The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-21
M'EWAN OUTSPOKEN
His Strong Fight in Favor
of Carro11's Cheap
Gas Bill.
sTORRs' INTEREST EXPOSED
Was Talking for James Kean, Jr,,'s
Elizabeth Comparatively
Beaten.
sTORRS' INTEREST EXPOSED
Special to the Jersey city Neus.

TRENTON, Feb. 81, 1S94.-Gas filled the As
sembly Chamber yesterday afternoon, and
gave rise to one of the most acrimonious de-
bates of the session. The discussion was re-
markable for the fact that for about the first
time this session the Republicans opposed
each other on a measure, and In years 70
come the 3uconteur of the remarkable events
in the history of the New Jersey Legislature
will speak of it as the occasion when the
leader of the majority made the bad break
of savagely attacking one of his party for
his course upon the floor. There is no doubt
that Storrs, the underdone statesman OF
Orange, deserved all he got from Mr.. Nc
Evan. but the Republicans did not relish the
manner in which the Hudson man washed
the party's soiled linen in public. The metre
was turned on as soon as the afternoon SEES
sion was called to order. MIR. CARROTS Dill
fixing the price of Illuminating gas IN cities
of the first and second class at $ls2o
per thousand feet came up ON
at once with an amendment excluding from
the scope of the bill cities of the second class
having less than 10000 inhabitants. The
speech which be made in support OF ms
amendment was like a patent argand burner
in its brilllancy. 1t was chuck full OF status
tics and chemistry. He said it was well
known that the life of iron under ground was
short, and therefore the gas companies were
obliged to go TO a great expense every once
in a while in laying new pipes. he repeated
his argument of the morning that 1t was I'M
possible for cities of the second class OF less
than 40, 600 inhabitants to sell gas at Sl.25 a
thousand and live. He spoke particularly OF
one such city and drew a doleful picture OF
the want and misery which a gas company
in that city would be forced to undergo II the
bill, as then before the House, became a law
SToRRS' TRICK EXPOSED.
Mr.. Carroll replied, and asked significant
ly if Elizabeth, with its $1,000 inhabitants,
was the city referred to by MIR. Storfs, and
then showed how some years ago, when
John Kean, Jr.'s, company, which enjoys a
monopoly of supplying gas in that city, was
being pushed by an opposition company,
they sold gas for sevenUy-fve cents a
thousand. This remark opened everybodys
ewes. Some wonderment had been expressed
over Mr.. Storr's excessive zeal to secure the
exclusion of second-class cities from the
scope of the bill. 1t was known that he
lived in Orange, where there is a gas COM
pany. and it would be more to his personal
advantage to secure for his town the benefits
of the bill, and people could not exactly I'M
derstand his motives. But now it was all as
plain as day. He was fighting to save the
profits of his political ally, John
Kean, Jr., of Elizabeth. After performing
for the public this great service
Mr.. Carroll went on to ridicule Mr.. StorrS
chemistry and statistics about the longevity
of iron under ground, and said that he knew
of gas mains which had been in the ground
for twenty-five years. He spoke OF the
many abuses to which the monopolistic COM
panies of Jersey City compelled the con-
sumers to submit. He said that, among
other impositions, the company charged SIS
every time their mains were tapped to make
connections with buildings. OF course Mr..
1ofr@o 6o6 70 r1loEa a Cnn06h and fh1S
time he was to a large extent sensible. He
spoke of the New Brunswick Gas Company,
which charged the consumers OF that city
S2.5 % for gas, and showed how the company
could sell it for half that amount and make
money.
M'EwAN SCORES
Then Mr.. McEwan took the floor. The fire
of righteous Indignation flashed from his eye,
and his face wore a Pll-do-it-if-I-die look.
1T is high time, Mr.. Speaker" he began,
ssthat a member of the majority should stand
M and assertthat all the virtue in the Stale is
not monopolized by the men who defend this
bill. 1t is astonishing to me to see how men
elected by the people to serve the peoples
interests should so forget their duty to the
people"
He said that the House might be likened to
q court of law over which the Speaker pre-
sided as an impartial judge over the case in
which the corporations represented by MI:
Storrs were fighting the people represented
by such men as Carroll, Salinger, Beekman
and modestly himself. Then he clapped
spurs to his rhetorical charger
and rode full tilt at Mr.. Storrs.
He said the gentleman from Essex
should remember what he came to Trenton
for. He should remember the oath he swore
when he took his seat in that chamber, and
should stand up for the people and not for
the corporations.
This onslaught upon Mr.. Storrs by one of
his own party, and the leader on the floor,
took every ones breath away. Those who
did not understand the strained relations be-
tween Mr.. Storrs and the young man from
Hudson, looked upon the attack as a severe
pensure, while others shook their heads and
declared that it was too bad if Mr.. McEwan
wanted to nave disciplined Mr.. Storrs he
should nave done so in the privacy OF the
raucus, and not in the broad daylight of the
floor. Mr.. dStorrs did not reply, but his face
assumed the hue of a Titian's beauty's hair.
Mr.. McEwan then started to speak upon the