The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-31

1 ZIG StE -
President Hobart, then a candidate
visited Jersey city. That was the great
est crowd we had ever had to handle w
to that time. You will excuse me IL
mention an incident which occurred then
but it is in line with what | have beer
saying. A newspaper man who had been
travelling all over the United States with
Hobart~and others great speakers of the
campaign, said to me-
Chief, don't your policemen carry any
clubs?'
Certainly I replied, when they have
OCCASION to use them
Why, replied my friend, on the Bou-
levard the policemen simply said to the
great crowd, Get back and 1t got back,
while at the rink it was kept orderly
without any fuss. A drunken man who
tried to create a disturbance was simply
told to leave the building and he left. In
any other city clubs would have been out
all the time and they would have been
used freely and have been needed too
II am glad we are over with that. The
people of Jersey City have reached the
point where they respect law and order.
Our policemen had clubs in their pockets
but had no occasion to use them on a
law-loying people,"
Mayor Hoos was introduced as the first
speaker. lie made a brief but forcible adj
dress. Il re-echo,' he said, .'the senti-
ments expressed by Chief Murphy. Any
person who passed through our city today
must have been impressed with the idea
that it is as great or greater than the
greater city of New York. When we
looked upon our noble policemen today
and saw how they handled he immense
crowd with a precise manner and without
any pushing or ~roughness we had to ac-
knowledge that they did us great credit
and we should do them honor tonight and
acknowledge that if all the money spent
be well spent. I feel highly gratiied to
be given for the work today only 1t would
be wei lspent. I feel highly gratihed to
be a guest here this evening. I believe
that between the executive and the de-
~partments of the city government a close
relationship should exist. In future
my aim will be to make the Foiice De
partment as great as possible"
Commissioner DR.. John D. McGill next
made a witty address, in which he good
naturally guyed the Fourth Regiment and
lauded the police for their fne appearance
and good work. He said
This is a day which fires the heart of
every American citizen, a day sacred to
the memory of the men who went forth
to battle for their country and yielded up
their lives in its defense. This day has
been a memorable one for Jersey City in
that we today unveiled the first statue VIC
of Jersey City ever unveiled. There has
been a great deal of criticism of the statue,
but 1 think that as it exists it is an honor
to the city. The procession was the best
ever seen in Jersey City. 1t was distinctly
Jersey City. First there was the National
Guard with its martial bearing, learned in
the Spanish American war. 1t is a notable
fact that when the Fourth Regiment was
mustered into the United States service
the war was brought to a sudden close.
Now l am going to disclose to you a bit
of secret history. When the Fourth took
the field that fact was chronicled to Spain
and it is a coincidence that just at that
time the Spaniards surrendered. 1t is true
tina Shafter made his fight but that was
not the real reason of the surrender. The
real reason was that every man in the
Fourth Regiment on taking the field was
not armed with a Mauser or a Krag-Jor-
gesen, but each one carried as a weapon
of wal q full grown Jersey mosquito.
The Spaniards sa.d:-'We can fight any
thing the Americans have got, but we
can't fight the Jersey mosquito
"There was another organization in the
parade. All its members had their teeth
out. They were big, stalwart, splendid
men. They didn't all stop to look and
wink at the girls. They marched along in
splendid array. AS I saw them I felt
proud that I had some connection with
the police department. I felt that that
body of men could be depended upon for
anything the city might demand of 1t. I
felt that these men would dare anything
or charge anything. They excited my
admiration. The policeman is a privileged
citizen in our midst. He has privileges
other citizens do not possess. For that
reason the commissioners try to select
men of intelligence and honesty. They
are our civil soldiers. As such they must
nave more thar ordinary intelligence.
They must have intelligence enough to
interpret the law"
President Erickson of the Fire Board,
Postmaster Wanser. DR.. Nevin, Poormas-
ter Hewitt, Commissioner Walters and
ex-Police COMMISSIONS Feeney also
spoke.
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