The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-24
FRIDAY, JANUARY "a. 1896.
This paper is Democratic in principles
and is Independent in its uieus on all local
questions.


qUtSttONS.
The Water Decfsyon.
The law. we are told. cannot err; so.
of course. the overthrow OF the perma-
nent water contract is all right-from a
legal point of view.
It is not all right for Jersey City. If
the decision stands. it is a black dis
aster.
We nave not the full text of the de-
cision yet. and the syllabus is, as usual.
legally opaque. But there seems to be
one point beyond doubt: The DAILY law
of 1885 is insufficient to enable Jersey City
to condemn the water rights of the Morris
Canal. and there is no other statute which
gives the city any such power. This is
the reason Jersey City is put in such a
plight. The Morris Canal Company is
master of the situation.
The case lies in a nutshrell.
The Morris Canal Company and the
East Jersey Water Company are, as re-
spects this question, one and the same
thing.
The Morris Canal Company has just the
same grip on every drop of potable water
in the State that it has on the head
waters of the Rockaway River.
There is no law. the Court now rules,
to break that grip.
No law can be passed to break it. be-
cause
1. Garret A. Hobart owns the Assem-
bly,.
2. Carrot A. Hobart owns the Senate.
8. Carrot A. Hobart owns the Governor.
In a word. East Jersey can say to
Jersey City: You shall make a contract
with US at our price, or you shall not
make any at all"
The choice that is left us is between
Passaic water, pumped at Belleville. and
a contract at SO, 0O0, 900 with the East
Jersey Water Company. Perhaps. indeed,
the price has gone up since yesterday.
THE decision is just as fatal to the
Rockaway and Hudson bid as to the Jer-
sey City one, on this point of inability
to condemn Morris Canal water rights.
IF the principles of the decision are to
be broadly applied. they are going to
have a funny effect on the award of
public contracts.
Specifications must describe an exact'
thing to be provided.
Excess in his offer over this rigid
measure is not to give a bidder any adj
vantage.
1t is therefore compulsory upon a bid
der to give the least possible amount
that will comply with the specifications.
Hence there can be no competition as
to quality in bids, for, OBVIOUSLY, no bid
must fall below the standard of the
specifications and the Court says no con-
sideration can be given to the particulars
in which it excels them.
ThN is fine law, no doubt; but 1t is
man ran his private affairs on any such
plan, he would go broke in a month.
NOW, it behooves Mr.. Lebbeus BIZ
Ward to make an active campaign, this
session, for the passage of his State
The News will be with him in every
stage of the fight, to the very finish. OF
course Mr.. Ward sees his way to have
the bill passed or he would not have
made the fight he did against the con-.
tract.
WHAT shah now be done about our
Temporary supply? Shall we accept
the yoke Of the East Jersey Company?
Shall we make a deal to wait for the
construction of a new pipe and then pay
our little s4s a million gallons from now
until 1901 and thank our gracious mas
tiers that we are allowed to drink at all?
Or shall we try another writ of GER
ti6rari?
WONDER how much the rents of
houses will go up this spring?
wonder how many Of the ITO let
signs will come down?
N
Wonder how many new buildings viii
go up?
TT is some satisfaction to see that the
Court recognizes the absence of fraud
or palpable abuse of discretion on the
part of the Municipal authorities"
SIGHT FOR SCHOOL NO. "a.
@Ebe request OF the Street and Water
8 Commissioners to have the Finance Cons
missioners appropriate $500 for the pur-
chase of a lot on Virginia avenue, adj
Joining Public School No. "a. was grant
ed last night. The Finance Commission
ers want the PUBLIC Schools to naye all
and Water Commissioners the $500 ask
cd and charged it to the liquor license
account OF hat Board.
THE JOINT SEWER COMMISSION.
yThe never-ending Joint Sewer Conn.,