The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-12
PLEA FOR JUSTICE
William D. Edwards Forci-
bic Argument for Equal
Taxation.
RAILROADS VERSUS TIE PEOPLE
Hearing Before the Assembly
Committee on the Klink
Local Rate Bill.
JERSEY ClTY's RIGHTS AND WRONGS
Not Made by the Corporations,
But Overtaxed TO Give
Them Facilities.
RESIDENTS FORCED TO THE HILL
More Territory Occupied by Tracks
Than Ii Given Up to Streets
and Parks.
RESIDENTS FORCED TO THE HILL
Special to the jersey citp Ns,cs.

Special to the Jersey City Neacs
TRENTON, Feb. Il. 1S97.-The feature
of yesterdays hearing before the House
Committee on Railroads and Canals on
Mr.. Kinks. bill, No. l, an equal taxa
ton measure was the argument of Will
lam D. Edwards of Jersey City. Every
one who heard it and the speech pro-
nounced it the best presentation of the
case ever given to the Legislature, and
even the railroad men on the committee
appreciated the force and justice of Mr..
Edwards argument.
The committee got to work promptly at
two o'clock. Among those in the Cham
Der were Mayor Wanser, Andrew ]. Cor
coran, President, and Joseph A. Dear,
Henry v. Condict and Humphrey w.
Carr of the Jersey City Board of Trade;
Corporation Attorney Spencer Weart,
Assemblyman Nelson, Edlow w. Harri-
son and John w. Queen of Jersey City;
James F. Rushing Of Trenton, the men,
Der of the Equal Taxation Commission,
who could see no good in Jersey City; AS
semblymen Wildes of Burlington, Wild
man of Kearny. King and Gledhill of
Passaic. Litterst and Fountain of Mid
dlesex and a number of citizens of Tren-
ton. Several ladies occupied seats in
the gallery.
Mr.. Klink began the proceedings by
explaining his BILL which provides that
the seoond-class property of railroads
shall be taxed at the rate of the muni-
cipality in which the property is located,
but to be assessed by the State Board
of Assessors in order that there may be
a fx,.fx, a.
by the local assessors.
Mayor Wanser. in a few words, intro
duced Mr.. Edwards. who he said, rep
resented Jersey City. and would speak
for her. Before speaking, Mr.. Edwards
said that Henry ". Condict, of Jersey
City, would like to address the commit
tee for a few minutes, and he would wait
for him. Mr.. Condict arose to speak,
and weary look came into the faces
of those who remembered Mr.. Condict's
speeches last year.
This is the fourth year, sir" began
Mr.. Condfct, addressing the chairman,
that we have come here on this errand
and we hope it will be the last If you
do not assist us we must go down to
ruin. The railroads have taken one-third
of our property and they will soon have
another third. When they have two
thirds the other third will be unable to
bear the burden and will be ruined. Hud-
son county, though the smallest in ter
ritory In the State is the largest In
population and is worth more than thir-
teen other counties.
Jersey City is the largest part of Hud-
son county. The railroads own one-third
of the property in Jersey City, why
shouldn't they pay one-third of the tax?
They say that Jersey City would be in
good shape if our officials were not so
corrupt. If our officials are corrupt the
railroads have made them so, for they
can obtain what they want from cor
rupt city officials. But Jersey City is
not corrupt. Under the present Mayor
and government she is going ahead and
was never doing better than she is now .
Mr.. Edwards then took the floor. He
had maps and books on hand which he
used during his argument to clinch the
points he made.
II am not here" Mr.. Edwards began,
''masquerading as citizen in the ordi-
nary sense of that term, but as the paid
advocate of Jersey City, employed to in
yestigate this question from top to bot
tom; employed to present the case to you
in all its aspects-not alone from the as
pectvof the Individual, but from the as
pect of the largest property owners in
the State-the railroads.
Now" he went on, ssI am proud of
that retainer. Although Jersey City may
not be represented hereby hundreds of
thousands of her citizens directly, we
feel that every one of her 900 people
are speaking to you when they speak
through their attorney. 1t is as If this
case was before the highest court of the
land.
sAnd before we go on to discuss this
question, want to tell you little about
the old law. There is a fundamental doc
trine in the changing of the laws-What
is the old law? What is the mischief? ?
and what is the remedy? Now will tell
you in as simple manner as can what
the law is in reference to railway and
canal property. In the first place, under
the act of 1884 1t is treated as special
class of property. And believe that is
right. I do not believe you can separate
these great companies into little pieces.
They must be considered as whole. and
so In 1884, an act was passed in which
they were considered as such. Under that
act they have in the first instance the
main stem, which is that part Of the
property 100 feet Wide2 This is the rail-
road as the ordinary individual under
stands a railroad. Upon that property
the railroad companies pay to the State
tax at the rate. ofsone-half of one per
cent In round figures, the value Of that
Il, stan, "a x1nn ma mn T1nou that flaev