The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-12-13
WE:ASTE:LL.'S
NEW JOB
President Of Board Of
Appeals Tries His
Hand As An As
sistant "Journ-
al" Reporter.
SUPPRESSED
PUBLIC RECORDS
Locked Them in a Safe to
Prevent the Clerk from
Giving Decisions to
" The News. =
HIS COLLEAGUES INDIGNANT
Knox and Connolly Won't
Stand for the SKINNED
Milk statssman's Ar
bitrsry Tactics.
HIS COLLEAGUES INDIGNANT

John H. Weastell, Commissioner of
Appeals by grace of Mayor Pagan, and
President Of the board because Of his
cleverness in eajcling his colleagues, An
drew Knox and James Connolly, into
the belief that he would make real
nice presiding officer, is using his official
position fer the purpose of aiding the
Evening Journal of this city 10 secure
the exclusive publication of the proeeed-
ings Of his board, lie doesn't believe,
judging from his actions, tliat a Demo-
cratic paper has any right whatever to
tell Hhat IS going on in that funny branch
of the city government
Mr.. Weastell IS a milk1nan. He is a
good~ona. He knows all about laeteai
fluid and can tell by looking at the out
side of a can the color of the COWS which
contributed TO the supply. lie is also a
Republican politician of the rankest kind
of partisanship who is-especially gifted
in the mysterious art of carrying. prim-
aries.
His knowledge of milk and cleyerness
as a ward statesman especially commend
ed him to the G. o. P. bosses as valua-
BILE acquisition to the administration in
the capacity of an expert on real estate
values in the. Board Of Appeals. Mayor
Fagan was invited to give him the plaee
''for the good of the party and he got
the job with its 81 900 per.
''sAIILING JOHNNY"
Mr. Weastell is called Smiling John
NY among those who know him. but he
gained this soubriquet by his habit of
grinning at everything and everybody. It
is said that he can smile the pleasantest
while in-the act of ripping the political
knife up the backs of those whom he can
not boss.
Smiling Johnny has an idea that he
is the real thing in the Board of Appeals.
He has given the impression that Con-
molly and Knox don't count. Realizing
this, taxpayers with pulls take their COM
plants to Weastell instead of to the
other men, believing that he actually con-
trolls them and whatever he says goes.
The milkman's treatment Of his fellow
Commissioners and the ridiculous as
sumption of his right to keep the news
of his Board away from the Democratic
newspapers has opened the eyes of Con-
molly and Knox They are now con-
demning him and have come out ins fat
footed declarations that they won't stand
for his Czar-like ways any longer.
REDUCTIONS TO BE MADE.
The Board had meeting Thursday
ri. - 1nH 1o1 ~
make reductions In fifty-one assessments
levied by the now celebrated Board of
III gers, from which dissatisfied taxpay-
ers had filed appeals. Mr.. Weastell's
long familiarity with SKINNED milk, the
real article and cream made him in every
way competent to vote intelligently on
the question of values. He looked the
list over and mentally resolved to use
his best endeavors to have the reductions
published exclusively in the G. @. ?. or
gan.
The list wasn't available until half nm
hour after the regular hour for adjourn
ing. He gave reporter Of the Jour
nalD an opportunity to copy the list and
then lie carefully gathered them up and
did most remarkable thing. Instead Of
leaving the tax bills bearing the official
stamp of the Board and the signatures Of
xhe Commissioners that the reductions
had been allowed for the clerk. William
r. Harrison, the custodian of the rec
ords, to take care Of he walked over to
the safe in the Board room, opened an
inner compartment that hadn't been used