The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-01-25
GREAT Hudson BRIDGE.
The Bill Pending In Con-
gress Sure to Pass
the House.

l sH F 9h
WASHINGTON, January 25. 1s92.-The
Hudson River Bridge bill will pass. The
| oppo sition is narrowed to seven lonely
members. I made poll of the House to-
| day and found an overwhelming major
ity in favor of the bill. The needs of gen.
eral m as well as those OF Ne W
York. require the construction OF such q
~bridge-that Is the sentiment entertained
by most of the members of the House.
Representatives from the Western and
| Southern States hesitated SO long, as they
were in doubt as to whether the New
York city delegation favored the bill. IN
being assured that the citizens OF New
York aud their representatives age a unit
they gladly add their voices to the popu-
lar demand. The Tammany delegation
is willing to do all it possibly can. Every
member from the city except Mr.. Warner
spoke to his Congressional neighbors of
the necessity of the proposed bill.
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY.
or the New York delegation in the
House all are in favor of the Bridge bill
except Mr.. Warner and Mr.. Stahlnecker.
Mi. Warmers opposition will only extend
to his voting against the bill. while Mr..
~Stahinecker, the Yonkers statesman who
has so suddenly returned to legislative
life, will resort to flibusterlng or auy
other means at his command to defeat
the bill. II he would allow the bill to
| come to a vote the result is apparent by
the poll of the House made today. Mr..
Stahlnecker is aware of this, but intends
TO fight the measure nevertheless. Mr..
Stahlnecker,s influence, however, will
| not do the bill much harm beyond the
loss of one vote from New York, for it Is
not believed he can secure much, If any,
following. His continued absence from
the House has lost him the prestige he had
gained. and when he arose in his seat
yesterday and put a motion for the House
to adjourn many members did not know
him. All the New Jersey members favor
the bill.
Senator Hill is for the bill and Senator
Hiscock Is against it. The latter bases
his objection upon the ground that it will
injure the chances of the Lilienthal
bridge bill, for which u bill was passed
BY Congress foul years ago, and since
which time nothing whatever has been
done.
WHY COCHRAN FAvoRs IT.
But what little harm will be done by
| the few opposed to the bill will be more
than Offset by the attitude of Bonrke
Cochran, who will do all in bis power to
secure the passage of the bill.
'.For my part, l don't care who builds
the bridge" said he, but l want it built.
aud / want it built quickly. There may
or may not De q job In this bill. but those
who are in a position to know, assure me
| that there are men behind 1t with ample
capital aud who are willing to invest 1t in
| this great enterprise and take the profit
that will assuredly come. from it. l am
told that eighty millions of people cross
the North River every year.. This is more
than the entire population of the United
States, and it is high time. that some
proper means was provided for their get
ting into New York. Ishall not only
vote for the bill, but shall do what l can
! to secure its consideration and its pas
sage"
scarcely less of a leader on the floor of the
House than MIR. Cochran. He is always
to be found ~favoring the great public i'm
proyements proposed. 81 always favor
the construction of a bridge wherever
practicable" Mr.. Cultivate said to me
| tonight, and If there Is any place in the
entire country where a bridge is needed lt
il between New York aud New Jersey.
While / do not care to critfcise New
Workers, I am frank TO say that | have
of en- wondered when crossing the ferries
| 10 get to the metropolis that sucn a great
and enterprising center of population and
wealth should rest content with present
| accommodations in the way of transpor-
MISREPRESENTATION that surely be-
long to an age before the building of the
great East River Bridge. OF course.
Navigation must be protected, but this
bill, as brought before the House, pro-
| vides for that, because its plans must be
submitted for the approval Of the Secre-
| tary of War. shall most assuredly vote
for the bill and hope to see it pass this
session.
FAVORED BY THE MAJORITY.
OF the It's membelS of The House inter-
viewed in person by me today 10S were
pronounced in their views. They were
for the bill first, last and all the time,
because they believed IL a necessity. In
nearly every case these members referred
to the personal discomfort experienced
by them when visiting New York. and
declared that the ferries were a thing
that belonged to a time long since past.
Isaw sixty other members of the House
who were noncOmmittal, simply because
they had not examined into the subject.
In nearly every instance, however, THESE
members stated that they were willing to
leave the matter to the Judgment of the
committee and abide by the wishes Of
New York delegation. These members
can therefore be counted upon to vote for
the bill after they have had an opportun-
ity to examine it and after they v
heard the views of the members OF the
Rivers and Harbors Committee and the
members of the New York delegation.
This gives the bill a majority, and a sale
one, of the entire House.
OF the other members the Clerk OF the
House tells me that about ninety are out
of the city. The seven members who are
opposed to the bill oppose IL on various
grounds, none of which cen bring to their
support any additional votes. Outside of
the two members from New York-Mr.
Warner and Mr.. Stahlnecker-there are
Mr.. Oalzell and Mr.. Stone. of Pennsyl-
vania. who are opposed to the bridge OH
purely personal grounds, because they
have friends interested in the Lilientnal
Bridge. Mr. Stone himself admitted to-
night that he was one of a hopeless min-
GRITTY, and that the New York and New
Jersey Bridge bill would surely pass. The
other members opposed are O'Neill of
Nj massachusetts,, Brickner of Wisconsin,
! aud Allen of Mississippi. none of whom
| were able TO give me any reason when /
saW them today for their opposition.