The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-02-16
FREE LIBRARY
MENACED.
Bill Which Will Strip the
Trustees of Their In
dependence.
COMES FROM PATERSON
Resort of Politicians to Keep
Their Extravaganza
Within the Law.

If bill recently introduced into the
Legislature by Assem- blyman Stalter of
Passaic county was enacted into law, IT
would undoubtedly create trouble in the
future for the Public Library Commis
sioners of this city.
The bill proposes to amend the present
law so that the amount of money to be
raised and appropriated for public libra
ries in any city of the State shall not ex-
ceed $4,000, except by three-fourths
vote of the Common Council or board
whose duty it is to raise and appropriate
the tax for such city.
The law as it stands at present pro-
vides that where any, city shall have
availed of the public library act and es-
tablished free library it shall become
the duty of the appropriate board of said
city annually thereafter to appropriate
and raise by tax in the same manner as
other city taxes are assessed, levied and
collected. sum equal to one-third of a
mill on every dollar of assessable proper
ty returned by the assessors for the pur-
poses of taxation in such city, which sum
when so appropriated, shall be used for
no other purpose than that of a free
public library.
The amount now raised by the present
law for the Jersey City Library is about
$50, 900, and every cent Of that is needed
to maintain the new building and defray
running expenses. Even the smallest cur
tailnent of this amount would necessitate
the closing of the library. There is an
other bad feature of the bill, and that is
the clause which provides that it shall
require two-thirds vote of the Common
Council, or board whose duty it is to
raise and appropriate the tax, to sanction
an increase of over $4,000. No better way
to throw the library into politics and
out of the hands of the independent trus-
tees than this bill. The library is not con-
Quoted on strictly civil service lines, and
the trustees are unhampered in their ae-
tions by any political considerations.
If the bill should become a law they
would have to resort to contemplate log
rolling and make political deals and dick
ers in order TO keep the library afioat.
Every friend of the Jersey City Free Pub
lie Library, which has come to be an in
stitution of which the city is proud,
should do all in his power to defeat this
bill
Dr. Leonard J. Gordon, President of the
Jersey City Library Trustees. said that
he became aware of the bill as soon as
it was introduced and took steps to ac-
complish its defeat. He communicated
with the trustees of every library in the
State and called the attention of Sena-
tor Hudspeth and Assemblymen Marks
and Tenant to the measure. He further
said that he did not think that the bill
would become a law as it was not popu-
lar as far as he could learn in any city.
If it did pass, Dr. Gordon was sure it
would contain an amendment which
would exempt Jersey City from its pro-
visions. The Doctor has prepared such an
amendment which provides that the pro-
visions of this act shall not apply to the
amount of money to be appropriated for
free public libraries of cities having
population of more than 200,000 as ascer-
tanned by the last United States census"
The worst kind of politics appears to be
behind the measure. Mr.. Salter of Pater-
son. the introducer of the BILL is not in
sympathy with it at all, and only put in
the measure at the request of some of the
OFFICIALS of that city. There is law
which limits the tax rate to 212 per cent.
The politicians who are running that city
have all they can do to keep within that
limit. In fact they are, now at the end
of their rope, and it is necessary to either
increase the valuation of the valuables or
curtail expenditures somewhere. Their
popularity is at such a low ebb that the
idea of increasing the ratables is entirely
out of the question so that they conclud-
ed to resort to the curtailing process.
They cast about them to see what branch
of the city government could be pruned
without interfering with the perquisites of
any of their followers or henehmen, and
they Immediately jumped upon the Free
Public Library. The people of Paterson
have no sympathy with the bill.
nEWrv clIIp Dali