws of 1873. His Honor told
counsel that he would give ten minutes to
each counsel for summing up.
H mi UP.
counselor Grouse rose and said that the at
tacks of prosecuting counsel were levelled at
the commissioners for not doing their duty.
The charges against them are of five kinds:
Firstly, Evasion and a violation of the law
which governs the entering into contracts by
the board of certain work.
Secondly, Disbursing payments in excess
OF appropriations of moneys to meet certain
claims.
Thirdly, That although it is not a strict
violation of law, yet the use of money used
for inspector of sidewalks is a violation of
the statute.
Fourthly, That there has been general
negligence and wastefulness, particularly in
regard to the matter of schools, which clearly
establishes wastefulness and ineficiency.
Lastly, That these. commissioners are ar
raigned for giving away and bartering valu-
able franchises to railroad corporations.
AS TO THE IRIS CHARGE.
AS to the first charge, an important Sec
ton of the laws of 1891 provides that no con-
tract shall be made unless the matter is adj
vertiSed. The emergency clause provides
that this may be dispensed with in certain
cases., but in these cases a resolution must be
passed by the board at the time. Have the
present commissioners ever passed such reso-
buttons in the cases of Stanley, Nolan, Jersey
City Supply Company, Condor, T. Smith &
Bro. and P. E.. Martin ? 1t is folly to say
fhot aifho1. of fbaco man 1idpff oonfa1,r1o+n
the finishing of the work given to them as
emergency.
As to the disbursement of payments in ex-
cess of appropriations, Mr.. Grouse made the
drgumentun od homiaem by reminding the
Mayor that he had stopped work on that
ground alone. There is no doubt that the
license fees are to be used by the board in a
certain channel, but they must obey the law.
Even Mr.. Dugan admitted this matter of ex-
ceeding appropriations, and there can be no
doubt of the violation of the law. Then as to
the giving away valuable franchises to rail-
road corporations, it is well known that the
closing of Brown place, giving franchises to
the Consolidated Traction Company, and the
shutting up of Railroad avenue are sufficient
reasons that these men should be removed,
and the people shall have a clean, efficient
municipal board. Mr.. Grouse ridiculed the
idea put forth by Commissioners in settling
the bids that they did not know anything
was irregular.
THE only conclusion to be arrived at is
that we say to these accused men, You are
either inefficient or you have violated the
law"
'We therefore ask your Honor not to be
governed by technical questions. but analyze
and investigate this hearing, and if it APP
pears that these men are guilty of these
charges recommend their REMOVAL
THE DEFENSE.
Mr. Corbin, leading counsel for the Com
missioners, in pleading for his clients. re-
minded His Honor that the application to re-
move them was of a judicial character. Pro-
ceedings like these are not nov and may be
only reviewed by certiorari. Counsel com
planned that he had to meet a vast
amount of public ~credulity. ''You know
that many ardent Protestants are actively
engaged in damning the Pope, so too many
active political reformers are daily engaged
in damning the political officials. It is cheap
patriotism to abuse public officials Counsel
then took up each charge of Mr.. Erwin and
see that the prosecutors had not charged
corruption and could not trace one dollar
into the pockets of the Commissioners.
1t may be that the money had been paid,
not according to the technical point of the
law, but the city had the benefit of tine ex-
pense. The law, under which these charges
nave been made, bears no relation to the
lIlC4U VI lAOllCo Jul " OOllul dCpSs
"This whole argument is that the officials
must go by contracts. That's rubbish. The
law says nothing of the kind, unless in cases
Of assessment for sewers and streets"
As to the putting in of claims, it is a vul-
gar error, counse claimed, that no one shall
put in a bill for $500 because it's illegal. He
ridiculed the insinuation that the Commits
sioners are guilty because people do that
sort of thing. Counsel admitted that monies
had been paid out of the licenses monies, not
by contract, but the act did not compel it.
PHIL.
Mr.. Corbin defended "Phil' Muldoon's ap-
pointment, and said so many pretty things
about that worthy that actually "Phil"
blushed! The argument concluded with a
defence of the Brown place matter, the
Traction Company's ordinances and other
franchises given away. Mr.. Corbin said that
Mr.. Simpson and the cranks in G%reenville
didn't know that the city had been a reci-
pient of many dollars by the transaction, and
that the blessings of rapid transit fully war
ranted the Street and Water Board in grant
ing the traction ordinance. AS to the water
department, Mr.. Corbin pooh poohed the
charge that the city is losing money by it.
Why, Jersey City, according to Mr.. Corbin,
has a water system she ought to be proud of
The department, he claimed, is making
money by it, and, taking all in all, Jersey
City is a well governed city, n anybody
who e~ntertains a contrary opinion doesn't
know what he is talking about.
Counsellor Thompson rested for the re-
spondents with the remar hat the Mayor
would review the charges from his own
knowledge of the facts.
COUNSELLOR ERWIN'S ARGUMENT.
Counsellor James S. Erwin took up the
respondents counsels argument, and ridi-
culed the p~retensions that the Commission
ers had only erred in technically violating
the law. If the city is TO be run on the same
haphazard way it has been run in years past,
a continuance of an era of looseness may be
expected. These men having shown no
good business Judgment in conducting the
affairs of the city, and having wilfully been
guilty of wrong doing, it is time these men
should be turned out. In the misapplication
of license moneys and the carelessness of in
speeding bids, the Commissioner lay them
selves open to grave suspicious. They nave
not shown any prudence, any economy, any
intelligence, in conducting the city's affairs.
When these bills of items of S499 and 1895
were passed through without inves-
LEGATION, these Commissioners nave CON
victed themselves of malfeasance in office.
Mr.. Erwin concluded by showing how the
board had broken the law i'll regard to the
$500 contracts in the case Of the building of
School No. 25, and maintained that the
board had violated their duty in every mat
ter, concerning .tl8 encroachment of rail
road corporations and demonstrated that
the board is not fit to hold Office any longer
and should be wiped out.
Ex-JUDGE DOUGLASS CONTENTION.
Ex-Judge Douglass wound up the argu-
ment for the citizens by dwelling particu-
He singled out the School No. IS affair and
arO11ad that bv itS i0u-p0fnu1atiau aonor5-