The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-10-23
MUNICIPAL REFORM
DR.. Scudder Tells the City Of
Churches What He Thinks
About 1t.

Rev. John L. Scudder has probably ar
rived at the logical conclusion thai Re-
publican reform in New Jersey is not
what it is cracked up to be. The ener-
getic Pastor of the Tabernacle has di-
| rected his efforts to other fields.
At the October meeting of the Congre-
| gational Club in the Johnston Building,
Brooklyn, DR.. Scudder was the principal
\ speaker. His subject was Municipal
Reform and among other things he
| said:A
1T is a fact that multitudes of our
best people, earnest Christian people,
except on unusual occasions, take no in
| terest in politics and systematically ne
| glect their civil duties. Politics if con-
trolled and directed by the better classes
in the community would be one of the
most powerful agencies for the mainten-
nance Of righteousness and the develop
ment of Christ's kingdom ON earth.
For the disgraceful misrule in our
! American cities and many of our State
Legislatures, which has become a stencil
and a byword throughout the civilized
world, the Christian people of this coun-
try are largely responsible. 1t is aston
ishing that the elective franchise is de-
| spised by those who should value it most.
In New York City there are 10000 men,
| mostly belonging to the better class,
who never vote. The degraded classes
| value their citizenship and seldom fail to
cast their ballots.
sAnd what is the result of this unpar-
donable neglect? Politics, which is es-
sentially a noble science and honorable
pursuit, has been surrendered in a large
measure to the selfish and ~nscrupulo
elements Of society and barring out a
few sporadic instances of popular upr1s-
ing and temporary municipal publication
the rabble rule our cities and exercise
a powerful and perniciouS influence in
our State Legislatures. Ex-convicts,
gamblers, saloon-keepers and even muir
derers are allowed to hold responsible
offices and administer the Government,
While the saints are silent or asleep the
criminal classes organize occupy the
| field and work it for all it is worth. Some
astute but unprincipled rogue who be-
| lieves in politics for revenge only comes
to he top, calls himself a boss and
rules the COMMON herd beneath him
with a rod of iron while he insults and
overrides the decent portion of the COM
munity to his hearts content.
"Who is there in this part of the coun-
try who has not become acquainted in
| recent years with Boss Croker, of New
Boss John Y. McKane of Gravesend;
Boss Davis of Jersey City; Boss Muir
ply, Boss Sheehan and so on to blind
Boss Buckley of San Francisco, who
i Cd1 Z liz h"o ~ ~
than all the good people in. that city
| with them. Under the rulership of such
men, backed up by their horde of hood
lums, our city governments have too
often become moral c~esspools, so foul at
times hat it is next to impossible to get
decent men to go into them.
rs there anything a practical politician
will not do? l have not time to speak In
detail of the shameless manner in which
valuable franchises are given away to
cormorant corporations, how monopolies
| can secure any legislation they please,
provided they pay for it; how police de-
| partments are in league with vice and
crime and grow rich by systematic
Matchmaking, and have scheduled prices
for the protection of almost every form
of iniquity; how our guardians of the
| peace, for considerations regularly paid,
wink at disorderly houses, permit liquor
shops, pool rooms and poker joints, and
enter into virtual partnership with
green goods men, bunco steerers, thieves
and pawnbrokerS.
How Uncertain cities almost any law
may be broken with impunity, If the
law breaker puts up sufficient hush
| money and lines the pockets of the police
captains with ~greenbacks; how justice
is thwarted and villains of the deepest
| dye can go scott free, provided they have
a pull how the leprous hands of pol
| itical corruption take hold even of courts
| ind Grand Juries; how tribute is exacted
from both illegitimate and legitimate
business; how the leeches will fasten
themselves Upon anything from a trans
/! atlantic steamship mpa to an Italian
| peanut stand; how frauds and steals
abound in various municipal depart
ments; how public health is impaired by
| filthy streets and filthier tenements; how
incompetency- and waste and misappro-
priation of funds are rolling up our city
| debt mountains high and burdensome
taxation is fastened on the people. Amer
| leans pay for less efficient service in
their large towns nearly five times as
/ much as is paid in the case of a we'll
| mana ped ENGLISH m~IInicinalifY." -.