The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-15
NINE
The STATE Is Sc POOR
Appropriations Committee
Trying to Prevent
Another Deficit This
Year.
CLAIMS OF THE REFoRMATORY
Naval Reserve Encounters the Usu-
al Republican Narrowness
and ACrabbedness.
Especial to .eThe Jersey city News."l

Committee on Appropriations gave a
hearing yesterday afternoon to one and
all who desired to attempt to move the
stony hearts of the members of the COM
mittee to make liberal allowances for pet
schemes.
The first monies appropriated" he
missioners of the State Reformatory at
Railway. Thomas NJ. Gopsil of Jersey
City. the secretary of the commission,
was the first speaker. He gave a history
OF the movement for the building of the
Reformatory.
THE first monies appropriated" he
said. was $100, COO. With hat sum the
commissioners erected the northeast wing
at an expense of $50, 800. The second year
there was an allowance made of $40 1000.
With the appropriation of the second
year, together with what was left over
from the appropriation of the first year
y the GENITAL or guardroom building was
erected at a cost of $9l.440. Architects
fees, engineering expenses, inspector, and
other contingencies exhausted the sum
appropriated. Last year $4,000 was given
the commissioners to take care of the
buildings erected and for necessary ex-
penses. AT the present moment the
northeast wing and the central or guard
room building are erected and enclosed
1T will be necessary to complete and
equip the northeast wing, equip and COM
plete the central or guardroom building,
erect the power house and furnish the
same prepare the conduits for pipes, erect
and equip the domestic building, taKe
care OF the sewage OF the building, pro-
vid for the architect, engineer. inspector
and CONTINGENCIES of this character that
might arise.
"At the present time there are LILO
prisoners in the New Jersey State prison,
and there are 906 cells in the State prison.
The Reformatory was started for the pur-
pose of receiving all male criminals be
tween the ages of 16 and 20 years and
not known to have been previously SEN
fenced to State prison or penitentiary.
The true instructions of are
employment and reward. not punishment.
The beginning of all true reformation
among the criminal classes depends on the
establishment of institutions for their
active employment while their crlfniil,
atty is still unripe and their feelings of
self respect capacities of affection and
sence of justice and not altogether
quenched."
The commissioners produced drawings
and plans of the new reformatory and
John W. Ferguson, of Paterson. one of
the commissioners and a practical builder,
explained them.
Senator Skirm referred to the state
nent made by the supporters of the bill
providing for the reformatory that a.
would not cost over $100. 600 and said that
these applications year after year for
further appropriations were a breach of
Both Mr.. Gopsill and Mr.. Ferguson
FASTENED to inform Mr.. Skirm that that
statement was made before the present
commission was appointed, that the bill
which created therein provided for the
present costly structure and they had
nothing to do but to carry out the pro-
visions of the act.
Mr.. Skirm lost no time in answering
the gentlemen that his remarks did not
apply to the present commission and that
he perfectly understood their situation.
hat acted like oil on trouble waters and
in a few minutes everything was sailing
along on a smooth sea. The commits
sioners and the members of the committee
then fell to discussing the question in
hand in a conversational manner. Mr..
johnson wanted to know what was the
least sum with which the commission
could get along Mr.. Ferguson said that
$35c,00 was the smallest sum with which
A h rrArly aArr11 1A 1A1D 4aOn 0r, s..,v
course a smaller sum could be used tenn
porarily, he said, but he saw no use of
taking a smaller sum and utilizing it
IN work which would have to be undone.
Colonel Cooper and several officers of
the Sixth Regiment appeared next to
advocate the appropriation of $4,000 to
furnish and lay a sidewalk in front of
the regiments armory in Camuen. Mr..
johnson soon quoted the delegation by
remarking that there was a bill before
the Legislature providing for the 5000,
and if that should pass it would be placed
in the appropriation bill.
Tn Naval Reserve was next heard from
in the person of Captain Washington Irv-
ing, commander of the Battalion of the
East. He told how the Reserve had
struggled along with the meagre appro-
priations which had been made by The
State and had only kept afioat by the self
sacrifice and patriotism of the members
who paid a great part of the expenses
of the organization out of their own peck
ct. For three years the amateur sailors
had gone on cruises extending from five
to seventeen days without a cent of pay,
while the militiamen who went into camp
were paid. In their estimate this year
they had made an application for pay
= while on annual cruise, but if the COM
mittee intended to cut the estimate he
hoped it would cut out that item first.
He spoke of the deficiency in last-year's
appropriation, which drew out Senator
Johnson. The latter spoke bitterly of the
custom of going ahead and spending
money in advance of the appropriations
and then asking for a deficiency. In some
cities, he said, that came under the Grim
1nal law, and he thought it should also
come under the criminal law in State
matters. What was the use Of an apro-
priation committee to spend its time in
considering and celebrating Upon State
expenditures if those affected could go
ahead and spend more money with i'm
punity? Captain Irving took the wind out
of his sails by calmly saying that he had
not spent any of the money he asked for
and would not unless he received the de-
fciency asked for.
The request for $40, 1000 for the erection
of a chapel at the Boys Reform School
at Jamesburgh was next taken up. Mr..
Ira Otterson,. the head of the school,
spoke for the measure. He said that the
chapel was needed. so that the present
building could be used for administrator
purposes.
Assemblyman Eugene Cole of Cape May
supported Mr.. Otterson. He said he went
to the Reform School the other day preju-
diced against the application. but wnen
he saw the crowded condition OF the
school and the real needs of the new
building he underwent a change of heart.
He declared that the discipline of the in
stitution was excellent, and spoke highly
of the superior manner in which the
school was managed. He said that the
new building was absolutely necessary.
Mr.. Slirm wanted to know If the chapel
was ever crowded; if it was not custom
airy to divide it between the Catholics and
Protestants, so that when one service
was being held those of the other faith
were not present.
The purpose. Mr.. Otterson said, was not
to confine the building asked for for reli-
gious services alone. but for lectures, con-
certs and other entertainments, which
not only entertained and amused the in
mates of the school, but elevated and i'm
structed them.
Mr.. Skirm acknowledged that he had
not visited the institution and plainly said
that if Mr.. Otlerson had invited him he
would have gone to Janesburg with the
House Committee last week and looked
the place over. Thai statement greatly
surprised Mr.. Otterson. and he declared
that he had invited not only the Senator
from Mercer. but ali the other members
go