The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-24
TO ROB HUDSON.
Insidious Effort to Annex Har-
rison and Kearny to
Essex Vigorous
Opposition.
Special to the Jersey City Nc,cs.

TRENTON, March "a. 1S96.-The House
Committee on Towns and Townships lis
tened to a large delegation yesterday on
Assembiyman Benedict's bill, providing
for the annexation of the town of Kearny
and the township of Harrison and the
borough of East Newark to the county
Of Essex. Yesterday was the day set for
the opponents Of the bill to present their
arguments, and there was a large num-
Der present.
Joseph A. Dear of the Jersey City Board
of Trade was the first speaker. He said
the people of Hudson County were un.
der the impression that the matter had
been settled last year. There is no call
for this particular bill. The citizens of
Harrison and Kearny with whom l have
had the pleasure of coming in contact
that is those who nave any recognized
position there-without exception are OPP
posed to this bill. 1t has always been un-
derstood that the passage of this bill was
advocated by a large corporation in the
township of Kearny, which some years
ago had secured a very low valuation for
its property. The Board of Equalization
increased the valuation and ever since
there has been a cry of annexation to
the County of Essex. Mr.. Dear said he
" ~ Sidih IuItdQ SOilpdly.
Mayor Wanser of Jersey City interrupt
ed Mr.. Dear with the statement that Mr..
Davis, representing the Clark Thread
Company, had informed him on Satur-
day that this company did not now desire
the annexation to Essex, but were salts
fed to email in Hudson.
congressman McEwan was the next
speaker. He said it was always custom
airy IN matters of this kind to submit the
question to the people interested; but
ing to go further and allow it to be left
entirely with the residents who were di-
rectly affected Last year the matter
was not brought up in such a quiet man
ner. We thought then that the decisive
battie had been fought and won. The
hhe ea y artillery on each side was then
won There is a long stretch of meadows
from the west bank of Hudson hill to
' ana e Kaar napk si tsat We T,se so on fns d bhrgis al
we can in Hudson County to have those
meadows become a taxable part of New
quantity of ground as those meadows ex-
ist in the middle of a count there is
likely to be more interest taken in its
border line, it is not likely to have that
impetus from the west side that it ought
to have to make it an advantage to the
to the matter of thousands of acres of
Samuel G. Mount of the Jersey city
time Hudson County was bounded by a
highway. namely the Passaic River
e cons s9rs Of d %1shafaey b nad n aaW 7 D snd
States. If Jersey City was to come down
and. ask to be annexed to the City of New
lively oppose such action. If these towns
are annexed to Essex the only division
that will be left will be an open field.
to be further annexation, and the only
course to be pursued will be to go fur
Their into Hudson County. Essex County
is now three times as large as Hudson,
and to pass this bill will not only make
Hudson smaller, but 1t will take away
its doorway.
James N. Matthews. Assessor of Kearny
Township, was the next speaker. He said
that he did not believe there was any
in regard to the matter. The people were
perfectly satisfied with the manner in
which Hudson County had been using
them Of late and were satisfied to remain
J. Parker. Jr., Of Kearny. said that he
could not see what benefit the township
sex County. Since the time of the last
agitation the trolley lines have connected
Harrison and Kearny with Jersey City,
is now as accessible as the Court House
in Newark. Kearny has been in the
County Of Hudson since 1912 and desired
Flavel McGee said that the county was
growing up rapidly and its interests were
sible now to separate the interests OF
Kaarny and Harrison from Hudson. AS
a practical question it was utterly inn
Mr.. McAvey Of Harrison said that there
was no demonstration in favor of annex
alton, and not a single person appeared
the Harrison town funds are deposited
in Jersey City and to make a change now
would entail 2 great guoS deal aloo Of trouble re- ana
plished. The town of Harrison, realizing