The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-04-02
The Board of Aldermen in the
Election.

Election
Election day is less than two weeks
off, and from now until the vote is cast
it is the duty of every Democrat to
hustle for the party. It is a short cam
paign. but for this reason it should be
all the more earnest
The issues at stake are important in
two ways, first in themselves, and second
ly in respect to the effect on the great
contest of next November. The De-
mocracy has an opportunity to strike q
blow next Tuesday week for the rescue
of the municipal government from Re-
publican control, from Dickinsonism, from
Woolleyism, from Grahamism, from al.
other forms of bossism and ring sell
ishness. In doing this. the party has
a nance to safeguard the Presidential
election against hostile partisan juggiery
such as was attempted during the Gu
bernatorial struggle last year.
The present Board of Aldermen has
achieved perhaps the most ~scandalous
record of any public body that has ever
sat in this city. Its most positively evil
act was the selection of h Chairman
OF the Republican City and County Com
mittees for City Clerk. This office had
from time immemorial been regarded as
-non-partisan. For a quarter of a cen
fury one man had occupied it. He had
been elected by Republican boards and
by Democratic boards, and so discreet
was he in his impartiality that not one
person in ten thousand in the city knew
whether he voted the Republican or the
Democratic ticket.
It remained for the present Board,
scandalous in its pa~rtisanship, to change
all that, and place in the most import
ant ministerial office. in the city a poll
tieian of the most aggressive type, an
'soffensive partisan whose pride it is
that he is always on the hustle for his
party. and passes no tricks. Concern
ing Mr.. Woolley, as a political leader,
there is no fault to be found. He is a
bitter extremist and a desperate fighter.
These qualities in him would be respect
able' if he had remained nothing more
than head of his party machine. But
as City Clerk, managing the elections
in which both parties have equal rights.
he is an insult to the people and a crime
against the franchise. It is the duty as
well as theN right Of the Democracy to
right this wrong at this time by remov-
Ing him from office and placing in his
stead a conservative non-partisan, who
will exercise the functions without favor
to either side.
The scandals of the present Aldermanic
Board did not end with Woolley. Their
constant chickering's and wranglings have
brought the blush of shame to the citi-
zens' cheeks almost every time they
met. Their insults to the flag Disguised
even some of their own number, and
Alderman Heritage, though a Republican.
csuld not conceal his disgust at their
grossly un-American spirit. This reached
It's climax in the scandalous incident,
which we revived from the files of .sThe
News. yesterday. when the Republicans
in the Board voted in opposition to a
resolution endorsing the Monroe Doc
trine, because by doing 50 they gave
support to our Democratic President,
who is the pride Of all good citizens.
No more atrocious display Of partisan
ship was ever witnessed than this. It
surpassed sven that Of the Republican
nsgots IN Congress. for the same day
that Reuben simpson > his crew
voted s'No' on this resolution, che Re-