The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-08-18

Mayor Eagans maladmlnlstratlon OF the
city's affairs since he came into office,
and the Republicans attempt to drag the
saloon into politics by partisan Excise
Board, and they know it is not safe to
take any chances.
VAIN HOPES.
These are they who propose that the
Republicans shah take no action but let
the Democrats go and elect their board
and refuse to recognize the new COM
missioners. This will take the matter
into the courts. where the Republicans
hope the case will be hung up until they
can get the next Legislature to help
them out either by repeating the Cam
den act or amending it so that it will
not apply to Jersey City. The Demo-
cratic leaders smile at this and say that
to whatever comfort they can derive
from this the Republicans are perfectly
welcome. There are plenty of indications
that the Assembly at least will be Demo
cratic next winter and not inclined TO
assist the Pagan gang in their schemes
for bringing disaster upon Jersey CITY.
Some uneasiness is felt among saloon
men as to the effect the wiping out of the
Pagan Board will have upon the licenses
which the Republican Commissioners
have issued. In the opinion of one OF
the leading lawyers of this city these IL
censes will stand for the year for when
they were issued. The new board, now
ever will have the power that is vested
in every board to revoke any license
which they may deem the best interests
of the city require.
Congressman Allan McDermott has
made a curious and interesting discovery
in connection with this Camden law.
A PROHIBITION LAW.
In speaking of the law this morning
the Congressman said:-
while the act places the right to IL
cense where it belongs, in Board elect
ed by the people, it is evident that the
act was drawn by combination OF Re
publicans and Prohibitionists. 1t con-
tains the extraordinary provision of
power to absolutely prohibit the sale OF
LIQUOR and beer or the keeping OF bowl
ing alleys or billiard rooms"
This is apparent at once upon an ex-
animation of the law as printed in The
Jersey City News" on Saturday. 1t pro-
vides that such Board of Excise Com
missioners shall have power within such
city to make, establish, amend or repeal
ordinances and bylaws, to license and
regulate or prohibit inns and tayerns, res
taurants and beer saloons, and when
licensed, to revoke or transfer such IL
cense and to prohibit all traffic in or sale
of intoxicating drink or drinks, to Ii
cense, regulate or prohibit billiard sa-
looms and bowling alleys.
The law under which the Jersey City
Democrats will dispossess Mayor Fa-
gan's Excise Commissioners is Il re-
enactment of the act Of 1885, 1nder
which the boards in Camden and Tren-
ton were created. The original act pro-
yided that of the FIVE members of the
board two should be representatives of
the minority party. A new law was
necessitated by a Supreme Court decision
tional, because the method of selecting
the Commissioners did not properly con-
stitute an election. In re-enacting the
law the clause providing for minority
representation was left out.
The bill, as introduced by Assembly
man George Waite, of Camden, reduced
the number Of Excise Commissioners
from five to three, increased their salar-
les from $500 to $500, and reduced the
necessary majority of members voting
for the passage of any ordinance from
three to two The first paragraph of the
bill, as introduced, was as follows:-
WHAT THE LAW DOES.
"In all cities of this State it shall and
or other governing body of said city to
pass, enforce, alter and repeal ordinances
to take effect within said city for the
following purposes, to wit:-To provide
for the establishment of a Board of Ex-
else Commissioners, to consist of three
members. to serve for the term of three
years, which board shall be elected on a
general ticket at the election in such
city next after the passage of such or
dinance, in the same manner as other offi-
GERS in said city are elected"
So far as can be learned here the bill
was not amended to change the proposed
number of Commissioners or their sal
aries before its passage. In the pamph-
let laws of the session as recently dis
tributed, the act provides for the former
number, five Commissioners, and the old
salaries, $500 each. Apparently these
figures are errors in printing the laws,
however, as a later section makes the
necessary majority to any official act of
the board only two members, as was
proposed in reducing the whole number
of members to three.
ACT MISPRINTED
The second section of the Waite act,
which is not altered from the text of the
law of 1856, provides that no ordinance
to create an elective board shall be
passed or repealed in any city without
a two-thirds vote of the Common Coun-
Gil. In this city the Democrats control
the necessary two-thirds of the Board of
Aldermen. the Board at present being
composed of nineteen Democrats and six
Republicans, and this provision would
not interfere with the substitution of an
elective board for that appointed by the
Nr \ ~. ID &Iof tl,r