The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-07
WOOLLEY THE BUMPTIOUS

(From the New York "Herald" of Sun
day.)
The local newspapers have been having
no end of fun with the bumptious re-
publican City Clerk of Jersey City over
what seems to be a dereliction in his fail
ure to make a public announcement
of the registry places for the in
formation of voters. But there is a seri-
GUS side to his delinquency as well as an
amusing one. The more the matter is
explored the clearer it seems to become
that Mr.. Woolley's failure was inspired
by the purpose of doing the very things
it accomplished. 1t led to confusion
among the voters as to the places at
which they We're to enroll their names
and SO Handicapped and embarrassed
a full registration. That seems to
have been the very thing that Mr..
WoolIey was aiming at. After he
had thrown this obstruction in the
way of the voters he made a new con-
fusion among he election officers by an
order, given in the middle of the after
noon, changing the system of registration,
Up to this time the order came the clerks
had been enrolling the names Of those
who presented themselves alphabetically.
But the new direction was that they
sould be enrolled by blocks and that the
street names on their books should be
arranged in alphabetical sequence. The
operation of this order was to make de-
lay in the Encouragement of the books,
and in the finding, upon the pages. of
the blocks in which the voters resided, as
they handed in their names and adj
dresses. 1t was partly due to these mean
little devices on the part of the bumpti-
49,. 4i1N -. I.-L -
Jersey City. last Tuesday was an abnor-
mally small one-though it is noticeable
that the registration in Newark was not
SO full as to attract attention, and Cam
den's was SO disproportioned to the vote
of the city as to ARGUS criticism. 1t
would seem as though many of the voters
didn't Know that 1t was necessary under
the new law for them to appear in per-
son for enrolment, and that others as
suned that their names would be sworn
upon the lists by the party managers or
copied from previous lists, as in times
gone by. The probability IS that the
last day of registration will show. what
of leaving things to the very last minute.
Mr.. Woolley has attempted to excul-
fusal to publish the registration places
has saved the city several thousands of
dollars. Such an argument carried to
its absurd extreme would Justify the en-
tire suspension Of the functions Of the
government. II no money We're spent
on government there would be no tax
bills. People WouIdnt even nave to
hand UP the $1,000 with which the bump
tious Woolley Is monstrously ~overpaid
for his services" 1T has been a matter
OF criticism in the city, too, that Wool
ley's economical streak doesn't strike in
ward at all. He is believed to be in re-
ceipt of five or SIX Thousand dollars a
year beyond hts salary for searches
made in his office by two or three clerks
who draw their salaries from the city.
The suggestion that these moneys might
well be turned over to THE City Treas
urer does not accord with Woolley's
i6eas "a economy. He is
also with $500 extra money for his cleo
ton services rendered during the time
FOR which the city pays him on his sal
the interest of public economy he should
| decline to accept this extra compeIsa-
lion does not, from all accounts, appeal
to him very forcibly either.