Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-03-17
A Letter FROM THE
CITY BY THE SEA.
The Reform Movement Sue
eessfu1 in the Fourth Ward.
THF ORGANIZATION TO Be CONTINUED.
The FREEHOLDERs' DEFIANCE OF
PUBLIC SENTIMENT IN THE PROPOSED
NEW ROAD-PLEASANTvIL TO

HAVE PERMANENT RAPID TRANSIT.
Well, the city election is over and
| everybody seems to be happy,
| except those who failed to capture
votes enough to elect them to the
, positions they wanted The citi-
| zens' movement in the Fourth Ward
| was entirely successful and their
ticket was elected. 1t was close
call to be sure, but it was elected,
and nothing succeeds like success,
you know, even though it be by
| narrow margin. The honest people
of this city have great cause for con-
graduation, and the only wonder is
that they did so well. The next
battle will take in the whole city
| and hundreds more will then join the
| ranks of those who in the recent
fight had the nerve to take the
Bosses" by the throat and send
| them to the rear. Where other
| movements have failed because OF
| the weakness of the movers, this one
succeeded because of the determina-
| ton OF the projectors to make it
win, and that too by honest means.
Heretofore money and promises of
spoil have defeated the honest pur-
poses of the tax payers. The Bosses
who were entrenchedi in every position
| OF profit and emOlument have sue
| ceeded in disgusting or bribing away
| enough voters to defeat and disgust
those who, in good faith, wanted to
| redeem the city. If an argument
failed they were ready with another,
and if an argument would not do,
then the 'spOils" was the next
inducement offered, to down and
keep down reform. But reform
split with big "R' has at least
succeeded and the back OF corruption
| has been broken by a few determined
honest men. 1t will be years before
| the old gang of cOruptiOnists will
regain another foot hold in the
Fourth Ward, if indeed they ever do.
To Doctor Cuskaden, Rufus Booye
| and few others. The citizens OF the
Fourth Ward are under great obi
cations, and every taxpayer in the
| city has cause for rejoicing. The
committee are going right
ahead. First they will keep their
pledge to prosecute every case of
wrong doing, no matter who it hits.
The only hope for the official traders
in votes, is with the Sheriff and the
Grand Jury-and it remains to be
seen how much help they will get
from that source. l am sorry to
hear that the officials of both the
Railroads turned in against this
popular movement OF reform. |
have warm place in my makeup
for the Railroad boys, but if it is
true, as it is charged, that they play
ed their hands against this move
ment for better government | can
only say that their companies will
be apt to suffer for their foolish acts.
1t is openly charged that men who
occupy high positions in both COM
panies took part in the effort to
defeat certain men. If this is true the
sooner these mems places are filled
by different material the better it
will be for the stock holders OF the
companies. Every man is entitled
to vote for who he may choose, but
the minute a man makes use OF his
official position to injure another he
commits a wrong against the men
who employ him, and should be dis
cOuraged. l heard a number of peO-
pie say that both of the Railroad
companies have been unfortunate in
the selection of their representatives
at this end. If all is true that l hear,
there are others who did not cover
themselves with glory, and may live
to regret their part in helping to
down an honest effort to reform.
hear of a certain man who draws
his pay from the tax payers who
quietly did his mite against the
nominees of the citizens committee.
If he shall find his efforts are not
appreciated when Councils come to
give out the plums, he will have
himself to blame. The fight was not
against the men who We're defeated
but against a system that has be-
come oppressive and unbearable.
The determination of the Board of
Chosen FreehOlders to go right
ahead with the useless and senseless
building OF road from Mays Land
ing to Egg Harbor City is exciting
our people to a high pitch. That
honorable body goes ahead as
though they owned the Universe and
owed nothing to anybody but them
selves. This defiance Of public
opinion relating to the removal of
the County Seat seems to have
sharpened their appeitites in that
direction, but as it is said that a
single straw breaks the camels' back
so it may prove in this instance one
to many for the tax payers to stand.
Already an effort is OnfOOtlOOking to
an Injunction to restrain them from
this waste OF peoples money. Per-
sOnally l am in favor of better roads
but when the most isolated section
of the County is selected in prefer
ence to all other parts OF the same,
especially when there is no public
demand ior it, it has a look about
it savOring too much of Caesarism.
AS this city will have the greater
part of the bill to pay simply enter
my protest against it. If they had
suggested new road across the
Meadows there might be some excuse
as that would strike some people as
an improvement that would improve
but from Mays Landing to Egg
Harbor, well, l don't think even
Assemblyman Jackson can give
good reason for that, and if brothers
BortOn and Shinn can stand up for
such scheme as that l know many
a fellow Including myself that will be
very sorry that they were elected
back to the board, that's all.
BY the way l am assured, and
your people may rely upon it as a
fact certain and sure, that Pleasant
vile is to have rapid transit all the
year around on and after this sea-
son. In fact the whole, scheme has
been prepared and is now ready to
be put in early execution. By the
first of June am told you will have
all the accommodations you want
ton. This will place your pretty