The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-26

the interest of the Democratic party. The
platform of the Democratic party is too
well known to need discussion now, and
I am sure that if the Democrats of this
section of the city look out for the inter-
est of their party as we are doing in West
Hudson section, there will be no cause
for complaint after election day.
While Mr.. Rice was speaking the Demo-
cratic county candidates for Sheriff,
Register and County Clerk entered the
clubrooms and the speaker was interrupt
ed while three hearty cheers were given
them. After they had secured seats in
the front of the presidents desk, Chair
man McNally arose and introduced Mr..
Carl Ruempler.
| Mr.. Ruempler thanked the members OF
| the Third Ward Club for the greeting.
| and in very few words assured them II
! given their support and elected he would
| perform his duties for the interest OF the
people, and the people at large After
| Mr.. Ruempler had concluded the applause
/ was tremendous.
| The Register candidate, James ..
/ Clarke, when introduced said:-"If the
members of this club do their duty this
time as they have done in the past there
| will be no cause for complaint. II l am
elected I will perform the duties Of my
office to the best of my ability and l
assure you there will be no cause for
complaint at the end of my term"
| Mr.. Maurice J. Stack spoke briefly, say
| ing he had been nominated to represent
| the younger element Of the party and II
successful he would live up to his promise
to keep the office satisfactory to his party
| and the people.
Mr.. John Wahl Queen, the champion of
equal taxation, gave a lengthy address
upon this subject, in which he brought
out the main points. He told how the
railroads are getting the best of the
people at every stage of the game in the
taxation of property and said there will
be no relief until the Democrats of this
State capture both the lower and upper
houses at Trenton, and passed the equal
taxation bin.
There may be a number of people who
do not know how the railroad property is
taxed he said, 1.-The individual taxpayer
of this or any other city know how his
property Is taxed, and who the officers
are who perform that duty. 1t is diff
fcrant with the railroads. Their property
which lies in the different cities is not
taxed by the officers of that city in which
the property of the company lies, but by
a body called the State Board of Asses
sors. Now what we want is to have these
corporations pay to the city in which their
property is situated, their taxes as do the
individual taxpayers of the city
1.-The railroads at present pay one-half
of one per cent. on what might be termed
first class property, namely 100 feet
wide upon the main branch of the road,
where the passenger station are situated.
Now this one-half of one per cent. does
not go to the city in which the property
is located but to the State. The second
class property of the railroads did until
two years ago also pay one-haf of one
per cent. to the State, but they gradually
got away from it. These corporations
have so far increased their property
throughout this city that at the present
time they own fully one-fourth of the en-
tire acreage of the city, comprising first
and second-class property"
Mr.. Queen eulogized the late Leon Abb
bett, who saw the first points of equal
taxation in 1884 The battle for it was
fought in the Assembly until 1887. and
again in 1895 when the Republicans tried
persistently was the Democrats. At last
the subject was referred to the Cover
nor in 1887, who appointed a commission
to look into the bill. The result was that
they gave us compromise bill, and in
stead of the State receiving the taxation
of one-haf of one per cent, this city
received the sum in that year of 1914, co.,
This is step in advance. This amount
of money no doubt was secured for the
city by a Republican Legislature and
Republican Governor, but laws forced by
the Democratic party, by their hard work
against big odds.
Now, what we want and every Demo-
crat should agree with me, Is to take the
stump for equal taxation and keep con-
tinuallly hammering upon the subject.
1T gives me pleasure to come to this
club this evening. I have watched the
progress of the Democrats of this ward
for the past two years or more, and al
though the ward was Republican, have
seen the Democrats, since the organiza-
tion of this club, cut down the Republi-
can majority and first carry 1t for their
party by sixty majority and then again
by over three hundred, so that now it is
Democratic ward.
I'm my ward, the eighth, which is
strongly Republican, but which is grad
ually falling into our hands, we have
elected Democratic Alderman and Free
holder and I want to say to you tonight
that we will elect our men on Tuesday,
November ~
Mr.. George G. Tenant made strong
appeal to the voters present to work
heart and soul for the ticket on election
day. He showed that the question now
before the public is finance. He said:-
"If is question that speaks for itself.
Money is being squandered by the Re
publican party at the present day, and
all the poor taxpayers can say is, where
has that money gone to-?
appropriation bill is rushed through
before the members Of the Legislature
can have a chance to look at 1t, and
their cry is, it must be done, we have
no money to carry on the expenses of the
State The consequence is that the bill
is flung in the face of the legislature,
with no time to look it Ger, and passed by
Republican Governor with no chance to
lok the amounts. That is the state of
affairs that has existed during the last
term of the Legislature under Republican
rule
What we want to do Is to send men to
the Legislature who will make laws for
the peopJe's interest and when bills are