The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-24
Republicans Investigation
DisC1oses Their Own E1-
traVagance and
WiCkedneSs.
CITY FUNDS SoUANDERED
Seven Dollars Piece for Gus
pidors and Tumblers at Five
Dollars per Dozen-Crim-
inal Discrepancies.

NEWARK, Nov. "a. 1S94.-The Demo-
Gratis of Newark are just now laughing
in their sleeve at the ludicrous predica-
ment in which they have placed the
doughty Major Carl Lenz and their other
Republican brethren. Last month"; when
the campaign was waxing hot and the
Republicans were by no means so sure
of victory as they are today, it occurred
to them that they could secure some ek-
cellent campaign thunder in the accounts
of the city during the time it was under
Democratic rule. So they secured the
passage of a resolution in the Council
calling for an examination of the city's
accounts from September /, 1893, to Sep
tember l. 1894 This was done in order
that a comparison might be made be-
tween the expenditures under a Demo-
cratic administration and the first few
months of the very high and moral
regime of Mayor Lebkuecher.
The Republicans made the mistake OF
their lives when they thought that the
Democrats would sit quietly by and allow
any such one-sided partisan transaction
as this to go on. Uncle William Harri-
gan, the father of the Council, and that
sterling Democrat who worried the Re-
publicans SO much last winter in the
Assembly when they were passing their
rank partisan measures, offered another
resolution providing that the investiga-
ton should take in period of ten
years This also was carried, and Presi-
dent Ely appointed as the committee to
conduct the examination under both
resolutions Messrs. Trabold, Gaffney,
Harrigan, Bragaw and Ayres.
COMMITTEE GETS TO WORK
When the committee met for the first
time on October u, Mr. Bragaw, who
was engineering the Republican scheme,
Immediately started in to have examined
some bills which the Democrats had pass
ed and which Mayor Lebkuecher had
vetoed for what Uncle William Harrigan
called 'buncombe.' Mr. Harrigan OBJ
jected to their consideration, and insisted
upon following out the resolution and
going back ten years. The committee
approved Mr.. Harrigan's resolution. and
Assistant City Clerk O'Toole brought out
boxes full of neatly folded bills. The
committee then began upon task which
win consume many days. The first bills
taken up were those paid by the Poor
and Aims Committee of 1885 The very
first bill opened by the committee was
of clothing. Gee Whillikens, what's
that?" asked Mr.. Harrigan.
''Great ScottH' chimed in Mr. Gaffney.
Chairman Trabold had the bill read a
second time. 1t bore the signatures of
Osceola Currier and Henry Dunn. MEM
bers of the Poor and Aims Committee,
and the late Stephen R. Wilson, who
was Superintendent of the Almshouse at
the time.
No explanation was made by anyone re-
garding the bill, and it was again placed
with the others.
CHEAP WHISKEY FOR PAUPERS
For two hours Mr. O'Toole continued
reading bills. The chief items were bills
for groceries. meat, dry goods and bed
ding in plenty. shoes. provender for
horses, plumbing work and the city's
undertaken bills. William Tierney fur
nished groceries, and the first of his
bills read contained the amount of So
for six gallons of whiskey
THAT must have been good stuff I
hope they didn't do anything but bathe
the inmates with it, said Mr.. Harri-
gan. Gee Whillikens, kerosene costa
nearly as much"
The Clerk next read a bill of s47 paid
to Undertaken E. B. Woodruff for buriaIs.
If the inmates drank that whiskey,
why, the undertaker's bill was reasen-
able, that is all I've got to say" re-
marked Mr.. Harrigan.
In each OF the monthly bills read there
were ''whiskey items" as Mr.. Harrigan
called them, and Mr.. Harrigan had some
thing funny to say each time.
All of the dry goods were purchased at
Heath & brakes. and no objection was
made that any of the bills We're ex-
cessive. On the contrary, Messrs. Har-
rigan and Trabold said the prices Of
some of the articles were too low to have
been any good Tea cost twenty-one
cents per pound and chopped hay ought
to have cost that much. Mr.. Harrigan
said. Coffee was purchased at twenty
one cents. THAT must have been dandy
coffee" said Mr.. Trabold
BET wcen the whiskey and the tea and
coffee these poor people lived high" put
in Mr. IIa1r4san; Il don't believe the
taxpayers of Newark want to feed their
unfortunate paupers on any such stuff;
1 don't for one.
Those people live to ripe old age
just the same' replied Mr.. Bragaw.
'Yes, 1 saw q couple of them there whe
are over 100 years DID," chimed in DR..
Ayres.
.'They couldn't have eaten much of that
stuff, then" retort cd Mr.. Harrigan.
REPUBLICANS GET MAD.
While the Democrats were thus having
fun with the Republicans and turning the
investigation into farce, the latter
were foa-saing at the mouth, and when
the committee adjourned Mr.. Bragaw
was very much worked up. He declared
that the Democrats were wasting time
ard not carrying out the letter of their
instructions. One or two other meetings
were held before election, but the OBJ
ject of the Republicans was not accom-
plished. At meeting held on November
15 after tie electloa was all over and
the failure of this mine to pan out had
irritated the Republicans. Mr.. Bragaw
went at it again. He protested repeat
edly that a great deal of valuable time
was being wasted. He declared that the
orders of the Common Council were not
being obeyed, inasmuch as the resolution
authorizing the investigation directed
that it should coTer the period between
September, 1888, and September, 1894.
Cn,{iya,aJ <,, Iro,ts.fa "