The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-07
GRIGGS KILLED IT
Continued from First Page.)

H w - NSCsJ
among those from Hudson who advo-
Gated the measure.
Mr.. GRIGGS AND BILL NC. 313.
The House was Democratic and passed
No. S13. with the equal taxation amend
ment. which was adopted on motion of
Frank o. Cole. 1t went over to the
Senate and of course hearings were
given on it in the upper chamber. Ex-
Secretary of the Navy Robson. the late
Barker Gunnmere and CORTLAND Parker,
all leading lights OF the Republican
party, the great friend of the people,
according to their loud protestations.
vigorously opposed the equal taxation
feature. The ex-Secretary made a most
elaborate argument in his endeavor to
prove the measure unconstitutional. The
matter came up in the Senate on Thurs
day, April l, when Mr.. Griggs as chair
man of the committee to which the bill
had been referred, reported it with
amendments which sheared it of it's
equal taxation feature. Mr.. Brinkerhoff
submitted a minority report retaining
the equal taxation clause. John J.
Gardner, now Republican Congressman
from the First district, and then Sena-
tor from Atlantic, moved the majority
report be accepted. This was carried.
and upon the conclusion of the reading
of the bill sMr. Brinkerhoff moved the
substitution of his minority report, which
he said was to wipe out all exemptions
provided in the bill and tax all railroad
property at full local rates, one-half of
one per cent. to be paid to the State.
The motion was strenuousiy opposed by
Messrs. Gardner and Griggs. Mr.. Griggs,
after al1uding to the great Importance
of the question:, criticised the remarks
of the Senator from HUDSON in so much
as it reflected upon the legislators who
had granted the railroad the privileges
and exemptions it was then proposed to
deprive them of. Senators should be
very careful, he said.
Arguing in favor of tine majority re-
port Mr.. Griggs. said the primal object
was to save the counties from a direct
tax. He admitted that Hudson needed
relief. but said there were twenty other
counties in the State, the property own
ers of which were entitled to consider
alton. D these twenty counties de-
sire the Legislature to make expert
ments that will directly benefit one
county only?" Mr.. Griggs asked. and
then he quoted the example of Cali
fornia, where, he said, the so-called
anti-monopoly sentiment had established
a. system which in its discrimination
against railroad corporations had been
Justly characterized as robbery n had
resulted in tying up the revenues of the
State.
bGRIGGS FORCES A COMPROMISE.
sMr:aeBrinkerhoff frequently interrupted
Mr.. Griggs. and at one time sad that
Governor Albeit guaranteed that the
revenues of the State were assured for
three years whether the railroads paid
a dollar of tax or not.
Mr.. Griggs replied that he was not
willing to take such a guarantee from
the Governor. He then referred to Jer-
sey City in all but complimentary terms.
He admitted that his bill was not a per-
feet one because equal taxation was a
dream and the dream could never be
realized except in Utopia. a Ian to
which Jersey City could never be re-
moved. Mr.. Brinkerhoff's amendment
was lost. as were several others intro
duced by the friends of equal taxation.
The debate was resumed the next day
and the bill was ordered to a third read
ing. 1t went back to the Democratic
house, Wn1ch flatly declined 10 concur
in the Senate amendments wiping out
the equal t~axat-on feature of the bill and
a deadlock ensued. 1t was getting well
along into the spring and the Republic
can Senate began preparations to force
a sine die adjournment before any agree
ment could be reached on the measure.
Governor Albeit sent a message to the
Senate in which he set forth the urgent
necessity of the business before the
Legislature. and urged the Senate to re-
main in session another week and en-
deavor to come to some agreement with
the House on the tax bill.
A conference committee was appointed
and finally the Democrats seeing that
the real intention Of the Republicans was
il possible, to have no measure passed
providing for any taxation whatever of
property and rather than lose
the, little the Republicans progressed to
be wiling to grant, receded from their
position and the law for the meagre
taxation of railroad property, as it ex-
lists today. was enacted. That is the real
story of how the Republicans came to
give US the law today which provides
for the meagre taxation of railroad
property and of the part JONI w. Griggs
tnok m bringing it about.