The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-02-17

| pany to come into Hudson County as IT
4 rs geographically bound hut subsequently,
power to extend to the tide water Of 5ale the
Hudson River was obtained, and that
privilege carried with it exemption from
! taxation. SUCH projects as these were
! looked upon in those days as wonderful.
1 I,ney We're. to do away with the transfer
Of goods by horse and wagon. In the
early part of this century the Legislators
| were prevailed upon to encourage these
enterprises and when privileges were ask
e. exemption went with them. This was
lsts today went to South America to
build canal that would be fruitful to.
inc country, privileges would be gladly
granted and taxation waived.
After, the canal project had been en-
couraged until y proved great and pay
along, but before that, in the County of;
Passaic. where the present Governor
comes from, there was established a So
lures. There on the river wonder
ful advantages, with water power, were
per. but the extension of absolute exemp-
ton from all municipal tax has projected
one OF the most prosperous monopolies to
the extent of exernpting even their leased
or have been established, and there was
no intention to establish any, but former
couragement to enterprises and too Iibs-
raj in making perpetual tax exemptions
SO liberal were they and SO deter
| ment that the State today holds stock of
the United Railroads Of New Jersey, bet
Ter known as the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Morris and Essex was exempted un-
til its capital should yield per cent Tie
| Central Railroad was exempted from To-
cal taxation. There was al that time no
idea of what effect these acts would have
| on Jersey City, nor was there any mali
| ciousness in them There was just a der
| sire to give such enterprises, which were
| couragement in those days"
That's good theory today" inter-
| Yes" replied Mr.. McDermott, "if
| you think there is any occasion for such
| encouragement.
But with all these exemptions said
Mr.. McDermott there was clause in
/ the privileges which showed that the for
| Iner legislators had the interests of the
/ that If the railroads became paying
properly the State at the expiration Of q
those roads Railroads at that time ever were
/ looked upon as instruments to take the
place Of the turnpike, and do away with
horse power, Railroads are, public roads
/ today as much as~any other thoroughfares,
| and you may use them except when trains
| are using them.
lators because do not think they. ever
imagined what the exemption Of railroad
| what power railroads would be to the
| political party having them under its
| thumb, Had we lived in. those old days
4 we doubt less would have done the same as
they did.
1.-The exemption of property in those
| days was matter of small consequences.
| unsightly cove of mud thirty or forty
years ago. The Riparian Commissioners
ul our : water sr front, but there there " was Isl ne1er
| step taken to secure it because men high
in railroad circles doubted its utility
tured the sight our water front presents
| from q railroad aspect? Who in those old
| days Imagined Jersey Cit, would become
| It is the great terminal. and we should
be proud Of 1t. We do not attack the
unwise legislation, BY mistaken legislators,
/ unjustifiable conditions are allowed to
prevail here and an untustifiable tax bur-
den is thrown upon the balance of the
property in Hudson county" Cheers.
| Why. in 1863. when "a boy In Hoboken.
/ I can recollect the populaee used to turn
| on a holiday over the ID. L. & w. r. r.
That road was an experiment conceived
now ny e exists was dreamed a n Of IL po'a'ion -
"As railroad grew at the terminal the
spirit of unrest showed itself. People said
why should we pay taxes and it not?'
| The injustice grew more apparent 1t was
taken to Court. The Courts Of the State
those decisions. The fight was kept up,
people where railroad property was found.
! In 1888. the great political parties in this
| State wed with each other in promising
felt that something had TO be done. and
| that was the beginning point after a
struggle of twenty years. The members
! City were paying nearly 3 per cent taxes,
while the Pennsylvania Railroad was
fight that was made and I recollect- the
remark of our Governor who called the
President and Directors of the Morris and
ESSEX. Railroad and said:-I recognize the
fact that you obtained an exemption of
recognize the fact that this State can
and say now, if you do not surrender
your right q, exemption. your right to
The The MOTIFS and T Essex ed
/ and came down off the tree they had
perched on in hurry.
! the same sort of a stand and we will
have equal taxation in. a hurry The
obstacles in the path of securing equal
! one counties there are sixteen not in
/ sympathy with US. The Senator from
Hudson. under the present improper rep
resentation,. represents more population
/ than the Senators from the First and
/ Second Congressional districts People in
many parts of this State desire railroads
/ and hail their advent with JOY, but
cannot say that I heard of anyone stay
ing up all night to applaud the Lehigh
| Valley Railrosas in its attempt to get
another acre of property out of our
Sussex county may want railroads.
| but we have reached that point where
| the people of this State must under
stand that the prosperity of the State
/ depends upon its cities and if the cities
keep on losing ratables by railroads we
won't be able to meet our obligations
4 and conduct our government. Seventeen
! counties, will say. have no sympathy
for Hudson in this fight. and / propose
/ giving you means of forcing that sym
4 pathy cloud cheering.)
"Rural legislators are more apt to
| listen to the railroad agent whom they
know. than the protestant whom they
do not know The rural legislators, who
burden the State with BE it enacted,
i of the, railroads in Republican counties
! and also in Democratic counties. Rail-
| roads belong to both parties, as the ma
! jorities of the counties stand. The late,
] but not wholly lamented, Jay Gould once
/ remarked that he was Democrat in
/ some counties and a Republican in
/ Others It always depended on what-the
/ returns of the preceding election showed
/ Rural legislators are in sympathy with
4 the railroads because of the corporations
/ assistance around election time and the
/ ton. The rural members are in the same
! condition of mind about railroads that
j our forefathers were"
Isn't there 200 acres Of land in the
/ South Cove not being used by railroads
! now?'' asked the man who had inter-
j rupted before.
Shut up!' yelled some one in the back
| of the room.
/ Mr. McDermott said he knew the land
was not being used, and with emphasis
ssN;,,o ,yea 80 !, ,re y, +1,;e ,-o,.x,