Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1907-02-13
an *" you sign, JOURNAL


To those vitally interested in Five
Mile Beach the absorbing topic of dis
cussion and "the bone of contention"
in many instances is the consolidation
question. Shall the three municipal
tiles of the island remain separate or
shall they become unit and be admin
istered by one mayor and one council :?
The subject has again stimulated a
number of interesting arguments from
the pens of we'll known business men
and property holders and they are pub
lished this week.
Over 800 ballots have been received
by the JOURNAL since the first an
nouncement of vote was made four
weeks ago. Out of these 68 votes are
in favor of consolidation and 233 are
opposed to the movement. Many of
the voters in sending in their ballots
have expressed their belief that the
change in government will come about
in time, but not this year.
OF course the JOURNAL vote is not
an exhaustive one, for there are many
petitioners both ''forn and "against
the movement who have not signed
JOURNAL ballots and there are as many
more who through forgetfulness or a
lack of interest have failed to take adj
vantage of the JOURNAL ballots. But
wea lhfGeve that the JOURNAL vote
shows the sentiment of large majority
of those who vote and own property on
Five Mile Beach.
By special request the JOURNAL bal
lot box will remain open TO receive
votes another week. If you haven't
forwarded your vote do so this week.
LETTERS ON THE CONSOLIDATION
QUESTION
Councilman John Bright writes:
81 know you would not consent to pub
lish such abusive language about those
who are not in favor of consolidation
as you have about those who ale, there
fore | will not indulge in any abuse.
Beware of the grafters' seems to be the
universal cry. You cannot pick up a
newspaper, periodical or magazine in
which you do not see it in glowing
headlines. | know of no more appli-
cable name for those who favor consol-
idation than grafters, for as | under
stand it, it means one who propagates,
and propagate means to multiply, con-
tinue, increase, spread, diffuse, dissem-
mate and promote. That is what the
consolidation grafters desire, indeed it
is. Let well enough alone was not
the spirit of '76, not the motto of Wild
wood and is not the motto of the true
American. Let we'll enough alone
sounds like the advice of that dear old
grandmother when discussing the
modes of travel, the market wagon,
steam and electricity. Frankly, | do
not know of any one that should be
opposed to consolidation except the
three largest land operators, and the
only reason they could possibly have
would be the fact that they would have
to pay the same amount of tax on a
similar property as any other individ-
uaI owner. This of course would be
quite a blow to them, as they never
have had to in the past. But why
should they not? If they did would it
not have strong tendency to lessen
the individual tax, and would it not
have tendency to make them dispose
of some of those choice plots which
they are holding priceless. Nothing,
not even consolidation, will do Wild
wood or any other resort SO much
harm as fictitious and inflated values,
and nothing will encourage the hold
ing of the choicest sites for high figures
as pull with the assessor and conse-
quently little or no tax to pay. Hav-
ing the welfare of Five Mile Beach at
heart in all things, as well as consoli-
dation, fear to go further as there are
many things which can be said, but
do not look well in print"
Oliver Peirce, of Philadelphia, writes
"While much can be said both for and
against incorporation, Five Mile
Beach has been and is now enjoying
unprecedented prosperity, why en-
danger it by a change. Incorporation
is sure to come later, but the time is
not yet ripe for it,"