The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-02-02
RAILROAD YILLAINY
Bill introduced to Repeal
the Second Class Tax
Act of Last Year.
INTENDED AS A BLUFF
servile Legislators Will Advance
1t Unless Hudson Democrats
Abandon Principle.
Especial to ..The Jersey City News.''l

tered by one of their chief representa-
tives here last evening that if the Hudson
county people did not stop their agitation
for equal taxation the act of last winter.
which increased the amount paid to the
cities out of the moneys received from
taxes on railroads, would be assailed.
One of the two bills introduced this
morning was one by Mr.. Shropshire of
Cumberland, which repeals the act of last
March. Mr.. Shropshire was inclined to
deny that his repeater was inspired by
any desire on the part of the railroads to
bulldoze the Equal Taxation people. His
reason, he said, was the manifest unfair
ness of sthe act of last year to the rural
districts. While the act benefited the
cities and towns in which the railroad
property is located, it was great detri-
ment to the county districts, inasmuch as
the extra money--the cities receive does
not come out of the railroads but from
the amount paid by the railroads to the
State. That, he claimed, by lessening the
income of the State increased the taxation
burdens of the rural sections.
Notwithstanding this specious plea of
Mr.. Shropshire, who comes from one of
those counties which is owned, body and
soul, by the railroads, it is generally un-
derstood that the repeater was put in at
the command of the corporations. 1t was
not primarily introduced for passage, but
to be held as a club with which to beat
the advocates of Equal Taxation into an
abandonment of their efforts to secure
justice for the overburdened taxpayers of
Jersey City and Hudson county. If that
can be accomplished the bill will not be
urged to final passage, Notwithstanding
the heartrending sufferings of the people
of the rural districts; but if the Equal
Taxation men persist in their purpose it
will be passed, and the public be damned.
The men who are conducting the fight
for the honest taxation of railroad prop
erty are not frightened by this manoeuvre
and declare that they. will not abandon
the fight.
Mr. Holdrum of Bergen started in to
tinker the marriage license law of last
winter. Ever since that law went into
effect there has been a grave doubt
whether the law requires license when
one of the contracting parties is resi-
it will be remembered, gave an opinion
that when one of the parties lived out OF
the State a license was necessary. Mr..
Holdrum considers this a detriment to
wants it done away with. His bill pro-
vides that when one of the parties is
resident of the State no license shall be
necessary.
The session of the House this morning
was productive of little business and did
not last over thirty minutes. The Speak
the "get-rich-quick" concerns TO be
Messrs. Ebie of Essex, Bell of Bergen,
Cole of Cape May, Mckee of Passaic and
Allen of Hudson.
The first bill taken up was Mr.. Benny's
school bill, which provides
The Board of Aldermen, Common
Council, or other board having charge
and control of the finances of any city
in this State, shall have power, under
this act, to issue bonds to an amount
not exceeding one hundred thousand
dollars, in any calendar year, for the
purpose of purchasing lands and erect
ing thereon public buildings. and fur
nishing the same, or for the purpose of
erecting and furnishing public school
buildings on lands owned by said city;
said bonds shall be payable in not less
than ten years, nor more than twenty
years, from the date of their issue,
and shall bear interest at not more
than five per centum per annum, pay
able half-yearly; they shall be signed
by the Mayor, scountersigned by the
City Treasurer or other chief financial
officer of the said city, and attested
by the City Clerk under the seal of the
city; they shall be sold at public or
accrued interest; said bonds may be
registered or coupon, as said board
may direct
The board having charge of the
finances in such city shall provide, by
taxation, for the payment of the yearly
interest on said bonds and for the pay
ment of the principal thereof as they
fall due.
The buildings to be erected pursuant
to this act shall be erected and fur
nished by the body in any such. city
having charge of and control of the
public schools, and the money arising 5,
from the sale of said bonds shall be
placed to the credit of said last-named
body, to be expended for the purposes
aforesaid.
Mr.. Benny explained that the bill was
which were sadly needed by that city.
Mr.. Porter of Essex, objected to the
measure on the ground that it provided
that the bonds should be sold at private
sale He thought that that was a bad
feature, and as the bill applied to every
city that provision should be eliminated
and the bonds sold at public auction.
There was hardly city in the State
Mr. Benny replied, that did not permit the
sale of bonds or private sale. and he
thought that under some conditions this
He begged fer the passage of the bill,
and told how badly at was needed in Bay
onne. His appeal was successful, and
the bill succeeded in securing the neces-
announced the result Mr. Murray of
Union jumped to his feet and wanted to be
recordedhin the negative. He was informed
that he was too late and the vote stood.
Mr.. CAROLS BILL prohibiting the plac-
ing or advertisements, symbols, etc, on
the American flag was reported favor
ably; so was Mr.. Gledhilrs measure, pro-
viding that persons arrested for violating
bicycle ordinance might deposit their
wheels in lieu of bail.
A bulletin board was ordered for the
committees, so that they can place in
conspicuous place notices of their meet
ings and hearings where every one inter-
ested can see them
There was little tilt in the Senate over
Mr. Francis bill providing for an assist
ant prosecutor in counties of from rs, 900 to
100, 600 inhabitants, which came up on final
passage. Senator Frances explained that
passage Senator Francis explained that
exist While set down in the list of
second-class counties, it is really for four
months of the year a county of the first
class the summer visitors~swelling the
Dopliation to 10000 The bill might APP
ply to Union and Mercer counties also,
Court Justice of the Circuit certified to
the Governor that the prosecutor needed
an assistant for the proper discharge of
his office.
Senator DAILY favored the spirit of the
bill, but doubted its constitutionaIity BY
ton. it departed from the classification
already fixed by law.
Senator Francis said he had the advice
of able counsel that the bill was all right
Senator Daly-.1nasmuch as the SUI
preme Court has interpreted the Gonsti-
not insist on my objection.
sauatnr Tphnson ({V M y favored the