The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-16
vaR JERSEY olTY NEWS TUESDAY. FEBRUARY Is. 1921.

TUES DAY. FEBRUARY
against the bill. This was an age Of
progress and the experience Of other
States. has led to the enforcement of
municipal from State and National cleo
Representative McEwan of Hudson
county STOPPED off a train on his way to
ure. Oily two s Reasons ss Tor th ehg pa mause
Of the bill he said-economy and that it
was q Republican measure. From Hud-
except from oficeholders, who want their
terms extended. The Hudson County Re
publican lsommittee had not asked for
the nliI, ara two-thirds Of the people are
You will need the vote Of Hudson Re-
publican Senator'S" shouted Mr.. Nc
next fall. You will want the independent
vote of Jersey City two years hence to
elect your Governor. Remember If you
pass this bill at the request of q few men
who do not represent the people you will
lose every municipality in the county ex-
cept Arlington. I am a Republican who
believes in Republican principles and not
Republican measures. Upon you, Sem
ators. rests the responsibility of defeat
or success in Hudson county at the e
election"
Much merriment was caused by the ar
AN VI <1cSttl1Dly 1ldu 1LcOIldIu, Il0
first speaker for the bill. He supported
the measure, he said, because it was a
matter of Republican principle.
When did the extension of Office be-
come a cardinal principle of the Republi-
can party?' Mr.. Leonard made a Buns
bian answer which made everyone laugh.
He then started in to denounce Represen-
tative McEswan SO fercely that the chair
man called him to order. Then Mr.. Leon
ard directed his attention to the argu-
ment that the bill was a Republican
measure and went on in a strain that
made the supporters of the bill tired.
Several walked behind him and tried to
get him to sit down but without success.
Final Mr.; Francis asked the AS
mitttee or body of citizens.
No, sir. I'm only a poor, humble mem
Der Of the Lower House. said Mr.. Leon
ard.
Mr.. Francis then said that in that case
Mr.. Leonard could be heard later and
there were some in the who
would like to be heard who said they
want to catch a train.
"Oh, he's gone,t innocently said Mr..
Leonard, while the chamber broke out
into a hearty laugh.
The best argument for the bill was
made by Judge William 7. Hoffman Of
Jersey City. He declared that the bill
was a measure in the interest of good
government, as it saved the cities the cost
| of the spring election and tended to bring
out more citizens at the fall elections,
which meant better officials. The cleo
ton Of municipal officers, if the bill
SHOULD become a law, would not fall on
the same day with National elections once
In thirty years. That the people would
be able to discriminate between the local
and State candidates and not vote for
them all because they were on the ticket,
he said, is demonstrated by last fairs
election when Hudson county elected a
Democratic Sheriff and Surrogate while
they elected Republican Electors, Rep
| resentatives and Assemblymen.
David Rra prnW President of the New
ark Board of Aldermen, advocated the
| bill so that the terms of the city officials
might begin with the fiscal year.
Carl Lentz spoke in favor OF the meas
ure. using the same arguments he en-
ployed at the hearing last week.
This letter was read by Senator DAILY
once of the Mayor. City Hall.
Newark. N. j.. Feb. -, 1897.
Hon. WILLIAM p; Daly;@t that 7 inform
YOU whether the people of Newark desire
| the enactment of the bill now pending IN
menl of the municipal election until NO,
vember in this and subsequent years anu
asking my opinion OF the measure + SAY at
| among our citizens and taxpayers for an
other law nobody has heard of it.. Since
the city was Incorporated IN 1856 our
charter elections have always been held,
either in October or April, and municipal
questions have been separated as much as
possible from State and National politics:
During these sixty years there has never
been, SO far as / know, even a sugges-
ton for such a change as is now pro-
posed. When q system which has pee
vailed in a city for nearly two-thirds OF a
century and all other municipalities, Of the
/ State for varying periods IS assaTled py
the Legislature at Trenton, there oughs
Innovation Nothing less than a broad,
general demand from the locality affected
win Justify interference by the
One looks in vain among our institu-
lions for advocates of the bin. Our Com
has i Board Of Street and Water Com
Board Of Education or the Board Of
has given expression to popular clamor
for legislation Of this character. Not an
eoclesiastical society . y a a soeia ln CUB Pa a
association or a labor union has asked
for such a change. Our press is almost
unanimous in opposition to the measure,
In fact, nobody in Newark wants the bill
passed but a few of1ceholders whose
terms Terms IN ha 4ye Ra NEATLY ex Pn,enty a1 SINNER Sneir
Personally I am opposed to the bill for
menf viii result in endless confusion.
Such followed the change
from October to April in 1898. This bill
gencies. and viii cause some Of the de-
litigation. Second, municipal elections
ought to be kept separate from State
and National elections. That, I believe,
is the opinion of n~inety-nine out of every
one hundred of our citizens, and similar
views are held by all the students of
municipal governments throughout the
United States.
Third, I am opposed to the bill because
an extension by the Legislature of the
terms of elective and appointive city
officers. beyond the term for which they
were elected or appointed is a violation
of the right of home rule and an unwar-
ranted interference in local affairs. AS
drawn the bill imposes upon me the
duty of remaining in office two and three
quarters years. The people of Newark
elected me Mayor of Newark for two
years, no more, no less. The same rea-
soning is fair as regards Aldermen, Board
of Street and Water Commissioners n
appointive officers.
When citizens, g to the polls to vote
there ought to be a reasonable certainty
of the consequences of exercising the right
of franchise. To amend a popular de-
cision after 1t has been given by making
responsible for more or less than they
cast their ballots for is a practice 50
vicious 1t ought to need no condemnation.
If terms are to be changed they can be
changed as to the future.
Yours respectfully,
JAMES M. SEYMOUR.
Mayor.
Senator DAILY then made a telling sneech