The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-09-13
The Judge Is Pleased With
the Street and Water
Boards Challenge.
NO INTENTION TO INJURB
He Has a High Regard for Our
City officials and Only Called
Attention to Bad
Condition.

Judge Lippincott was seen at the Court
House today and was asked by re-
porter for 1.-The Jersey City News" II
he had anything he desired to say IN
relation to the official communication OF
the Board of Street and Water Com
missioners to the Grand Jury, and the
remarks of the Mayor in relation to the
water matter?'
"Oh, I do not know that Judge ought
to be privileged to say anything about
any matter, and of course he is hardly
ever privileged to talk the same as a
private citizen would be, but l think in
this matter it perhaps would be proper
for the Court shortly to state its posi-
tion.
81 have read with interest the official
statement of the Board of Street and
Water Commissioners and the remarks OF
the Mayor, and l am gratified at the
position which they assume in the mat
ter of having done everything in their
power to ameliorate the condition OF the
water supply of the city. think that
some such official statement during the
excitement about the water supply,which
has continued some three or four months,
would have had a great effect in appeas-
ing the people, that is, that the people
are suffering from an ill from which
there could be no immediate relief.
81 never could see the beneficial eff
feet of official reticence.
HIGH REGARD FOR THEM.
Now, there is one thing I wish to say,
for l have the greatest regard for the
present officials of Jersey City, and
that is that the language of the Court
in it's charge was such that unless it
was by a strained Interpretation no one
could say that there was a charge upon
the part of the Court that there was a
combination on the part of the city Off
,ials and others to render the water as
unfit for use as possible.
THE long continuance of the impurity
IF the water has given rise to such an
expression on the part of numerous citi-
zens, and in the public press and if just
such an official statement as this had
been given out to the public, as it is
low promulgated, perhaps this public
ointment would have been dissipated.
n my charge to the Grand Jury l
plainly, and in emphatic terms, expressed
his public sentiment, not with any in
|etention of injuring any official but to
emphatically draw the attention of the
Grand Jury to the subject as one de-
handing the most speedy action
"You know it is generally supposed
IN the part of the public that a court
If justice can remedy any evil existing
lnder the sun, and it is the most diff
:ult thing in the world to impress any
,itizen with a contrary idea 1 have
had hundreds of citizens during the
iummer to speak to me about this mat
er, and the action of the Court was
Intended for the public good, and that
his public nuisance of impure water be
tbated by somebody, or in some way,
md that if there was no remedy the
public must understand that they must
suffer and be still.
But it must be said, so far as the
Court is concerned, that this unclean
hing which has oppressed the people
this summer must never happen again
for the same length of time.
THE PEOPLE SUFFER.
''Tke people generally, this summer
have been deprived of potable water.
The water, from personal observation.
has been entirely unfit for drinking, for
ooking or for bathing, and this shall
not happen again if the courts can pre-
7ent it.
"If our present supply cannot be made
potable, then there must be new one
1t whatever sacrifice, but every effort
;hould be put forth to relieve the city of
| vast additional expenditure already
adding burdens to an over burdened
lax paying public.
"I do not s-eak of the present con-
lition of the water without actual and
thorough personal observation.
81 shall again call the attention of the
Grand Jury to this matter at some con-
genient opportunity, more particularly as
o the scope their investigation should
AXE, the purposes and objects of it, and
he results which should be without
question attained, not for the purpose of
attacking the public action of any Off
eial for if there be one thing which
gratifies the Court, that one thing is
,ure official life and good economical ad-
nlinistration of public affairs, and the
Court is always ready to commend such
official life and such results in govern
rnent, but that in the future whatever
public action shall be taken 1t shall be
With the public sanction of just such a
high official select body of citizens as
the Grand Jury of the county, and also
that the action then taken may in its
progress be free from public scandal.
"The Court is fully aware that the
reputation of every honest public Off
cial should be protected above all other
things, this necessity is obvious.
II have spoken freely about this mat
ter because it is one of great Importance
and has been long under consideration.
Every citizen of this city is interested
in it,