Gloucester County Democrat., 1905-12-07
THE PEOPLE OR THE MACHINE.


ISSUE u pun Wuicu BIC pCoptO Vi 1sS" 20
sey must divide. just as President Roose-
velt has made Capitalization of power the
issue upon which national parties must
divide, so the Republican machine is forc-
ing on the people of New Jersey the same
issue.
Strange it is that the railroads are the
bone of contention in both national and
State fields of politics. President Roose-
yelt is fighting for governments control Of
the railroads; the Republican machine is
| fighting to retain for the State the power
to tax the railroads and to spend the reyen-
ues derived therefrom. No matter the
guise under which 1t is put the issue with
which the people of New Jersey, as of the
United States, are brought face to face is
centralized absolutism VS.. home rule.
The machine press is making wry faces
at North Jersey and endeavoring to engen-
der sectional strife. 1t is endeavoring to
create the idea that equal taxation is a
matter OF interest to jersey alone 1t
would array the whole. State against Hud-
son county.
A little more than year ago the True
.4merican took up the subject Of railroad
main stem, showed how much such prop
erty there is in each taxing district, and
how the tax rate of every municipality in
the State would be reduced if that main
stem property was taxed as all other real
property is taxed. The True Americdn
proved that equal taxation is not a sectional
issue; it is a State issue. Thereupon the
machine raised the bugaboo of State tax y
Charles c. Black, one of the commits
sioners appointed to investigate the subject
Of railroad taxation, in his report to the
governor last February, showed that ii the
State were to tax for State uses the fran
chises Of the railroads and the personal
property of the railroads without situs, the
revenue it would derive from these proper
ties would be quite as large as that which
the State now derives from the taxation of
railroad main stem property at the expense
OF every municipality in the State.
Now the Republican machine is trying
another trick and is endeavoring to make
the people believe that what they want is
not so much that the railroads shall be
made to bear their portion Of the burdens
Of local government as that they shall be
soaked more heavily by the State
A. 4 IL
party of New jersey, the Colby men advo-
eating the taxation of railroad main stem
property by the municipalities for the use
of the taxing districts and the machine
advocating a continuance of State taxation
of railroad main stem property for State
uses, but at much higher rate.
The Colby men and the Fagan- Record
men advocate the Democratic doctrine of
home rule. The machine insists that the
people are no longer capable of wisely man
aging their own affairs aud that the State
should assume entire control Of municipal
expenditures.
It's the machine or the people: Who's to
rule
State government of the municipalities
means machine rule The machine rules
the State 1t would fasten its tentA eles
upon every taxing district in the State
Not satisfied with depriying the people
Of the right to choose their administrators
of justice, their city and county judges and
their prosecutors Of the pleas, the Republic
can machine would place at the States
command an immense fund to be doled out
to favored municipalities as the State doles
out the money the people pay for the sup
port of their schools.
The True american is unwilling to be-
iieye that the people of New Jerseys muni-
cipalities have displayed such Incompetence
that they may no longer in safety be left to
govern themselves.
The Trsse american does not believe that
the election of Common Councilman to the
| Legislature endows him with greater
ability. The members Of our municipal
Legislatures are quite as capable as are the
members of our State Legislature The
members OF our municipal Legislatures
know more of the needs of their respective
municipalities than do the members of our
State Legislature.
Municipal wrongs may be more easily
righted by the municipalities than by State,
unless we assume that monarchical govern
ment is better than Democracy.
A crisis has arisen in New Jersey. The
government Of the people is at stake. The
people must awaken to the dangers that
threaten their liberties or before they know
it an autocracy will have seized those liber-
ties.
Let not the eyes Of the people be diverted
from the question at issue. Eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty
Letter to G. G. Green.