Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1914-05-07
DECLARE GER|TY
TRIED To BEAT
VIM. NJ. BROWN
Hot Fight in Woodbridge Last
Night Over Pay Of Town.
ship Policemen.
ORDERED POLICE BILLS PAID
Declare Township Department
Legally Established, Pay
Not More Than So.
TAKE Nc DEFINITE ACTION
Declares Politics Are Beinu
Played to Get Cops In
crease in Salary.
TAKE Nc DEFINITE ACTION
sp Z ;al to the EVENING NEWS.

sP< ial to the EVENING NEWS.
Woodbridge, May 7:-Only the re-
strafning arm of big, brawny Patrol
man Patrick Cullinane is declared to
have saved William M. Brown, an at
torpey here, from being attacked by
Township Committeeman Gerity dur
ing squabble over the pay of po-
Hcemen In the town hall last night
When the barrister made a statement
that inferred that the committeeman
was accustomed to being indicted,
the little official sprang at the bigger
man and with clenched fists bent
over the seated form of Brown, while
the latter smiled sarcastically. Of
ficer Cullinane, who was one of the
policemen Gerity was endeavoring to
save from the attacks of Brown and
other residents, returned the commit
teeman to his seat. Excitement rign-
ed supreme in the over-crowded meet
ing room in the little town hall when
the attempted attack was made. Diff
hcult as 1t was to move, people edged
about and several minutes elapsed be-
fore order was again restored. More
than 200 people endeavored to hear
the proceedingse and large number
could not find room.
Members of the Township Commit
tee, went against the objections voic-
ed o. Brown and ordered the police
-dfiiafs diaffss z1e2r. April paid. They received
a written opinion from Township At
tcrney Ephriam Cutter, in which he
ruled that the township did not have
legally established police depart
ment and therefore the officers could
not receive more than 50 q day. Con-
trary to expectations, no definite ac-
tion was taken on the opinion and the
subject is dSe to arise again at the
next meeting.
Brown and others, who claim to be
taxpayers, have held that policemen
cannot legally under the law receive
more than 50 day for working In
the township. He contends they are
being paid illegally now under the or
diDance which was adopted Septem-
ber 8, 1910. The township attorney
agreed with him in setting forth his
conceptions In this opinion. He quot
ed cases wherein the act of April 21,
1909, under which the former Town
ship Committee had acted In passing
all ordinance in 1910 was held to be
void and unconstitutional Mr. Cut
ter, contended therefore, that the Of
ficials were forced to return to pro-
visions of the act of March "a, 1899,
which provides that officers in
township without a regularly estab-
lished police force cannot receive in
the excess of 50 a day In conclus-
ion, Mr.. Cutter stated that he did
n nf ir,l1 of
legal and valid. He quoted from for
mer Township Attorney Alfred
Marsh, whom he stated had ruled like
wise at the time the ordinance in
question was passed by Committee
men Randolph Lee. Howard Pender,
John Dooley and A. P. Cranston.
City Attorney c. c. Hommann Of
Perth Amboy, and Prosecutor George
S. Silzer, of New Brunswick, who
were present, and County Judge Pet
er F. Daily and Thomas Brown, who
had been engaged and consulted by
the police officers of the township,
diagreed with Messrs. Cutter and
Marsh. Both Mr.. Silzer and Mr
Hommann told the officials and peo-
pie assembled last night that they
concluded under all provisions of the
law that the township had regular
ly established police force and that
its members were entitled to receive
the pay they were now getting. Mr..
Silzer ruled as he did at the time his
opinion was sought of the head of
Attorney Marsh when the police or
dinance was adopted. At that time
he said the action was legal and ad
vised passage of the measure. Will |
liam M. Brown now claims that the |
township officials were acting unlaw-
fully in granting moneys in excess of |
the authorized appropriation of S6,-
500 year.
Brown is reported to have openly |
declared that politics were behind |
the motives of township committee |
men for favoring the police. This, |
the officials deny, and some declare |
that politics lie behind Browns mo-
tives, while others state he Is "sore" |
on one member of the police force, |
for which he is trying to make every |
m ember suffer.
Other residents of the township |
have claimed that 1t has more Off
ed last summer, when Chief of Po-
iice murphy hdut d request iOT Spe-
cial officers to fill in on vacation
time. Two were appointed and they
became regulars, increasing the num-
ber on the force to eleven.
A police force has existed in the
township for about seventeen years,
during which the number has grown
from two to eleven, officials declare.
Mr.. Silzer declared it was peculiar
that the force had been permitted to
go on for so many years and no body
contested the legality Of his consti
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