The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-31

STOPPED WARRANTS
A Stack of Old Obligations
That the City Has
Never Paid.
SOME OF THEM REGULAR
But the Benefciaries Know Nothing
About Them-Others Re-
jected for Cause.
SOME OF THEM REGULAR


In a little old-fashioned slip, stored
away in the vaults of the City Clerks
office are warrants for various sums of
money which nave been paid. Each war
rant has an interesting little bit of his
tory connected with it. In some instan-
ces the claims for which the warrants
have been drawn have been stopped be-
cause of supposed LEGALITY or irregular
ity. In others the persons to whom
they were drawn are dead, and again,
it is probable that some We're drawn to
the order of persons who mad or nave
no knowledge of their existence. A great
many are for damages done property in
the making of improvements. In the
latter cases the moun have been dis
puted and carried into court. Others
have never known that the city awarded
them damages. and as a result have
never called for the warrants. Over
drawn appropriations also are brought
to light by warrants which have been
stopped by some conscientious official.
In all, the warrants in the clip aggre-
gate, perhaps $40, 900, and while individ-
uals are the losers, the city is the
gamer.
BACK TO 1880.
Going back as far as the time of
Mayor 1. W. Taussig, in 1880, warrants
are there to the order of Puster & Son
for Sl04. 81 n $1O0.53. They show that
they were drawn for removal of sewage
from sewers Mayor Taussig's sigma
ture is on the warrants and so is the
familiar signature of the late City Clerk,
John E. Scott, S. c. Nelson, the Comp
t%roller. has signed them, but the then
City Treasurer Thomas Earle, stoppeaa Is
| one corner. It is doubtless a legitimate
obligation of the city, but it is probable
that Puster & Son have abandoned all
Coming down to the time when Mayor
| Wanser entered upon his duties as Mayor
there is a stack of warrants, six inches
thick, with the space for his name blank;
He was unable to find out if work had
been done or materials furnished, and SO
he quite properly refused to sign the war
rants. There are a few hundred people
saying uEcomplimentary things about him
because of his action but his reply is
that he will pay all just debts but none
around which suspicion turks.
Going back again to 1855. one batch of
warrants attracts attention. They are
amount to SIT. so. With the exception of
one, all are signed by Orestes Cleve-
land. The one exception bears the sig
Of the Board of Aidermen, who was
Acting Mayor in November, 1888. All
have been signed BY City Clerk Scott;
Treasurer are missing. John +. Marion,
counsel for DAILY, has been trying to re-
cover the amount of those warrants
employ of the Street and Water Board.
He was not regularly appointed by reso-
luton H Hs gas su f1ig BY pu Ho e MGiA
The stopped warrants, show also that
the Mers city is Sa indsDt ta to- to the ext cid . Is g ss q
construction Of the Wayne street sewer.
This claim was incurred a year pr s
bought the sunday Morning News" For
a similar advertisement the city owes
f fnn 'e a4rgu sly COMPANY a11rain 81 ssi2 am and i's s4 ).
The warrants were signed by Orestes
Cleveland and John Scott, but Comptrol-
reason that there was no money in the
appropriation with which to pay them.
A late day warrant for 1855. &C, drawn to
months rem of No. III South street for
school house purposes; Mayor -Wanser
Comptroller Houglh, however, stopped it
t es the fslu order Of Of KEY Keges 3 Z wilson wilson for ora ss2a
daI which emanated from the Tax Board
in 1891. JOIN D. German, then a Com
missioner, bought the surrey, but Mayor
IN DEBT TO THE GOPSILLS.
Another interesting warrant is drawn
sill for $122.34 1t was drawn by City
Clerk John E. Scott and signed by him.
Gilbert. Collins, then Mayor of the city,
then Comptroller, but now Treasurer,
signed it. Thomas E. Earle, the City
eember, iSs5 s'9 and the le. fact afat thS was the IN e Rs5
is indebted to the Gopsill estate $122.34
has doubtless been forgotten by the
heirs.
In Mayor Collins time a warrant was
signed by him for Matthiesen & WEIGH
ers, the great sugar magnates. 1t was
for Silt, and had to do with advertising
the vacation of Washington street. The
warrant was prepared in 1886. 1t only
lacks the endorsement of the City Treas
urer.
A warrant for s39. go. drawn to the
order of the United Gas Improvement
Company, only requires the signature of
ment for lighting the City Hall in 1890.
Mayor Cleveland signed It.
AWAITING A CLAIMANT.
the order of Patrick Jordan, a bottom
man, employed by the Street and Water
Board, are awaiting q claimant. One
IS dead, and his relatives are probably
W that there is Sl15 in sight.
The Evening r. Journal. al, also appears p
warrants for $50, $3.50, $3.50, and a few
others for small amounts drawn to its
a asia1:' o,p pne dpd no% Of doing taa paH nty if foT tie
First precinct. has $50 tied up in the old
warrants. He is supposed to be owed
that sum for being a helper on a wagon
in 1892. That $50 will never burn a hole
in his pocket.
There are many more n older war
rants than those referred to, but the city
officials do not think it. advisable to
make their existence known. This APP
plies particularly to warrants ranging
in amounts from $500 to 1900 for dam
ages to property as far back as the
time of the consolidation. 1t wiz pay
manv old residents. however, to inquire
at the City Clerks office If there are ,
any warrants there for them.
MR.. MALLOCK ON REALISM.