The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-04-08
JOURNAL ON WOOL LEY
Chapter Two in the Repub-
lican Organs Showing
Up Of the Bump
tious City
Clerk.
CHAPTERS FROM HIS RECORD
Mr.. Woolley Seems to Be Full
Of Mistakes.
HERE ARE SOME sAMPL Es
HERE ARE SOME SAMPLES

Made Orally and Published He
is No John E. Scott City Clerk
Those Search Fees and That
Salary Shaving Business.
During the past week Edward w
| Woolley, City Clerk, Ez- earned fame
fer himself and, incidentally, lessened
the chances for Republican success in
this city, at the coming electien Mr.
Woolley, in a letter to this newspaper,
published recently. defended himself by
courting an Investigation of his manage
Evening Journal" has aceeded to his
expressed desire and herewith presents
to its readers some surprising facts and
figures hitherto unpublished, that can
be fully subs santiated and corroboratea
Edward w. Wooliey aseende5 to his
municipal throne and wss crowned on
Tuesday, March 2S. 1895, some time be-
| tween u P. NJ and / A. NJ, it having
taken the Aldermen until that very witch
ing time of night to obey the mandate
of the powers behind the throne and
crown him as John E. SCOTS. successor
Edward. The present incumbent has there
| fore welded the sceptre of the City Clerk
/ just six months.
His first exhibition of political greed
was manifested when he accepted the
ohairnanships of both City and County
Committees an unusual proceeding on
these two political positions he has stead
! lily and firmly fastened his tenacious
grip, Though an almost successful at
tempt was made last winter to oust HIM
About one years ago, Mr.. Woolley was
employed in a safe company in New
York. but the position having been abol-
ished, he was out of a job, and his friends
made an effort to procure for him po-
litical position. The story of how he was
overwhelmingly defeated, when he sought
the nomination for County Clerk, is well
known He then cast his eyes about for
some other chance. which appeared when
John E. Scott. then City Clerk was taken
i'll, on Tuesday, March 49, at a meeting
of the Board of Aldermen. On the follow
| ing Sunday, and before Mr. Scott died,
| his place was sought for by Mr. Wool
ley, who made personal visit to the Res
ptldacan Aldermen and solicited thein,
votes to place him in the City Clerk S
chair. Some of the Republican Aldermen
formed a combination against Woolley.
but four of them did not reckon that the
| fifth would bolt, but he did and that gave
Mr.. Woolley the Alde1manic ca1cus
nomination. March 26 arrived and the Re
publican Aldermen gathered in the City
called. The three Democratic Aldermen
Patrick Connolly, Michael Day and Jo-
sepa McCoobery were not far from the
hall, in the private office of Mayor Wan
ser, where Edward w. Woolley Secre-
tary John ]. .Neyin and Police Commits
get the trio to vote for Edward w. Wool
ley for City Clerk The deal was made
whereby Alderman Connolly was to vote
an appointment for a friend, in the SER
vice Of the Street and Water Board. That
appoin, tment has not yet materialzed
a aso authority R@ puGG foT e Rspss h ha
his colleagues were not offered induce
vote for a Republican. Connolly, how
ever, carried out his promise and voted
When the Republican Aldermen return
ed fT&m Bergen Hall. where a city con-
ven10n had been held the election for
were taken. Seven votes We're required
for a choice and there were only seven
Republicans voting. One of tnem had
dicker with the Democrats On the first
three ballots Woolley lacked one vote;
on the fourth. ballot, which was the one
k-
Republican who had voted for Halstead
voted blank, McCoobery and Day voted
the same way, and Connolly contributed
/ ing Woolley, and completing the evidence
of the deal. In justice to Mayor Wanseri
It should be stated that he. was not in
the building at the time, and presumably
knew nothing of the .goings on in. his
private sanctun. In this way an Office
was obtained for Mr. Woolley.
The unexpired term of Mr.. Scotts
I clerkship came to an end. and Mr.. Wool
ley was then elected to be his own sues
eessor.
cumbent, and while the Legislature was
in session, bill was taken to Trenton
into office for three years. He was the
father of the bill, but it was not passed
His first unwarranted attempt at die
tation was when he ordered the City Col
leetor's messenger, James Merritt, to
dance in attendance on, and run errands
| fer him. There was controversy. and
Since the Merritt dispute Mr. Woolley
| has made o messenger and porter of the
City Marshal although there are five as
| sistant clerks in his own office
One Of stlhe mysteries of the office this
| year was the alleged loss and subsequent
/ discovery of an ordinance to compel
| on all of their cars. After the "discov-
/ cry the ordinance became effective with
| out the. Mayors signature.
The dog tax controversy between the
/ Aldermen and the Board of Health IS
remembered. 1t commenced when the AL
dernen. on April 80 passed a resolution
/ fixing the dog tax at 81 a dog. That reso-
luton has. never been presented for ap-
proval to the Mayor, and It has never been
presented to the President of the Board
/ fer his attestation, as REQUIRED by law.
/ Clerk Woolley renders himself liable to
censure For refusing to perform an inn
pnrtant duty ordered by the Board of
The new city Clerk has apparently
! made a cursory study ..of the charter.
| and of the corporation laws, which has
i developed In him soneS ideas that are pc
1 c1iliar, and generally result IN his putting
his foot in It This happened when he in
/ formed the Exhibitions Committee that
| h 4 would in future issue alls licenses that
4 had formerly been issued by the commit
/ tee The chairman of the committee OBJ
jeeted, and Clerk Woolley took back
seat again. e
The same committee licensed merry
| gD~round at Jersey avenue and Grand
/ street. for one week. A the end of that
! time Chief Murphy issued orders for the
proprietor TO stop business, as the com
! Yaittee refused rene wal of the license.