The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-19
OH, NO; NOT FOR CEDAR GROVE!
THERE ISN'T GOING TO BE ANY
RURAL FREE DELIVERY THERE.

The proven Society Has Taken tho
Matter Up and II Doesn't Intend to
Nave Cedar Grsve. ~ q Pest Omce Ad-
dress, Biotted On tine Map o. Jersey.
MoNrcLAIR, N. j., Nov. Is.-Cedar Grove,
a wide awake community Of about 1000
inhabitants on the easterly slope Of the
Second Mountain, is aroused over the
threatened introduction Of rural free de-
livery by the United States Post Office De-
partment. Cedar Grove is q part OF Verona
township, but home rule to the fullest extent
prevails absolutely in every section Of the
settlement, and the people there run things
to suit themselves, regArdless OF the fact
that they are called a )ot of kickers by
those who don't agree with them.
About $50 New York business men have
made their homes in Cedar Grove in the
last few years, and since their advent they
have made more than two blades Of grass
grow upon their front lawns where but one
blade grew upon the COW pastures before.
At first the natives did not take kindly to
the n~ewfangled notions OF the new element,
but now all is peace and harmony. Unlike
most commuters settling in an old locality,
the New York men coming 10 Cedar Grove
did not look upon the old settlers az OBJ
s~tructionists, and when they formed the
Cedar Grove Improvement Society a year
ago its various subcommittee were COM
posed Of two natives and two New Workers.
in every case.
One OF the first things that the society
did was 10 urge the committee on postal
facilities to secure an additional incoming
and outgoing mail. The chairman of the
committee made repeated visits to Wash
ington and enlisted the cooperation of Con-
gresham X. Wayne Parker, and while the
Post Office Department turned a deaf ear to
him at first the request was finally granted
and the extra mail introduced. Since then a
letter mailed in the morning TO a New York
address has been able to bring pack a reply
in the evening mail.
But one day last week a post Office official
from Montclair came up to look Cedar Grove
over. He asked many questions and sized
up the place generally, without disclosing
the object of his visit until he was ready
to leave, when he said:
We're going TO give you rural free
delivery
Postmaster f.. e. Taylor gasped with
establishment but kept his official mouth
shut. 1t didn't take long, however, for the
news to reach the local post office COM
mittee, and they Immediately got busy in
an effort 10 kill the project. j.. A. Convey,
its chairman, started inquiries TO ascertain
who it was that had the audacity to write
to Washington and ask for the introduction
of rural free delivery.
Mr.. Coroey said on Saturday that the new
service would result in having Cedar Grove
wiped of the map of post Offices. I'VE
koxrA AaAn Nrx,tn~ IN End D.,f nh, &, - A.
bottom Of this thing" said be. Every
man who has been asked says he has had
nothing to do with it. So we have con-
Guided that the r. +. d. suggestion was
made by some oman"
J. H. Smith, one of the old settlers who
has seen his acres cut up into residential
plots, was of the same opinion.
It's Just like the women. They want
everything brought to their doors. But
we'll show 'em a trick or two, he declared.
Cedar Grove is not going TO be wiped of
the face of the earth if we can help it,"
There il every reason for believing that
the impr ovement society's influence will
result in retaining the local status of Cedar
Grove. They ave tackled bigger jobs
than this and beaten their opponents at
every turn. One of them was when the
Essex county Board of Freeholders estab-
lished a sewage disposal plant at the Over
brook Insane Asylum, near Cedar Grove.
The Improvement society declared il q
nuisance, but they wasted no time on the
county authorities or the Grand Jury.
They went straight to Trenton and laid the
facts before theS State Board of Health, and
the nuisance was promptly abated.
Shortly after that. when a new wing
was being added to the asylum. another
disposal plant was about TO be started.
The society figured out hat IL was 30 close
to the Cedar Grove schoolhouse as to be a
possible menace to the health of the school
children. This time they appealed to the
State School Board, with the same crafty
ing result, for the disposal plant has been
located in a new place, far to the west of
the new wing. on county property.
This is not all that has been accomplished.
Besides the insane asylum there is also the
Newark City Home, a corrective institution
for boys. in the township though not
in Cedar Grove proper. The institution
property paid no taxes and the burden
fell upon the local taxpayers, who had to
pay road tax and other public expenses.
The State was called in again. and the in
equality has been adjusted by compelling
the county and the cityo of Newark 10 pay
local taxes on their institution buildings,
and holding the lands exempt.
Cedar Grove may not be the tail that
wags the dog exactly" declared a New
York resident in discussing the local situa-
ton, but we can take care of ourselves,
though, when any one tries to lose via. We
are told that we have 900 lunatics near
Cedar Grove, meaning those in the Over
brook asylum, but they dom bother us
az much as some other people do: and.
besides. we have about three hundred good