The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-04-16
WILL They HANG ON z
s.sa ss.ssaRepublican Leaders and
!. Counsel to Meet Tonight
saa and Consider What y
to Do.
SERIOUS DANGER CONPRONTS THEM
Cases Where Usurpers Of Office
Have Been Severely Pun
ished by the Supreme
Court.
Mr.. CORBIN CONFIDENT OF WINNING
> He Says the Court of Errors has
Already Decided That Special
Classification is Gonsti-
tutional.
MR.. CORBIN CONFIDENT OF WINNING

1t is by no means definitely settled what
Mayor Wanser will do on May 8, the day
fixed by law for him to surrender his
office to his legally elected successor.
Whether he will quietly bow to the will
of the people as expressed at the polls
on Tuesday, or whether he will refuse to
surrender and subject the city to all the
complications and difficulties of a dual
government, may be decided tonight at a
meeting of the Executive Committee of
the County Committee which will be
held tonight. The Mayor, as is his GUS
tom in all matters of grave Importance,
absolutely refuses to say anything on the
subject for publication Those of his in
timates with whom he has freely spoken
upon the subject, say that as far as he is
concerned personally he is opposed to any
resistance and if he were to follow his
own inclinations he would willingly turn
the office over to Mr.. Hoos on May 8.
But if it is the wish of his party that he
should stand and make the fight he will
do so. Therefore he stands ready to shape
his course according to the decision at
which the committee arrives
The indications are the meeting viii be
a protracted and stormy one. Corbin &
Corbin, Corporation Counsel Blair and
Corporation Attorney Weart are expected
to be present. There is by no means a
unanimity upon the subject among the
members, and some of the more infuen-
tial members are strongly opposed to
! holding on to the Offices They argue
that if the party proposes to defy the
Court the time to have done so was after
the decision, and they should not have
gone into the election; they should have
held no primaries or convention, nomi-
mated no candidates and made no can
yass. But having gone before the peo-
pie with their candidates and having been
defeated by the people, and in a manner
which leaves no uncertainty as to the
intention of the voters, they should yield
to the will of the people and gracefully
surrender s-he offices to the men elected
on Tuesday. Tuesdays vote, they will
argue, should convince the Republican
leaders that the people are in no mood
to be trified with, and that more will be
lost by holding on to the offices than will
ever be gained. Should the Court even
sustain them and another election be
held next fall. the people will be SO in
censed against the Republicans for the
Decentralization in public affairs which
will inevitably follow the attempt to
maintain a duel government that they
will bury the Republican party SO deep
under ballots that it will take years, if
not forever, to dig themselves out again
Those who favor holding out, on the
other hand, argue that they will surely
win at the next election if it should be
held in the fall. They repeat the argu-
ments made at Trenton when the term
extender bill was under discussion, and
quote the figures of the spring and fall
elections of 1896 and this last spring to
show that the Republicans come out in
the fall and stay at home in the spring
from which they argue that they can
carry the city. In replying to those
among them who are afraid of the dual
governments producing danger to the
city's interests, the leaders point to yes
terday's bond sale, at which the city's
securities brought higher prices than be-
fore and at a time. too, when it was gem
orally understood understood that the
Mayor and other Republican officials
would hold the offices.
1t is understood that the opinion of
Messrs. Corbin & Corbin in the case will
be laid before the committee at tonight's
meeting 1t is known that these gentle
men are as full of resistance as an old
time covenanter. They still claim that the
bill is constitutional. Notwithstanding
the decision of the Supreme Court al
though the Court has held that a decis-
ion of the Supreme Court is law until it
has been reversed by the Court of Err
rors The Messrs. Corbin would have
Mayor Wanser and the other officials
whose terms expire hold on
aud compel. the Democrats elected
on Tuesday proceed against them
on quo warranto proceedings by
which means the case could be got be-
fore the Court again and up to the Court
of Errors. But there is a danger about
those proceeding which some of the Re-
publican holdovers have been made ac-
quainted with and which is causing them
to pause and think twice before they
resort to such proceedings. There is an
element of criminality about them which
involves fine and Imprisonment, il not
both.
When Mr. McDernott upon being told
of the intention of the Republicans to
Hold on a few days ago. replied that he
had a movement in store which was more
spicy than quo warranto proceedings, it
was generally thought that he had in
mind proceedings before the Grand Jury
for usurpation. That may be and it may
be that he was thinking of the case Of
Bownes vs. Meehan, which is reported in
16 vroom, 1Se. This was fight over
the office Of keeper of the Hud-
son County jail. Francis G. Meehan
was elected jailer By Board of
Freeholders which Joseph W. Bownes,
the then jafler claimed were not legally
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