The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-22
The Traction Ordinance and the
Newark Avenue Vacation

among the members of the Street
and Water Board to identify the
Newark Avenue Vacation and the
Consolidated Traction Monopoly in
one olnmo cause. If they can,
they will pass both matters over Act
ing Mayor Simpsons veto together;
if they cannot pass both, they will
pass neither. The purpose of their
action is to divide up as much as pos
sible the odium of overriding the
vetoes, to involve as many interests
as possible in the situation and to
make it the business of the junction
Railway hackers to silence some of
the protests against the traction ordi-
nance.
Now the public perfectly under
stand that these two matters have
absolutely no connection whatever.
Any attempt to couple or connect
them is a pure, unadulterated fake,
and has some dishonest purpose. The
Junction Railway Company and its
representatives, we feel certain, have
no desire to have the resolu-
ton vetoed by Mr.. Simpson
passed over his veto. The veto
message embodies an inferential
approval of the bargain be-
tween the company and the city,
as it stands. There is not the slight
est suggestion OF criticism on the
terms of that bargain. The Mayors
objection is that, as the resolution is
drawn, it does not legally bind the
company to the bargain. The Mayor
demands that a resolution be drawn
which shall not only make the grant
the railroad asks, but which shall
also set forth all the conditions of the
grant, and shall provide that the
grant shall only be operative when the
company formally accepts these con-
ditions. 1t is only reasonable to sup
pose that the company is quite will
ing to comply with the Mayors re-
quirements. The terms of the
bargain are. in the main, its own
proposal. 1t is to be assumed it n
tered into the negotiation in good
faith, and so it cannot be supposed to
have any objection to being bound
to performance in the way the Mayor
asks. In a word, we should expect
its desire would be that the present
resolution should drop just where it
is, and that a new one. drafted on the
lines suggested by the Mayor, should
be introduced and passed at once.
II, for any reason of it's own, the
Street and Water Board now passes
the present resolutions over the
Mayors veto. it will deprive the city
of all legal title to the advantages
offered it in the pavement of Fremont
street, the opening and paving of Mer-
Ger street, and the sewage of the whole
ground. 1t will deprive the city, per-
haps, of the advantage of a bond from
the Railway Company for the faithful
performance OF its part of the con-
tract. All that the Street and Water
Board can pass ove the Mayors veto
is the vacation of the street the railway
wants. All the rest becomes, from
the moment of passage, a mere mat
ter of generosity with the Railway
Company
The Junction Road people will cer-
certainly be foolish if they allow the
Street and Water Commissioners to
force upon them any part of the
odium of the Consolidated Traction
ordinance by making it. and the
Newark avenue matter appear
to be parts of the same job.
The Junction road has enough to do
to answer for its own affairs and pro-
tect its W interests. It's lawyers
and agents should positively insist on
being kept separate and distinct from
the Traction crowd. They should
protest against action being taken on
their resolution even on the same day
that the Consolidated ordinance comes
up.
Let us not have this traction issue
befogged. Let it stand before the
people by itself. so that all may
clearly understand it and fix the re-
sponsibility for the good or evil that
may be done exactly where it belongs.
ROBERT ADRIAN is meeting with
the fate he deserves. He threw off
the mask in the last session, and his
political ~depravity is now a matter of
oinnlon ~notoriety. The denuncia-
ton of his methods by the Trades
Federation yesterday was a most fit
ting act of justice. 1t is not necessary
to approve of all the Legislative meas
ures for which this body was sponsor
in order to agree with it in protesting
against the methods by which this
corrupt and selfish politician usurped
10 himself the powers of the Senate
by deciding the fate of bills by his
own act and to please himself or his
corrupt allies.
The presidents Morgue.n as the
drawer was called where Adrain in
tered bills which he did not propose
10 allow the Senate to act upon, was
>ne OF the most monstrous atrocities