The Lambertville record., 1899-03-01
Foi The RECORD.
TOWN AFFAIRS.

council, il has been favorite trick of
the Democratic members of that party
from the 2d aud Sd Wards to east re-
/ proach upon their Democratic Col
leagues from the Isl Ward. The pre-
sent Democratic members from tho
2d and Sd Wards are no exception to
the rule. They have endeavored dur
ing the past two years to throw upon
their colleagues from the lst Ward all
the blame for the reeh less extravaganza
of council during that time. 1t is,
/ however, n wellknown fact that the
members of council from the st Ward,
without the votes of the Democratic
members from the 2d and Sd Wards,
were absolutely powerless. For these
/ Democratic members from the Cd and
Sd Wards, who have bartered their
political birth right for the control Of
the Street Committee, to try and shift
the responsibility for condition of
affairs brought about with the help of
their actions and votes, upon the
members from the LIST Ward, is de
spicably mean and tax payers view
such cowardice with supreme con
tempt.
For the rise III tho tax rate and the
generally bad administration of city
affairs during the past two years, tax
PAYERS hold the five Democratic mem
bers of Council responsible for the
existing condition Of city affairs, and
YOU, gentlemen Of the I'd and 3d
Wards, must carry Your share Of the
responsibility.
In Justice to the Democratic mem
bers from the lst Ward, il must be
said they never resort 10 any subter-
fuge to shift the responsibility for any
of their nets on any one else This
trait of character all must admire.
We do not believe that all Demo
crats in tho ed and Sd Wards endorse
the actions of their representatives,,
but the party in these wards is un-
fortunately dominated by men who
| see 10 IL lllhl llOllt DuI llObO wiz thii
be relied upon to dicker and trade,
receive the nominations, and this
! trading is in all cases done with the
| Democratic members from the LIST
Ward. The ed and Sd Wards obtain
| the city offices and control OF the
street Committee, with the street
commissionership thrown III. The LIST
Ward obtainsA perusal of the city
pay roll will show, while the tax pay
ers get their taxes raised.
Tho remedy for those conditions is,
however, in the hands of the people
and it is to bo hoped that political
scales may fall from their eyes, and
that they may in the future send from
the I'd and Sd Wards men whose only
| interest will be the city's interest.
Four such men we now have in Coun-
| ell, Messrs Rittenhouse, Gibbs, Sill
vers and Hopnoek Only one more
such wanted and the city would he
wisely and economically governed.
One word right here about Mr.. Hop
pock. DO the tax payers know that
the majority of the Finance Committee
of Council had it fixed to make tho tax
rate 81 50, instead of 81 45 the present
rate? They however reckoned not
that even as David Of old slew Goliath,
would this modern David, Council
man from the 81 Ward the minority
member of council Is finance committee,
slay their little scheme. Mr.. Hop
pock had the figures in his inside
pocket that showed that the city could
be run on n 81 .45 tax rate, and the
scheme to mulct the tax payers was
necessarily abandoned. Mr.. IIoppock
was, some time after the tax rate had
been fixed, approached with the query:
"'Dave, why didn't you let them so
and kill themselves" His reply was,
81 suppose that would have been
politics, but it would not have been
honest with tho people.
Citizens Of the Sd Ward, Mr.. Hop
pock time expires in May, but you
cannot afford to let such a man retire
from the city's service, and you will
not if you have any regard for tho
citys welfare Republicans of the Sd
Ward, see to il that you renominate
| Mr.. Hoppock for council and the citi.
zens of the Sd Ward will be assured
that they will again have as one of
| their representatives. man who never
fears to battle for the peoples rights.
In looking over the files OF the Re
cord, we find that we have uninten-
tionally wronged our friend, council
man Guilick, Of the 1st Ward, and we
ask his pardon for it. Mr.. Guillick
is on record as having voted against
the raising OF the tax rate. But what
a record is this he has acquired? The
records Of Council show that Mr..
Guillick is a member Of the majority y
Of council who by its reckless ex-
trayagance brought about a condition
of city affairs that made a rise in the
tax rate absolutely necessary, il the
city would pay its honest debts under
the then existing condition of city af-
fairs. Every member of council who
voted to provide revenue with which
to pay the city's debts honored him
self by so doing, and he who voted
against providing said revenue virtual
| ly added TO his record dofextrayagance. of
We do not, however, believe that
Mr.. Guillick desired to acquire the
record of repudiationist, but Louis ID
a born politician and he evidently
thought it very shrewd to be ON the
record as an anti-tax raiser. He knew
that the rate would be fixed without
his vote and we can almost see him
smile when lie thought to himself,
What beautiful scoop have made On
police.
Commissioner O'Leary is all right