The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-21
REPUBLICAN SHAM.
This Years Incidental Bill
as Bad as Any
Other.
PAYING FOR PARTISAN cLAP-TRAP
Mayor Rankin's Little Stationery
Bill-Fishy Items for "Extra
Services"
spectal to the Jersey cltu Ns,es.

Wheu the democrats were III tuS hnajOAAeJ -
the Legislature, it was a favorite occupation
Of the Republicans to score the incidental
bill which the Democrats passed. No matter
what items the bill contained or however
Just and reasonable its charges, 1t was al
ways hailed by the Republicans as extrava-
CANT and outrageous.
The incidental bill is a peculiar institution.
It's primary object is to pay those running
expenses of the Legislature which occur
during the session and which cannot be fore
seen accurately enough to be provided for
by a specific appropriation. It includes sucn
items as stationery, toilet articles and the
pay of the clergyman who daily opens the
Legislature with prayer. 1t costs the State
of New Jersey $50 q day to have Heaven
duplicated in favor of her Legislators.
Gradually a custom has come into vogue
of making the incidental bill the means OF
petty raids upon the treasury. Ii a favored
employe or one with a stronger pull than
ordinary wants a sum OF money from tne
State he is inserted in the incidental bill
for extra services without In any way
sDecifying what those extra services were.
II sometimes happens that some dealer In
/ SldlOllGk1 III ObANA Supp p
fling an order from some one Ia authority,
and thinking chat as long as the money
comes out of the State Treasury he can
charge any mount, no matter wnat rela-
ton it bears to the value OF the article ne mas
furnished, sends in a bnA which the
Governor or one OF the Houses sSflkes OUT,
This does not necessarily discourage the
dealer and he tries again The next session,
and keeps OH trying it over and over again:
INNS IL is that it happens that the incidental
hill of a session will contain items for goods
furnished the Legislature OF several years
before.
THAT REPUBLICAN BLOWOUT.
The Republicans made a great show OF
economy during the session just passed. and
;ntroduced their incidental bill with a great
flourish of trumpets and loud invitations to
tba paonle to walk up and see how small 1t
was az compared with those OF former years
IL NAV be smaller in the number OF Items lt
contains, but some of those items would put
to bInsh the worst legislative freebooter That
evar MANNED a raid on the State Treasury.
last February the House resolved to h5tlng-
II celebrate the anniversary OF Abraham
T;rcolnis birth. It was a commendable
rasol,,tion. and no one had anything but
nraise for the proposition. 10 deVote one
right of a long session to contemplating the
starting worth and undyng deVoulon TO
country of the great martyr President was
a Measure in which democrats as well as
repnhlicans were desirous of participating.
RIFT instead OF making the evening one OF
nron+ and benefit to all who were present
nv drawing useful lessons from the career OF
fire great emancipation, the republican ac-
ciderts who controlled the ceieprapion TURN
cd IL into a rankly partisan ratification
meeting. Instead of dwelling on the virtues
of that noble patriot, who had charity for all
and malice for none, toe speakers spent most
cf their time hurting excavations at every
thing Democratic. Not content with that
fine Republicans must needs add insult to IN
iurv by calling upon the large majority OF
the people of the State to pay the expenses
Of their party blowout.
TIRE STATE TO A II FIDDLER.
Among the first items of the incidental
hill are. HILBERT Brothers, for furnishing
;nvitationsf for Lincoln anniversary services,
s35: L. II. johnson, for decorating Assem-
bly Chamber on same occasion, $40; benla-
min L.. Dlsbrow. for chairs Tor use at the
Tincoln anniversary, $3.50. The worst OF
th;s series. however, is the last item After
the orators of the evening had worn their
vocal cords dry matchmaking the Demo
Gratis the committee of amateur statesmen
took them down to the Trenton House, where
the larynx of each was pleasantly fabricated
and his weary head consigned to a downy
inflow. An item covering the cost of that
closes the Lincoln anniversary account.
NJudging from the items for stationery in
The biil there must have been, among the
members of the Legislature, a large NUM-
her OF sthem d-n littery fellers" that used
TO arouse the righteous indignation OF Old
Zach Chandler.
Itam No. IA presents the claim of the John
q Rankin Company for $2,674.15 for fur
nishing the Stationery Committee OF the
House with supplies. The company, IN a
Kind OF postscript. labelled item No. IS, asks
for an additional $3.50 for stationery
(extra) per item No: IA"
The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, ao-
cordina OF the claim Of the Rankin Company
as set forth In item No. AZ, received $1l6.50
worth OF stationery, and for the bill files
furnished to the Senate and House by the
same company $2l7 Is asked. .
The stationery furnished to the Clerk Of
the House by McCrelish & Quigley is sum
ned nm at $50. while for a similar line Of
firm wants SS4. The items containing the
claims of the John L. Murphy Publishing
Company for stationery aggregated 8 l,627.65.
Speaker Holt. according to item No. 81,
has received $126.30 worth OF writing ma
terial and such things. and the ~Sergeant-at-
Arms of the House $500 worth. The En-
crossing Clerk of the Assembly is credited
With Sl89.4 5 worth and the Clerk of the
House with goods amounting to $lS7.95.
Srhseouent items allege that the Murphy
Company supplied President Rogers with
Stationery worth $3.50, the Senate Engross-
ing Clerk S147. 95, and the Secretary OF the
Senate S17l .95. These items, with S139.S5
worth furnished to the Senate, make up the
tidy little sum asked by the Murphy Com
pany.
ttonery furnished to the Sergeant Of the
Senate and S402.% more for goods turned
over TO the same f~unctionary: The same
| official. SO item No. 80 says, got 343. rs worth
of Goods from the Stoli Blankbook Company
and the same concern submits a claim of
81. O5 for stationery furnished the Secretary
of the Senate. A claim of $4I.75 for a sta
tionery bill omitted last season is presented
in item Nc. S5i in favor of d.. g. Carter.
OTHER TISHY ITEMS.
James 81, Mulheron, In item No. Is. asks
for S24l. IS, for supplies TO Sergeant-at-
Arms and supplements that claim with an
other for S67 for soap. towels and brooms
for the House of Assembly, but he hasn't a
word to say about toilet accessories for the
| Senators. The members of the uppe House,
however. must have made use of the towels
furnished by Mr.. Mulheron, as item No. 20
embodies a bill for S14. presented by Eliza
beth Kucker, for washing towels for the
| Senate, the preceding item presenting her
| claim of $50 for similar services for the
| House Of Assembly.
item No. IA, which sets forth the claim of
the Electric Cutlery Company for cutlery
| furnished to the Sergeant-at-Arms of the
Senate, fails to state whether the articles
were table knives, scissors or razors, but it
mentions $l03.05 as the amount of the bill.
A vast number of bill files lave been used,
according to the items Of Mr.. Olcott's meas
ure, as in addition to the new items pre-
sented by the Foye Bill File Company the
~--x. u<o haze an parltnT claim nf R7S