The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-20
WHEREsARE WB AT?
a
Water Committee of The
Board OF Trade Under
Fire Last Night,
CONGRESSMAN M,EWAE'S LETTER
lessrs Dearsand Condict Want the
Mayor to Sign the Water
Contract Right Away.
Fire Last Night.

SVAAA0Ss N6As WEI -
In anticipation of hearing Engineer g.
c. verrneule attack the report OF Mr..
George w. Raffer critizing the bids for
supply of water to Jersey City. there was
an unusually large attendance at last
nights meeting of the Board of Trade in
the Second National AMI Building. But
there was no little disappointment visible
when it was announced that Mr.. Yer
meule was u~navoidably called out of
town.
Mr.. Frank O. Cole and Mr.. Joseph A.
Dear, however. made up for the oisap-
pointment by precipitating a nice little
spat. 1t occurred in this way: Mr.. Cole
was called upon by President Corcoran
to report for the Water Committee. and
in doing so was proceeding to read a
letter from Congressman T. McEwans
Jr., when Mr.. Dear jumped ups
IT object, Mr.. President. to the reading
of this private letter which Mr.. Cole has
presumed on his position as Chairman of
the committee to read to this board"
Mr.. Cole was not to be squelched, and
insisted that he had the floor and would
read it.
II object. Sir" said Mr.. Dear once
more. 'to the over enthusiasm of Mr.
Cole. who is always stopping over, The
letter is AN attack on Mayor Wanser, and
is obviously ill-natured and acrimonious"
MI. Cole retorted by saying that NJ.
Dear was doing the stopping over, and
inttmated that Mr.. Bears interruption
was not polite. With the permission of
the President Mr.. Cole proceeded to
read the letter which was as follows
Jersey City, Jan. Is, 1897.
Mr.. Frank o. Cole, Chairman Water
Committee Board of Trade.
Dear Sir-The results of the labors of
your committee are In my estimation
deserving of public recognition on the
part of every one interested in the well
fare of Jersey City, and. in the honest
municipal affairs.
The bare fact tina In the closing
months of a long Mayoralty term, and
In the face of the popular condemnation
elections, OF those city officials who had
identified themselves with the. policy of
intrusting the tcity's water supply to a
private corporation there should be
awarded, with suspicious haste and
privacy, a contract unpreeedentedly loose
in@fts terms (even when compared with
Its g. qiSsfe 81 precursor g,v the Mas contract G t
pany) implies "a defiant mockery of public
opinion on theopart of the powerful con-
fracting corporation its confederates:
q p.o vas SsSl iuoit erediiiy ueViSeu
al HI polls and should it be con-
summatedEthe public official who makes
nIInseiI 1or IT'S success VIII
5entence himself to permanent and de-
served exclusion from elective office and
ms party 10 verWneiming defeafsln this
city at the next election by that fact.
Inese considsratfons, It may be said,
a~Iel.purely pohucal not properly
Nltnln n purvfeW OF the Board OF
Trade as sbodyr@of citizens standing
aIoon from party politics. 1 inquire then,
or WA sectionsor our citizens rs II
tnat. specially advocates a water con-,
tract, tne eHect ofaWhfch Will be to in
crease py seven milton dollars the al
tne city, thereby seraining the city credit
sortne poaneso OF danger, II not OF absolute
idIlure.
L CITY na1 aareaoy passed sInrohgn
ne eolsaserous experience OF reckless ex-
pansion OF the pubic credat undertaken IN
ete MiereSt ana Tor the altegea rDenent
y noioers OF large DOCKS OF unaTnproved
p.upertys Wnicn nae peen ACQUIRES ana
WnlcnFFt was sought TO make more mar
h5tApte at tne general expense OF the CITY.
y Is which are today found
giving support TO this or n scheme OF
puplics expenditure which to their hope
promises to remedy the injury done to
property values In Jersey GtyAby years
I1fsgoyernment. saiFI
THE interests of the average household
si pa,ult pasl n rsa naa asts Mau s hon dn bs t tbe me nee
culiar careeAof fbe civ covernmenf a.
they i,ndo,,hteSJv arasaf ;be Roa I'd If Trada
81 ! yvhoia'g R,1y IA yna,S4 : IL ravsSa,,harod
Fbutsa' am IN ,Sa'rohaT ~ ind; v5Sala II eaeb
IF -uhorn hass aTsssrGI e1,rnt;na0 for s.tso-
Gan nraaniza e,,sesssvf4 snd h,snr a. enrcss
q aA - = = -. SSSIsa.
nIt1 Aie lelu 80 Saadys ana IL; ~ s.sotouHt
q 10 toiae aseounae fIeil gupiis oPlnfon in
aevaIce OF ny eh-coLsloere eMpfessloh
oIajuugment Dysthe great majority OF I'M
teaiigent and dlssnterested citizens.
Z Board OF Trade has made an honor
abe ana Consistent record. upon the water
question inSjthe past, but this fact only
furnishes a stronger motive TO the repre-
sentatives of the East Jersey Water Com
pany to attempt by a coup dsetat to Sc
cure its passive If not its active indorse-
mont of the present contract, involving
the abandonment of Its position in favor
of the filtration of the Passaic supply-a
position which has become doubly danger