The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-04
CLAYTON SHOUTS IN Vain
Could Not Get the Freehold
ers to Listen to the SUI
preme Court Decision.
A COMMITTEE WILL REVIEW 1T
And in the Meantime Clayton Is
Ordered to Show Cause Why
he Should Not Be
Bounced.

Inc pQllllcl4IS DIV t2AO NN
the meeting of the Board of Freeholders
Yesterday evening expecting to see the
meeting room saturated with gore, were
somewhat disappointed. The meeting,
instead of being a contest of physical
force between the rival Directors took a
decidedly humorous turn. The members
of the Combine first loosely ignored
the decision of the Supreme Court declar-
ing Freebooter Clayton the legal Director
and then capped the climax OF the huge
joke by appointing n TO re-
view the Supreme Courts decision ana an
other to prefer charges against De Jure
Director Clayton for refusing to perform
his duties and requiring him to snow
cause why he should not be removed.
The intense humor of this joke can be re-
allied when it is understood that Mr..
Clayton has been doing his level best to
get a chance to perform the duties OF
Director.
The meeting opened at six o'clock. MIR.
McNally took the Directors chair before
Mr.. Clayton could get a chance at II,
and Mr.. Clayton was obliged to content
himself with a seat on the left ana a
little to the rear of the De Facto Direc-
tor. Freebooter Dietz was the only mem
Der absent. Ord Darling, the new Free
holder, appointed by the Township OF
Union Committee of Union. to succeed
Philip B~indernagIe. was on hand ready
to take his seat. His induction Was maoe
a pretext to suspend the regular order
of business and thus shut off the presen-
tation of the Supreme Courts decision
Mr.. Clayton made several frantic Dut
fruitless efforts to have the decision
read. He was not only ehoked off by the
- C0--l- INAa11nr T0D T.
his repeated requests to read the de-
cision.
After Mr.. Darling had taken his seat
the resignation of Assistant Prosecutor
Marshall Van Wrinkle as counsel to the
County Board for the Equalization OF
Taxes was received and accepted. Later
on Former Assistant Prosecutor William
NJ. KIink was appointed to the place.
A communication was received from
Lawyer Young, counsel TO the Township
of North Bergen, requesting the Board
to comply at once with the townships
demand for a supply of crushed stone.
Chief Engineer Edlow w. Harrison re-
ported that the contract for erecting poles
and adjusting lamps had been satisfac-
toriiy completed and recommended that
William Eckhardt, the contractor, be
paid. The recommendation was adopted.
AT this point a suspicion dawned upon
Mr.. Clayton's mind hat it was nearly
time for him to assert himself and jump
ing to his feet he 1ourished a copy of the
Supreme Court decision and demanded
that it be read. He endeavored to pass
the paper over to Clerk Woolley, but the
Clerks attention was otherwise engaged.
He read instead this Communication from
County Superintendent C. F. SMITH
To the Honorable Board of Chosen
FreeholderS:-
Gentlemen-On December 10, 1895,
your Honorable Board passed a reso-
luton placing all and en-
gineerS in the employ OF the county
under the supervision and control of
the County Superintendent, and from
that time to the present all such EN-
ployeS have remained under SUCH SUI
pervision and control. 1 have always
been under the impression that the
true meaning and intent of such reso-
luton was to place all such employees
under my control so that 1 might pc
held responsible for tneir conduct anu
for the performance of their various
duties from time to time during their
employment. l have also been under
the impression that it was my duty,
under such resolution, to take action,
in the event of any breach OF the rules,
on the part of any such employee, ana
do not understand that such authority
is vested in any other employe OF THIS
Board.
II has come to my knowledge that
John Grimes, who is employed by TINS
Beard as Warden of the pe~nitentiary,
assumed authority over the men
placed under my jurisdiction, and late
Iy suspended one Michael Walsh, Who
is employed as engineer upon the
stone crusher at the penitentiary Tor
absence without leave. You can at
once understand that such clash of
authority between employees with ref
erence to subordinateS will create dis
sension and lack of discipline, and in
all probability will result in great in
jury to the best interests of the coun-
ty. 1t is unnecessary for me to dwell
at any great length upon this matter,
and 1 feel my duty in the premises is
at an end when I nave called your at
tention to this affair. l also UNDER
stand that Mr.. Grimes has been and
now is in the habit of employing con-
victs to do repairing about the peniten-
tiary, Notwithstanding the fact that
we have mechanics employed for that
very purpose.
1t is the duty of the Board, in my
Judgment, to instruct Mr.. Grimes as
to the nature and extent OF his duties,
SO that he may, in the future pay
strict attention to the same, and leave
me to put forward my best ~endeavors
to look after my duties and take care
of those who are under me.
Respectfully submitted.
c. P. SMITH,
County Superintendent.