Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-06-22
A LETTER FROM THE
CITY By THE SEA.
What the City owes to its
Newspapers and writers.
TIE SEASON SEEMS Likely 10 BEA GOOD ONT
soME PERTINENT QUERIES coNcERNING G
CITY MATTERS, DEALS. AND DoINGs THAT
ARE OF PUBLIC INTEREST.

wonder If the business men of thif
| city ever stop to think how much thu
newspapers do for them and how much
they are indebted to the pencil pushers
The latter are strong bulwark of de.
fence and handy fellows to have around
when the City is uDjustly attacked from
within or without. Take the wal
scare about the Spanish bombardment
| as an example for instance. Other
places, jealous of our great resort, its
amazing success and brilliant future
prospects, have been only too willing to
spread lying reports and to exaggerate
the dangers which have always been,
and are DOW, next to nothing. Has
any newspaper here, or it's correspon-
dent, shown the white feather? If so
do not know of it. In this, and all other
matters, the newspaper men have al
ways stood as one man for the City, its
interest and it's business. And yet how
poorly are their services appreciated in
many quarters sometimes not at
all. l verify believe there are some
hotel-keepers here-who are only too glad
to avail themselves of every line OF
print in their favor-who would be-
grudge a newspaper man plate of cold
hash. Fortunately for the profession,
the most of the newspaper fraternity
here are reliable selfrespecting gentle
men-who although they work hard,
and long. for living, do not abase
themselves nor beg for trivial favors.
They have it in their power, with their
little pencils, to "make or break" many
a man who snubs them and puts on ridi-
culOus but harmless "airs," I often
times wonder at the forbearance of
newspaper writers in general when they
have so many lust opportunities to "get
even"
The season is all right, so far, despite
the croakings of the birds of ill omen.
Fully as many peOple-yes mOre-have
been here this year up to June Is, than in
any previous year. and with the advent
of this warm sunshiny weather the num-
Der is still increasing. Unless some unex-
pected event occurs to its disadvantage
Atlantic City will have it's greatest
season, think. The war has cut off
most of the American travel to Europe,
the railroad and hotel facilities are
better than ever before, and there is no
reason to expect a less number of visitors
than heretofore. For this probable re-
suit the pencil pushers ought to receive
much credit, for by their timely and
sensible presentation of facts in relation
to the Spanish phantom fleets they
have about scotched the unnecessary
"war scare" What, ask in all candor.
would have been the likely result to the
summer business of Atlantic City if all
our newspapers, here and elsewhere, had
joined in the senseless alarm and said,
"Keep away from Atlantic City. There
is danger ?"' Depend upon it Atlantic
Gty's great prosperity is more dependent
upon printers ink than many people
| imagine. And SO it is in nearly all re-
form movements-the newspaper takes
the lead, ''stirs up things" and gets the
fcussin'," and some belated patriot,
later on, steps in and claims the credit.
have, myself, in my modest way, con-
tended for reform and 50 has The Press,
and | know that we, and Others, have
| saved this city and county many thou
sands of dOllars-but if many, who are
| most benefited, haveever done anything
but to slarrup" us with their lying
| tongues have yet to hear of it. How
ever am not losing any hair from my
bald head on account of it, and expect to
continue to "tell the truth" about men
and things as | fnd them just the same
as if these inconseqnential little
'syawpers" didn't say a word. 1 have
| opposed the raids made upon the tax
payers of both city and county-when
| thought that circumstances warranted
| it-and expect to again. At present we
| are Overrun with all sorts of Commits
| sions and Commissioners many of whom
| are raking in good salaries and making
little or no return for their services. The
city's easy-going good-natured members
| of Council fix a liberal salary and so il
| goes. The people have changed some
| members, from time to time, but the
same old game seems to continue right
along. That there will be an end to thii
| sometime is as certain as can be, and nc
one need be surprised if some strange
things happen before the robins &C
South again. People are getting theil
eyes open, and there are some Gloss
| observers watching things pretty
sharply. One of the topics thai
is being pretty generally discussed
is the City Hall or rather no City Hall
Why was the ground purchased for &
site if there is no intention of using it
/ u.J
| structed to begin work if nothing is to
be done They are all drawing theil
salaries and never fail to call at the
Treasurer's Office on time. Why did the
Council stop all at once and then repu
diate their former record by favorlne
the purchase of q property they had pre-
viously declared the City did not need
| By what strange h0cuS7b0cnS were al
these things brought about We're oul
City fathers "hoodoed" by the myster
ious number fifteen? Then there are many
pointed inquiries. concerning water
meters, and horses and hose and, in TACT
most any old thing that comes along.
Then there is the Telephone scheme and
some Others of lesser dimensions. AL
these things hear talked about, and
listen to it, and have a good-sizet
notebook in my inside pocket. How is
it all going to pan out? Who can say
And then there are some sweet-smellin,
stories going around concerning SOM
mysterious s'deal' in connection with tn
garbage crematory What do they al
mean I? Oh, who can tell Possibl,
some one may be able to "turn on th
light" later in the season.
| / hear that Schlatter, the "Divin
Healer" is having great run Of bushes
since his wonderful political cures o
which | wrote you last week, but som
fear that the patients are not permH
nently cured and that the old symptom
may return as soon as they are removes
from the sphere of the "Healer's" infu
ence. AS proof Of this they point to tn
fact that Congressman Gardner is willin
to 20 to Congress again or serve q
Governor, and that even Senator Hot
man Is willing to accept 8 third tern