The Jersey City news., 1906-04-05
MAYOR FACAN ON
The INDICTMENTS
Executive Declares the
Grand Jury's Acts Un-
.iustifable and Thinks Few
Approve of Them
TAX BOARD FREE FROM BLAME
lkTs ACHIEVEMENTS UNEQUAL
LED BY ANY BOARD IN THE
STATE. SAYS THE EXECUTIVE

Mayor Pagan this morning gave out
the following statement TO the press
Ii has been publicly announce& that
lthe last Grand Jury has indicted various
Imembers of my administration. | be-
flieye taa action of the Grand Jury is
without justification and will meet with
The approval of but few people in the
community. including a discredited Re
publican boss and corporation clienss
The Indictment of the members of
the Tax Board is particularly undeserv-
ed. The work of this Board has never
beer equalled in any city in the State
IN point of efficiency or in Importance OF
achievements. The facts discovered by
this Board were the direct cause OF equal
taxation agitation and the labor of Mr..
Bacon in particular was the cause OF
trouble between the City and the rail-
road interests and caused the appoint
fnent Of an equal taxation commission
(Which will bring New Jersey S3,oOo,OO0
IA year more than she has been receiving
and of this amount Jersey City viii re-
,eeive $500 900 a year. The honest and
fearless work Of this Board in the mat
aer az local assessments has made clear
TO our people the close relationship be-
tween great corporations and political
,osses. This Board has added more than
e600l6ao Of assessments omitted by pre-
Sious boards.
ssThe only reason alleged in defense of
this Indictment is that this Board has
Increased certain assessments after the
tax books had been submitted to the
: County Board for the Equalization of
Taxes. This, at least. is but technical
offenss and no good purpose Is subseryed
by an indictment of the Board.
No Grand Jury has ever before thought
Of making an indictment for this pur-
pose. In the year of 1904 Commissioner
Degnan was ill and absent from the city
practically all summer. Commissioners
Bacon and Weastell had to do all the
,work-a task it was impossible to per-
form by the time the County Board met.
The corrections and changes were thus
all to the advantage of the City and ulti-
mately to the county. The injustice OF
even criticizing, to say nothing of indfct-
ing, officials laboring under these diff
Tcuities will be apparent to all Under
these circumstances it Is not only priv.
Iilege bnt the duty of the Board 70 do
what the Grand Jury has indicted ii for
doing and the Board was so advised by
THE law officers of the city. 1t is claim
ed that this action of the Tax Board
ioperated to unjustly lessen the share of
County taxes which Jersey City was re-
lquired to pay.
This is not so but even if it were it
would make the act Illegal. As mat
tier If fact, Jersey City for years has
paid much more than its fair share Of
icountr taxes. This year our
Tax Board turned in to the County
Board more than s., 900 600 Of iucrea sed
!ratables while all the other cities and
towns turned in only an increase Of ST.
1900, 900. This was such a palpable IN
fjus!ice TO Jersey City that the County
Board increased the assessments Of the
rest Of the county over $3,0000o0. The
principal assessments complained of are
those against great corporat'ors. includ-
ing the Hudson tunnel. the ferry propsr-
tiles of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
psny, the shore front of the Central
Railroad and the property of the STAN
dard OH Company. All these increases
were contested by the corporations af-
faeted If these suits are not sustained
the county gets the benefit in succeeding
assessments.
According to the Grand Jury theory
ire STANDARD Oil Company's assessments
were Illegal and wrong. This Company's
prors-y he'd beou assessed for years by
prior Tax Boards at $500, 900. 1t is an
elaborate ard complicated plant. An ex-
port sfrcm New York was engaged to
rake appraisal and inventory of the
pAat. 3e did not finish his work until
sStae thu County Board met. His report
was to tbs effect that the plant had
eaeh previous year been assessed at
! $500. 600 under It's true palne. The Tax
Board thereupon increased the valuation
ts $500 900. u
ssThe Republican Boss repeatedly en-
fsayored 70 induce the Tax Board not to
Increase the assessment on the Standard
Oil Company property. and failing in
f1sss. aaskAf member of the law depart
lns.M fo help keep the assessment from
bsiAg increased He did not succeed
As 10 the Excise Boards Indictment
for allowing improper saloons to exist
WHY did not the Grand Jury indict po-
I;cS of3cials for allowing poolrooms 10 ex-
ist last summer?
sAs TO the Indictment Of two members
Of hn Health Board tprs. Lambert and
Commissioner Delaney they were hanGi-
a ursxA by snaaelsat4 accommodations
and dciapidatcd hospital buildings. II
aaybedy should nave beer, indicted the
Whole hospita, board should have been.
ssThs Indictment OF City Collector Fry
Is rot dsssrviae Of serious comment
<eThir whole proceeding will. In my:
judgment. increase the public determine
fioz . continue the fight at the primaries
nezs 1kll against the boss and his cor
- IN 1rt3