The Penn's Grove record., 1904-04-01
The PENIS Grove Record
FRIDAY, APRIL /, 1904.
. Sensational Closing.

"A sensational Closing.
The 128th session of the New Jersey
Legislature came to a close last Friday
after being ~insession eleven weeks. The
last two weeks of the session was the
most sensational since the race track
Legislature of 1893. 1t was made so
by the letter of Mark M. Pagan, the
Republican Mayor of Jersey City who
charged the Legislature with being un-
der corporation control.
The Mayors of eleven leading cities
of the State have formed a League As
ISOLATION for the benefit of the taxpay-
ers. The railroad companies own mil
lions of dollars worth of properties in
these cities, which pay little or no tax.
If they were made to pay tax like other
people the rate would be much less, and
in Jersey City the taxation of the fran
chises at their true value would pay all
the expenses of the city government.
The following is
MAYOR FAGAN'S LETTER.
ssTo the Hon. Franklin Murphy,
Governor of New Jersey.
"My Dear Sir: As Mayor Of Jersey
City, and also as a member of the Re-
publican party, / venture to address to
you this public communication in the
hope of averting a possible calamity to
Jersey City and an almost certain dis
aster to the Republican party of New
Jersey.
s'The present session of the Legisla-
ture is drawing to a close. Its record
on the whole is bad, in some respects is
disgraceful. Its control by corporate
interests, in the Assembly at least, has
been absolute.
"For this condition the Republican
party is responsible. The bills for equal
taxation, demanded by a practically
unanimous sentiment in all North Jer-
sey at least, have been buried in COM
mittees at the command of the railroad
corporations, and every attempt to
move them has been resisted by a solid
Republican vote. Upon the test mo-
lions the Republican majority have
made no attempt to defend this action,
and have thereby admitted that it can
not be defended.
"No more humilating spectacle has
been witnessed in the State House
since the race-track and coal-combine
days of unsavory memory. Bills affect
ing Jersey City, notably, several bills
to empower the city to sell its surplus
water to neighboring communities,
which it has supplied for twenty years
and which desire to renew new contracts
with us, have been buried in commit
tee.
"a bill to allow Jersey City to test
the right to a trolley franchise, which
we are advised by council has expired,
has met a similar fate. In our political
measures we find that the opposition of
Essex Republicans in one house or the
other, or both, is effective to prevent
the passage of any bill in the interest of
the Republican administration of Jer-
sey City. This opposition is determin-
ed and bitter, and the interests of the
people are being betrayed.
"While | charge no man with person
al corruptions, l do not hesitate to say
that this is the condition of affairs
which is essentially corrupt, and which,
if unchecked, means the virtual conduct
of our State and our party by corpora
lions. AS a citizen l say that this con-
dition is dangerous and demoralizing.
AS a public official l protest against the
injustice done to Jersey City. AS a
member of the Republican party l de-
plore its subserviency to corporate greed
and injustice. No political party can
long receive the support of the people
with such record as this Republican
Legislature is making.
"You are the Governor of this State,
and as such are the representative of
the people, and the natural leader of
the Republican party. If this Legisla-
ture is allowed to close with it's present
record it will not only reflect upon your
administration, but your leadership of
the party will be held responsible for
the political disaster which will inevita-
bly, result.
"There is no one else to whom | can
appeal. I believe you can yet change
this condition of affairs, and that a de-
termined effort on your part to do SO
would at least be the discharge of your
duty to the people, whom / know you
honestly desire to serve. Very respect
fully, MARK NJ. PAGAN,
"Mayor of Jersey City,"
Another bungling legislature has to
be called into extra session on April
18th to finish its work.