The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-29

The Professional Cynic.
We observe that the Street and
Water Commissioners in their annual
report, all the interesting portions OF
which will be found in our news
columns today, adopt the views of
THE JERSEY CITY News regarding
the influence of the professional cynic
upon the progress of public improve
ments. While coinciding with the
Board in general, we cannot help be-
ing amused at the adoption of this
tone by the gentlemen whose antics
have for years furnished the meat on
which the professional cynic feeds.
We think the passage quoted else
where in reference to the water ques-
ton will excite a derisive smile in
every reader, and the old saw about
the Devil quoting Scripture will occur
to every mind.
But what the Board says is true, in
spite of the source it comes from,
Only for the professional cynic. we
would have had some settlement of
the water question, and if not an
ideal one, at least a cheaper one than
Newark has achieved. But the pro-
fessional cynic has stood in the way
of every proposal that has ever been
made, no matter what shape it has
taken, and while he has doubtless
saved the city from some ugly jobs,
he has equally scotched every scheme
of any merit that has been broached.
just at present we are amused at
his malicious opposition to the State
Water Commission plan. His pre-
vious efforts were all directed against
private contracts, because they were
the only things that had any living
chance of success. He killed off the
Bartlett and the Lehigh Valley
schemes, the Pratt scheme, the East
Jersey Company's scheme and the
Moffatt, Hodgkins & Clark schemes.
He howled robbery and jobbery until
he had the people enraged, the Off
cials scared out of their senses, and
the promoters of the various enter
prises thoroughly disguised. Then,
when the murder was done. he sat
back and howled because our corrupt
and indolent rulers kept on forcing
us to drink Passaic.
Now. the cynic is devoting himself
to a fine rage over the proposed State
system. He kicks on three grounds:
First, he thinks the bill is %unconsti-
tutional on from n to seventeen,
more or less, indistinct grounds; Sec
ond, it is impossible to pass it because
owners of water privileges will fight
against it; third. it ought not to pass
because it contemplates paying some
body a salary, some time or other.
You know there is nothing so intoler-
able to your cynic as the idea that
anybody else should earn a dollar Of
public money while he is on the cold
outside.
Is it not time this sort of abomina-
ton stopped? We wish all the pro-
fessional cynics we know of could be
tied up in a bag and drowned in the
Passaic. When there is a real abuse
they never come to the front. Every
street in the city may be stolen under
their noses, and those who really have
the public good at heart will clamor
in vain. Your cynic calmly lies back
until lie can put his foot down upon
something essentially good and use
ful. The general effect of his cours
in this community is that it is hard to
get self-respecting men to accept
office, it is hard to get self-respecting
men to hold dealings with the muni-
cipality. The feeling has become
prevalent that there is no reward for
service, but abuse, and that it is i'm
possible to deal with the city-no
matter how fairly-without being
accused of bribery and of making
exorbitant profits.
Let us all declare war on the cynic
in this town. We do not mean to let
up on real wrongs and real abuses,
but let us suppress the nagging, carp
ing factious fault finder. who is
against every side of every question,
and who makes public improvements
his special quarry. II we can get rid
Of him, we may cultivate a force of
progressive vitality that may lead to
something.
The Senate and the Law.