The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-21
Harrison and Kearny Secession.

- &AON 9OSoo9NO
Ex-Mayor Kenny, of East Newark, i.
bobbing UP again with his scheme of en-
riching Essex county at the expense o.
Hudson. He proposes to have a bill in
PRODUCED into the Legislature providing
for the annexation of Harrison, Kearn5
n East Newark to. Essex county. Ht
has just been flooding that section o.
the county with postal cards setting fortf
the tax rates of Essex n Hudson coun.
ties, and drawing a comparison between
them very favorable to Essex.
It appears that Freebooter Riordan is
associated with Mr.. Kenny in his effort te
despoil Hudson of her territory, and it is
the purpose of the Democratic leaders OF
the county to discipline him.
This measure, which crops up in the
Legislature every session, is a very dan
gerous one to this section of the county
and it means more thar most people
imagine. 1t means the taking out of the
taxable property several million dollars
worth Of real and personal property. II
means the curtailment of Hudson's area,
n the reduction of our population to
such an extent that we will lose al As
semblyman at the next apportionment,
while Essex will gain one, thus scoring
a permanent advantage over US of al
least two votes-12 to our 10.
But even more serious than the effect
upon our tax rate or upon our status in
The Assembly is the limit which is placed
upon the growth of Jersey City. This
city is slowly but surely extending to the
Hackensaek. In ten years. the banks of
that river will be as closely settled and
built as is the central down town section
new. In twenty years, it will be densely
covered with factories and tenements, and
-the city will have reached out over the
lands beyond the river. Now the
question arises whether Essex is to be the
beneficiary by this growth, which is as
certain as the revolution of the years, or
whether we are to benefit by the overflow
of our own population. The natural out
let for Newark is out towards Elizabeth
and Belleville, and across country to the
Oranges n Montclair. Why should she
rob us of our legitimate field of develop
ment?
This bill is utterly bad. In the memoir
able words of George r. Werts, in his
veto Of a similar measure in 1894, it is not
-nannexation', but Secession 1t is Sc
cession Of a peculiarly mean and coward
ly sort, too. The remarkable fact, too,
is that the towns have nothing to gain
by the proposed change. If Essex's tax
rate is lower than ours. the assessment
of property-at least in the to%wnships-is
much higher thar ours. When they get
into the hands of the Essex taxing
aufhorities-if they ever do-the Harrison
and Kearny property owners will rue the
day when they escaped from the Hudson
Board of Equalization, which lets them
off annually with a valuation of from
twenty-five to thirty per cent. OF. the true
value Of their holdings.
Jersey City and Hoboken officials and
property owners and the county govern
ment should at once organize to fight the
Kenny-Riordan scheme. The truth and
Justice of Hudson's claims are so palpable
that they cannot be ignored if they are
properly urged. Blu an active fight must
be made, or the Essex crocodile viii
swallow the prey that is thrust into its
jaws.
IT IS pretty clear that the cards must
BIZ stacked with care and dealt from un-
defneath in order TO get at that fat sur
plus in the State Treasury--New YORK
Press. Jersey Edition.
Yes. but there are some lovely manipu-
latora of cards on the Republican side OF
the Legislature.