The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-11
SOME HOPE FOR BILL NO. 1874


IhENION, March IL, lS97.-The rail-
Q corporations once more demonstrate
ed the absolute power which they hold
oyer the New Jersey Legislature and
Equal Taxation was again killed in the
House yesterday. Bill No /, Mr.. Kinks
measure, providing that second-elass rail-
road property shall be taxed in the same
manner and at the same rate as indi-
viduai property for the benefit of the
municipality in which it is located came
up on final passage.
Mr.. G~oldenhorn spoke briefly. He ap-
pealed to the House to give Jersey City
her due and restore to her that of which
h is being robbed. Mr.. Denarest aid
that heretofore he had kept quiet so far
in this matter, although he represented
a city which, in proportion, contained
more main stem than any other city in
the State, and yet his city received only
$5.Ssl.T. Last fall he said the Republi-
cans in his county made the issue OF the
campaign Equal Taxation. We said to
the people of Hudson county, s.Give us
eleven members from Hudson and we will
be able to bring you bach equal taxation"
He told the House that if it did not give
Hudson equal taxation the Republicans
would be defeated in that county next
fall. Mr.. Ebie of Essex spoke against
the bill, because, he said, If it passed it
would bring back the State tax, and no
county would be more heavily taxed than
Essex. Mr.. Klink then took the floor
and spoke for almost an hour, repeating
to a great extent his speech of last week.
He said it was plain from what Mr.. Ebie
had said that all the elaborate argu-
ments that had been made in favor of
the bill had been made in vain. He
characterized Mr.. Ebie's remarks as dis
honest when he raised the old bugabeo
of a State tax. He declared that the cry
that if equal taxation was granted it
would bring about a State tax was a
bugaboo raised by the railroad COM
panies' lawyers to frighten the people
from the country districts. He then
showed how there was an excess of $780,
600 of receipts over expenditures each
year, and there was now a surplus of
over 81, 00O,O 900 in the State Treasury. This
bill only took $685. 900 a year from the
State, and he wanted to know If that
looked like a State taxing. In introduce
ing the Equal Taxation Commission's bill
the railroads practically said hat the
State should part with some of its money.
and Mr.. Kink declared the railroads
SHOULD also part with some of theirs.
People of Jersey City had asked what
was going to become of the equal a
alton bills. He replied that they were
going to pass, and his constituents laugh
ed at him. This was a matter which
did not interest Hudson county alone but
every county in the State. What the peo-
Pile outside of Hudson needed was educa-
ton on this subject. Get them to under
stand that they were paying a tax at the
rate of 2 per cent. and the railroads were
paying only about one=half of that amount
and soon there would arise from every
county, from Cape May to Sussex, a de-
mand for equal taxation which no power
could Withstand. Mr.. Klink said he was,
no doubt, persistent in this matter, but
he was in earnest because he felt
that the cause he was advocating was
right, and he was so much wrapped up
in the passage of the bill that perhaps
h occupied more of the Houses atten-
ton tina he should. He made a strong
plea to the majority to save the Repub-
lican party in Hudson, plainly telling
them that after the promises the party
had made in Hudson last fall it would
meet with defeat at the next election IN
less these bills were passed.
This closed the debate, a vote was
taken on the measure, and it was lost
by a vote of 26 to q. Those who voted
for the bill were:-Armbruster. Atherton,
Baumann, Bridge, clauss, Demarest, bod,
Evans, Flummerfelt, Fountain, Gledhill,
Goldenhorn, King. Klink, Lawshe. Leon
ard, Litterst, Martens, Macarthur, Nell
son, Tighter, Simpson, Steddig, Urauhart,
Wildes, Wldman-2s, Those voting in the
negative were;-Messrs. Borton. Bowers,
Brown, Clark, C~oddingten. Crispen, De-
rousse, Ebie, Eairehild, Harrison, Hogan,
Hopkins, Hunt, Hutchinson. Jones, Mac
pherson, Minch. Porter, Powers, Rau,
Reid, Roll, Rude, 6eovel, Thorn, Van
Doren, Watkins-27, Those absent were
Messrs. Hand, Holdrum, jackson, Lloyd,
Uilman, Van Wrinkle and WHITFIELD.
A glance at the vote shows some SUR
prises. The largest enc to some OF the
supporters of the bill was the attitude of
Essex county. Although Martin Roll and
Leader Deroaaase some time ago announced
that certain influences had been at work
among the Essex men and Hudson would
not get a single vote from h a county
for its equal taxation bills. there were
some in the Hudson delegation who
thought they had some friends among
the Essex men VIII would stand by them.
But as the vote proceeded and one by
one the Essex men voted, with the ex-
eeption of Messrs. Baumann, Simpson and
Stedig. solidly against the measure, even
to be expected from perfldious Essex. This
is not so much to be wondered at where
It is considered how itttle that country
pared with Hudson. Out of the ~. ION. 00G