The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-10-12

3.
one which. it seems to me. no thinking
man OF either party can afford TO disre-
gard in forming his conclusion as to the
party safest TO be trusted with DO ower in
this nation.
What spectacle-a whole county
and its newly elected President compelled
TO rely upon the defeated minority a, its
safeguard against destructive legisia-
tion.
OUR COUNTY.
But tonight we have particularly to
do with our own county. the county
where are located our home, and prop
erty; the county to whose Government
we nre compelled to look for the COM
fort and safety OF the lives of our wives
aud little oues and the security Of our
property; the county which ought to bs
our JOY aud pride.
Instead we see 1t In the hands of meu,
than many of whom none scould be more
upscrupulous; its offices largely filled
with creatures untitled, either by educa.
lion or morals. to ill any posi-
ton OF honor or trust; its
treasury embarrassed; Its bonded
debt enormous and annually increasing;
its tax rate oppressive; its offices filled by
men, many uf whom are Incompetent,
places they occupy; and, saddest of all,
It's grand juries SO drawn that certain
classes OF crime eujoy immunity from
punishment and flourish openly In our
midst, without even an attempt at con-
cealment.
.'lnis condition of things has not
grown up in night, nor come upon us
is the result of gradual encroachment
While the people slept b I'd men, whose
trade is politics, have woven around the
community network of power. into
whose meshes the people have been gath
cred until 1t requires something akin to
upheaval of the body polite to unto the
wrong that mas been accomplished.
THE sHERIFF's OFFICE.
"The Office for wnicn we are tonight to
nominate stands at the threshold of all
good county government. The Sheriff.
as the law now STANDS In New Jersey. Is
charged with the duty of drawing the
grand and petit juriss. With him is
lodged the fountain Of justice. without
his sanction crime cannot be punished
nor prevented.
II fear the people generally do not ap-
preciate the importance of this office. No
criminal can be brought to trial, save by
his own consent, until he has first been
indicted by the Grand Jury. This body.
made no of twenty-tour men, Is drawn
by the Sheriff, aud upon It's complexion
depends the punishment OF crime.
Judges may be as incorruptible as
Joseph. Detectives may be ever SO acute
ALI the officers OF the law may do their
full duty.
the criminal even though he be ap-
pretended In the act of crime, is safe
and must go free If the Grand jury re-
fuse TO indict. Without their action the
trial court Is powerless to even put nim
upon his defence.
'Only few short months have passed
since we saw an upright Judge in this
county fall stricken with appopiexy III
the effort to drive our Grand July TO its
duty against known Offenders.
''Siuce then two Of hts SUCCESSORS from
the same bench have. in tones of authof-
itv addressed other Gfand Jaries aud
told them of their duty aud the disgrace
their inactloa was bringing UPON the
fair name OF their county and all without
avail.
Gambling on the race course, in the
pool rooms and policy shops still goes
unrebuked and official corruption Is not
examined uor brought TO trial and With
these host of lesser coordinate crimes.
There is an abundance OF law to reach
all offenders. DuL the grand l1ries stand
like WAL Of atiHtnauE between the
wrong-doers aud the law.
'In vain the people cry out; In vain the
press thuncers; iu vain the committing
magistrates take action. the grand jury
staLds In The way.
@s THE BOSS SYSTEM.
"The system of bosssm has become so
we'll established, the power of patronage
and ostracIsm has been SO successfully
used with many, the argument OF party
fealty with others, that there exists TO-
day In this county an autocracy whose
authority is we'll nigh as powerful and
whose tyranny Is more exacting than that
of an absolute monarch.
These mea are politicians for their
own profit aud not for the couuty's good.
No crime Is TOO vile to ihsm to resort
TO. to obtain aud perpeIuaGe their power.
Bribery. ballot box stuffing. intimid A.
zion, representation of absenIess. all are
resorted to. aud they do not stoo even aG
the grave, but vote upon the names of
dead men to elevate to Office their crea-
tures and dependRnts. A stranger would
refuse TO believe such things possible,
bat we in this county know only too well
that they are true. Democrats and re-
puoIicans alike deDlore, bur submit.
"A few years ago the mention of such
a state of affairs wouldha shocked us,
but so mucn are we now debauched that
we regard them with a feeling almost
youth have come to manhood. de prlved
of even a proper standard of political
morals.
THE GRAND JURY.
"We stand by aud see crime flourish
public money wasted and worse, our
property deprecated, our people
corrupted and submit.
..All this has been rendered possible By
the ring of the Snerff's Office; with that
office in their possession they have made
these thugs safe. Take that away from
them and criminals must t1se aud decent
men come again 10 the front.
.'Let me not be misunderstood as coa-
demiug alike all Grand Jurors of recent
years. A lie which is half truth Is of all
lies most dangerous.
$50 Grand Jury with few highly
respect BILE moral men on irs stand. bu5
with u safe majority for the ring aud its
creatures is most TO be feared.
= ''Tbe good men are pointed TO aud dis
arm suspicion, the bad men cast the votes
and prevent action.
rs it not then high time that this
Office was reformedf Can we not call the
All ention OF our Democratic friends to the
need of reformp They must aud do see
that it is hopeless within their own party.
"TDe racetrack. the pool room, the
policy shops. unjust contracts, aud all
the methois of Illegal gain. have consol
idated and have SO ramified the elements
of their party that they cannot hope TO
find man who can be nominated by
them in view of the system by whica
their conventions are dominated who is
free from these Influences or beyond
their control.
There Is no safety for them any more
than for US, save In the election OF q
republican, whose record is clean not
only. but all whose surroundings and
hone of promotion lie In his zeal In
bringing to punishmenI those VINO nave