Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-07-07
SATURDAY, JULY Z
A MAN AMONG

The fact that Mark M. Pagan, the
reform mayor of Jersey City, is to
speak In this city next Tuesday night,
makes the following editorial from
the Hoboken Observer of particular
interest. 1t shows what a fearless
man Mr.. Pagan is. Such a man in
public office is worth going a good
ways to see ever If he were not go
ing to speak. But he will tell the
people of this city about his great
work, of which the following is only
d part:
ufifrgs- ffuffr@m ragan did sinSe Inc
has been mayor of Jersey City aston
ished the state as much as has his
course during the past month in re-
lation to the saloons.
When he threw his bomb into the
legislature of 1904 and when last fall
he boldly challenged and defied the
bosses and corporations who had CON-
bined to end his public career, intense
interest and surprise were aroused in
all sections of the city, county, state
and country, but it is no exaggeration
to assert that there is profound
amazement everywhere at his latest
exhibition of what some call au-
dacity.
Politicians at home as well as in
the other twenty counties are stand
ing open-mouthed and dazed. His
tory is being made; they know that.
ButNis 1t the history of defeat or an
other triumph?
That Jersey City had one saloon to
every forty voters was known far
and wide. They seemed to thrive
and multiply when all other forms
of enterprise yer crushed under ex-
ii, ssive taxation.
II zach saloon is supposed to support
u least two voters and to influence
+ ,,ne or two others besides. Their
Mower was regarded as so great that
ut was believed that no man in public
.N>fe dare a~ntagonize them-not even
Pagan, who had shown himself fear
less in all other matters of public
concern.
This presumption is now destroyed.
During the past month the mayor has
compelled his excise board to raise
the license fee from $3.50 to $500 for
saloons, and from $3.50 to $3.50 for
wholesale liquor dealers. He has
annexed to every license a condition
that the licensee shall not, by fitting
up ten-room hotels, evade the law re-
quiring the abolition of back rooms
and the exposure of interiors of sa-
looms on Sundays.
Out of the first three hundred ap-
plications considered forty-three were
rejected, and it is understood that
every place of questionable reputa-
ton in the city and every saloon
where poisonous five-cent rot-gut
whiskey is sold is to be driven out of
business.
Sixty saloons which failed to put
up their money promptly were closed.
Yet the cash receipts have reached
the enormous sum of 5000 900, some
of which will be devoted TO the clean
ing of the streets, and the rest to the
reduction of taxation.
All of this has been done while the
public officials of other cities were
shiyering with fear. Newark, which
boasts of its good government, but
which has the very worst excise
board in the state, is re-licensing all
Of it's multitude of dives at the old
figure.
What will be the effect upon the
political future of the mayor? some
of the newspapers are asking. Ring
organs, which would like to get rid
Of him, assert that he is dead or dy-
ing; that he can never be elected
again to any office in Jersey City.
These newspapers overlook the
fact that Mayor Pagan has died reg
ularly about twice . wear ever since
he came into public life, and he IS