The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-02
UP TO His NECK.
Candidate Griggs Soaked in
Water With the Aid Of
His Own Record.

1t is exceedingly interesting, to say
the least to observe the genius which
the Honorable John w. Griggs, Repub-
lican candidate for Governor is employ
ing in his endeavorsrto convince the peo-
pie of New Jersey that he is their friend
rather than the friend of the water syn
dicates and other corporate monopolies
which he has served with such Jealous
zealousness as counsel. Everyone who
has attended the sessions of the Legis-
lature during the past five years re-
members the fidelity" with which Mr..
Grigggs appeared each session and OPP
posed the bills providing for the APP
pointment of a commission to take
charge of the watersheds of the State
and furnish supplies of potable water
to the different municipalities. without
compelling them to submit to the ex-
actions of the monopoles.
DISAVOWING HIMSELF.
In a recent interview on the subject
Mr.. Griggs said -
ION one or two occasions I appeared
before the legislative committees and
argued against certain pending meas
ures. My appearance there was in pub-
lie. also, and everybody can ascertain
fully my position in the matter That
covers fully my connection with the
water question. acted purely. as coun-
sci. and gave such service to my clients
as they had right to expect
ONE OF THE "OCCASIONS.''
Last winter was one of those. ''one or
two occasions" The bill Mr.. Griggs
approved was similar to ~ one of the
year before. with the exception of eer-
tain features Which Mr.. Griggs had OBJ
iected to th4 year before and We're eli
mated in order to test the sincerity. of
the monoDolies. Still it did not suit the
corporations and Griggs asailed the bill
that in all his experience he had never
heard of an act giving such absolute
for in the act. The power of the commits
sion would, he said. be absolute. and if
inclined to be corrupt they could steal
millions. for the. reason that no pro-
actions. If enacted, he fsaid, this bill
would give the commission bower TO
seize all the private water in the State,
except Newark going 50 far as to take
even fish ponds up in Sussex. pump
them dry and sell the water thus OBJ
tained ,s down EgT lrztSseH j South HE IerseE
He laid particular stress on the number
of officials to be employed and endeavor-
ed 10 show that the entire plan was inn
practicable He cited as an instance that
if the City of Orange wanted a supply
it would cost at least five times as much
as the city could afford to pay, for it
would be unW.se to build "a pipe line
small enough to supply Orange only.
Orange could not pay for this supply, he
argued, and the State would be called
upon to pay the bills No one wanted
the BILL he said. except Mr. McEwan,
who appeared to have great interest in
The people of the whole State Then,
he declared that the only one who had
peTsistently urged and lobbeyed for a bill
of this sort was Mr.. Lebbeus B. Ward a
hydraulic engineer, who had carefully
arranged TO have one of the Commits
sioners a hydraulic engineer.
His solicitude for securing an appoint
ment. said Mr. Griggs, referring to Mr.
Ward showed what a disinterested in
concluded by saying that no corpora
tion in the State today had control of
water rights which could not be an any
time condemned in the interest of NUM-
cipalitfes. The East Jersey Company
had acquired the Newark plant, he ssid.
sold it to the city, had made no attempt
to acquire additional swater rights since
then and don't propose to.
Next he assailed the second section,
which he said was the most vicious piece
of legislative conception, inasmuch as
without warrant it revoked franchises
and absolutely ruined corporations en-
engaged in a legitimate business.
This plainly shows how much weslrt
the rights of the people have with Mr..
Griggs when the interest Of his monopo-
listic clients are concerned.