The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-11
TUESDAY. JUNE Il. 1895.
This paper is Democratic IN principles
and u Independent sn its visws on ~" local
asestiona.


MC ScIlUon Au0 II
The Newark call" in it's edition of
Sunday. had an article On the publica-
ton of the laws in newspapers, which,
we cannot help thinking. was a trife
pharisaical. 1t thanks the Lord that it
is not as other papers. and gloats over
the fact that poor little crossroads
weekiies are about to be deprived of
their principal means of support. This
is unbeautiful but also uninportan.. The
same, cannot be said of the general as
pensions which it casts on the press of
the State. In a labored paragraph, in
which it tangles UP the Pennsylvania
Railroad and the Prudential Life Insur-
anee Company. it conveys the impress
sion, while 1t does not openly make the
assertion, that the designation to pub
fish the laws is a sort of bride paid to
newspapers in consideration of silence
upon administration abuses.
This is an assertion the World. has
have never seen the least evidence of
its truth. 1t is only necessary to name
some of the papers which have held the
designation for years in order to prove
the contrary. Nobody can name the
time when the State Gazette" the
sFredonian," the Elizabeth Journal"
the Paterson Press" and other bitter
and uncompromising Republican papers
have not held it. Democratic papers
which opposed the general policy of the
State officers have equally received 1t.
II Jersey City News" uncompromis-
ingly opposed the Senate blunder last
year. yet 1t was designated as a matter
of course. The Monmouth ENQUIRER
took the same course as 1.-THE News
law publication as a premium on 81
lenee. Perhaps. in the whole State,
there may have been half a dozen
little sheets which trimmed their sails
L1hah f6at1he two or three gentlemen
who had the designation in their gift,
but in general. 1t ma be emphatically
asserted, the newspapers have shown
year after year. absolute Independence.
AID there are only one or two cases on
record where State officers ave show
any tendency to use the designation as
a club or a bride. The one lonely con-
spicuous instance. perhaps, IN the whole
history Of the system was the case of
the Evening Journal" of this city and
Comptroller Anderson, acting in behalf
of Treasurer Tofey. who was then ut
open war with Messrs. Dear and Pang-
born.
The "calr' says there are other good
methods OF communicating State enact
inents- to the people" Are there. indeed?
Then will the "Call' tell US what they
are. We know of no efficient way in
which to insure publicity for anything
save and except through newspaper adj
vertising. We dc not see wherein the
State differs from any private party in
this matter. If It wants to convey in
formation to the public, 1t must go to the
ne wspapers, and it IS just and right that
1t should pay these Just as any private
advertiser does.
The system Of publishing the laws IN
the was in principle a good
onelfounded on justice and rea-
son. 1t was. 1t is true. e-xtravagantly
conducted. Too many papers were
named, and a few were always named
on grounds other thar Their value as adj
vertising mediums. But these abuses
were no more reasons for abol.shing the
system than would the superiority of
pages and doorkeepers appointed by Re-
publican Legislators be cause for abolish
ing & and doorkcepers altogether.
The VOORHEES, Committee has done a gen.
eral wrong IN its wholesale repeal of the
law, merely to make a political point N
q saving of a few thousand dollars. But
there. are some economies which are UNI
1~asttiable, and this is one, at least in
the sweeping extent In which 1T has been
put In effect.
.usual wise and well expressed. They will
have no effect. however. the steeds OF
partisan reform have the bit in their
teeth and the chariot cannot be checked.
Let the people get out of the way, or
else stand and be pu1verized.
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SENATOR DALY'S minority report is