Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1896-11-25
A LETTER FROM THE
CITY BY THE SEA.
n Week of Sensational and
Interesting Events.
Reform IN POLITICAL AFFAIRS IS NEEDED.
A DEFAULTING CITY OFFICIAL. RE-
MARKABLE STOCK TRANSACTION. ''RE-
FORM In POLITICS. BUSINESS AND
BUILDING. A WORD Personal.

This has been a busy week for me in
this town, and l have scarcely found
time to consider outside events. for
there seems to be enough of local affairs
to claim public attention. First. a
hltEertO-respected member of the CITY
Council is arrested as a defaulter and
put under heavy bail. From certain
mysterious hints and threats said to
have been thrown out by him there are
others of high standing who are likely
to be implicated in the case. and it may
be that the dear people will get peep
into the box while the lid is off and
discover some secrets not intended for
the public.
Another transaction that has caused
some comments, and which the Press
alluded to-, editorially, last week, was
the somewhat remarkable sale of the
turnpike stock belonging to the city. 1t
Is asserted that the day of sale was duly
advertised, and for some publicly un-
known reason was twice posponed At
these postponed meetings it is asserted
that parties were present who offered
nearly twice as much as the city received
for its stock. How Mr. Lee, who con-
Quoted the sale on behalf of the city, can
explain this kind of fnanciering to the
heavily taxed people of his ward and
the city in general, is fact hard to
understand by a person of my dull com
prehension. But we have a Comptroller
here who, it is said, has an inuuiring
mind. and it is stated that he, too, is
anxious to ascertain why the c ty should
accept eight hundred dollars when fif-
teen hundred could have been had for the
same stock. l hope the report is true
that he wants to know more of the trans
action, and that he may be able to turn
on the light a little and give the public
some of the true inwardness of this very
strange piece of franciering
All the signs of the times point to re-
form and economy in national affairs.
and the public man who fails to stop
and read them will have occasion to re-
gret it. A new order of things was
lnaugurated in the nomination of Will
liam Mckinley. Certain people, who
had been doing pretty much as they
pleased, expected to defeat his nomina-
ton; but they were halted and given to
understand that for once at least they
must give way to the business men of
the Republican party. 1t was a bitter
pill for the professional politicians to
swallow, but they We're finally obliged to
take their medicine. Thus a reform was
inaugurated within the party and en-
phasiZed by the election that some of
our ''bosses' will do we'll to heed if they
expect to remain with us. The writer
of this article knows Major Mckinley
personally, and he also knows that the
Press was one of the first newspapers in
the State to advocate his nomination.
He also remembers that an honored Re
publican of Pleasantville, over his own
signature, publiched a communication in
the Press at an early date declaring for
Mckinley and recommending the nom
ination of. Hobart for Vice President,
and urging General Sewall to support
Mckinley, and pointing out the reasons
why New Jersey would stand some
chance for consideration that she would
otherwise miss. l refer to this matter
at the present time to show that even
country newspaper or its correspondents
can sometimes come as near to hitting
the mark as those of greater pretensions
want no reward personally. and am,not
candidate for any office. elective or APP
pointive. | am only anxious to keep the
party standard up to a respectable alti-
tude, and to that end will write, work
and vote without fear or favor, giving
credit where credit is due and denounc-
ing wrong wherever it is found. There
are none so high that they will escape
by reason of their position, and none so
low that they will fail to receive merited
credit. Reform is in the air. Let all
good men join the procession!
Business is gradually improving all
the time, and the prospect for next sea-
son seems to be very good. There is
considerable building going on, and l
hear of new enterprises in that direction
that will be commenced Immediately
after the holidays. Many of these new
structures are cottages, but some of the
hotels are to be enlarged and otherwise
improved. The Windsor, Osborne and
Manhattan are in this list, and there
may be others that l do not know of.
Upon the whole the general outlook is
favorable, and with returning prosperity
l do not see anything but light ahead.
Enough has come, even now, to war
rant us as people in giving genuine
thanks at our next Thanksgiving din
ner. As people we have a multitude of
reasons for being thankful. As ma
ton we are at peace with all the world,
and God reigns.
The County Buildings $ removal is still
talked of, and L bear of movement on
foot to hold a4public meeting in favor
of the project. Considerable indignation
is expressed in some quarters at the
seeming attitude of some of the Office
holders who, it is believed, are opposing
the wishes of those who elected them.
1t seems to me that there are some peo-
pie who are buying fight as the say
ing is, on this question that will give
them a heap of trouble later on. Re-
and that chap who recognizes that little
fact is wise in his day and generation.
Some letters addressed to me, III care
of the Press, have lately come to hand
urging me to continue the agitation IN
favor of the removal of the County
Buildings, and offering to give me GER
tain information in regard to that and
other matters Of public interest to the
citizens of Atlantic County. | want to
say that all information of such char
acter is welcome, but it must have the
name Of the author attached. No
anonymous letters will be noticed. l
only desire accurate information upon
any question, and any person desiring
it printed must send me or the editor
of the Press his name and L. O. address
as guarantee of its truthfulness. !
am not ''gunning' after anybody merely
for fun or newspaper notoriety, but II
there is anything that needs criticism
whereby the average citizen and tax
payer will be benefited / desire to be
numbered among those who occupy a
front seat.