The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-08
(FR0M THIS M0RNING'SNEW YORK
HERALD0
FIELDER'S POSITION
CREATES SCANDAL.
Opposition Of the Jersey Con-
gresham to the Wilson Bill
Laid to a Deal.
DRUGMAN KILLERS INTERESTS.
He Is Said to Have Elevated
Fielder's Relative to Office
in Return for Protection.
DRUGMAN KILLERS INTERESTS
DENY THERE WAS ANY DEAL.

their own party who oppose varlouss cheduleS
of the Wilson Tariff Reform bill and allow
their individual interests to interfere with
the settled policy of the party at large has
been given in the Herald's Washington
dispatches.
1t was found impossible to obtain a quorum
in the House on Saturday owing to the
absence of democrats who had absented
themselves from Washington for the purpose
of delaying action on the reported bill
The Sergeant-at-Arms of the House and
his special deputies are now hunting up
these recalcitrant Congressman, who are to
be arrested when found and taken before
the bar of the House to answer to their
neglect of public interests;
The absence of one of these members and
his expressed disapproval of particular SEIZED
uIes of the pending bill, even when in his
place in the House, has been sufficient to
raise a scandal. The man is Congressman
Fielder, of Jersey City. He represents the
Seventh district of New Jersey, including
that part of Hudson county directly across
the river from this city and comprising DER
sey City, Hoboken, Kearny and Harrison
within its limits.
Mr.. FEEDERS opposition to the Wilson bill
has led to strange developments in Jersey
City, where he lives. Everybody acquainted
with public affairs is talking about it. There
his position is universally credited to a deal
which has just been brought to public notice
that affects the Congressmanis individual In
terests and has raised the merrlest kind OF a
row in both the local political parties.
Congressman Fielder's case brings into
strong relief the methods of opponents of the
new Tariff bill who make their private in
terests paramount to the call of the entire
people for relief from war taxes. 1t was not
long after the publication of the schedules OF
the Wilson bill before Congressman Fielder
made known his opposition to some sections
of it. He gave it out that the particular
schedules which he would oppose were those
affecting spool thread, drugs, medicines and
Autographs. These industries, he explained,
in his district would be hard hit, and he was
not willing for the general good to put them
even under temporary embarrassment
LOCAL INTEREST," o LARGE.
The Clark Thread Mills are located in
Kearny. The only important lithographing
works in Mr.. Fielder's district are those OF
the Heppenheimer's, in which General Hep
penheimer, State Treasurer oil New Jersey,
is interested. There are no extensive drug
or medicine interests. The most important
of them include a small chemical factory, q
castor oil factory and drug mills of George
r. Hitler.
George B. Hitler is a Finance Commits
sioner of Jersey City, and it was this allusion
! TO the protection necessary to Hudson Coun-
tvs drug" interests that first created suspicion
in the minds of Jersey residents and has now
| developed into a scandal.
This scandal involves the Congressman in
! the recent political deal contaminated by the
Jersey City Board of Finance that resulted
in turning good public servant out into the
| cold and replacing them with friends of its
prime movers. The Herald had a story of
| the coup at the time.
CORPORATION Counsel William D.. Edwards
| aoI Cornorotinn A ttOr11pu SrppopT Mozart
were displaced without warming at a special
| meeting of the Finance Commission held on
| December 81 last. There places were as
quickly filled by ex-State Senate Brinker-
hof and James S. Erwin. The Board is Re
publican.
Brinkerhof is a democrat. He is a BROTH
| er-in-law OF Congressman Fielder. As L
have stated, George r. Hitler, drug grind
| er, is a Finance Commissioner, and the ex-
pressed disapproval of Congressman Fielder
with the drug schedules in the Wilson bill,
followed so quickly by the elevation of his
relative toa fat Office paying $1,000 a year
| through the vote of Mr.. Hitler, has set all
tongues to wagging.
It is said that when the Mayor learned
the following day of the action of the Board
of Finance he was so enraged that when
interviewed he said he was too mad to dis
cuss the matter Then came Washington
dispatches that explained Fielder's position,
and gradually the light of day was let into
the deal by which a Congressman has been
induced to desert his party for local pat
ronage.
The story, as it is told in. Jersey City and
generally believed, is hat when Mr.. Hitler
learned of the provisions of the Wilson bill
he sought the then Corporation Counsel,
| Edwards. for advice about having the drug
schedules modified. Mr.. Edwards referred
him to Congressman Fielder and gave him
letters to Senators Mcpherson and Smith,
and the drug man went dow to Washing
ton, where he saw these representatives and
other member of Congress.
TO PLACE BRINKERHoFF.
Public men in Jersey City said yesterday
that not long after Mr.. Killers trip to the
Capital Congressman Fielder let drop hints
of probable changes to be made by the Jer-
sew CITY Board of Finance, and that he
seemed to know, before action had been
taken, that his brother-in-law, ex-senator
Brinkerhof, would be placed" The deal
was not difficult.
from whose section of the city Erwin comes,
were induced to vote for Brinkerhof under a
promise that Erwin, for whose interests they
had been looking out, would be elected to
succeed Weart.
Jersey City folk have, therefore, deduced
the very logical conclusion that Congress
man Fielder has agreed to oppose the Wilson
bill as it stands in return for Mr.. Killers
support of his relative for office. The
Sergeant-at-AIms of the House is now look
ing for Mr.. Fielder. He will soon have an
opportunity to place himself on record.
OF course, both these gentlemen deny that
they are concerned in any deal. Mr.. Hitler
admits his trip to Washington in the interest
of his drug mills.
THEY DENY 1T ALL.
He says he carried letters from William D.
Edwards. But he will not admit that Con
gresham Fielder's position, SO far as he
knows, has anything to do with Brother-in-
law Brinkerhoff7s election to a snug berth.
Mr.. Fielder made Yesterday the same kind
of a denial. In spite of the stories of his
previous intimations of a knowledge Of
the deal in the Board of Finance, he TO-
says he did not know of the Brinkerhoff APP
pointment in advance of its occurrence.
Few of the public men of Jersey City viii
talk about the matter. Mayor Wanser
though his personal friends, know he is
aware Of the features of the deal, declines tc
be interviewed. Wien | asked him about il
yesterday he replied
This matter calls to my mind the famous
remark of General Hancock when he was q
Presidential candidate, THE tayiff, has in
deed. become q local issue"
There was a runor in Jersey City yester
day, however, that BODIED i'll for the Board Of
Finance sclemers. 1t is to the effect that
Mayor Wanser intends to veto their action
1t seems that instead of electing Brinkefhof
and Erwin the board adopted a resolution
appointing them.
The Mayor claims authority over all reso
lutions of the board, and if he places hi
veto on this one, as he doubtless win, it il
extremely doubtful whether the schemers
could find a way to bind their bargain with