Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-05-27
P%RESENTMENT MADE TO
COURT BY GRAND JURY
Recommend Sweeping Changes in
Conduct of County Business
Affairs and Urge a Small
Board of Freeholders
or County Com
missioners
SAYS JURY SHOULD NOT Be CHANGED
DURING THIS TERM

Last week alluSlon was made 10 a pre-
sentiment or recommendation by the
Grand Jury of Cape May County. This
presentment was handed to Judge Fl. H
Eldredge on Tuesday, May II, 1921, al
the time that the first indictments against
the Freeholders were made public. The
presentment in full is as follows:
In the Court Of Oyer and Terminer Of
the County Of Cape May, April Term, in
the year of our Lord one thousand nine
hundred and tWenty-one. Cape May
County, to Wit:
The Grand Inquest of the County of
Cape May, upon their respective oaths
and affrmations, those who affirmed hav-
ing first alleged themselves conscien-
tiously scrupulous of taking an oath,
present:
That for several days, as the result of
evidence produced before the said In
quest, during its deliberations, resulting
thus far in the presentation to the Court
of forty-six indictments, we find that lam
guage is inadequate to properly express
conditions as they exist and have ex-
listed within the confines of the County
of Cape May during the past several
years. The administration Of County al
fairs has been conducted in disregard of
the laws enacted for the government of
the Board of Chosen Freeholders, who
are the trustees and custodians of the
public funds for the inhabitants and tax
payers of the county, and the polite so
created by statute to administer and gov
ern county affairs in accordance with the
laws enacted by the Legislature Of the
State of New Jersey.
Open and fragrant violation of the law
has been wilfully and corruptly per-
mitted an extravagant program of public
improvements has been laid out and
county moneys expended without due re-
gard as to the necessity for the public
improvements and the ability of the
county to finance the same. Thousands OF
dollars of the c%ounty's money have been
wastefully spent, which might have been
saved to the tax payers had an honest
effort been made to have the work per-
formed, if necessary, by honest, compe-
tent bidding. Work has been approved
of and contractors paid therefor, which
was not in accordance with the specifica-
tons, and in many instances the county
has been robbed by collision between
the contractor and the person or persons
responsible for the proper supervision
of the work, or at least twenty-five per
cent of the amount paid for the said pub
lie improvement or improvements.
Work was performed and paid for
without proper advertising for bids and
proposals, and in many instances without
any authorization as far as the records OF
the Board Of Chosen Freeholders DIS
closes, involving thousands and thousands
of dollars, indicating collision between
dishonest contractors and public officials,
drawing the pay of the county, In whom
the inhabitants thereof had placed their
confidence, by creating and allottlng work
to a coterie of contractors for the pur-
pose of obtaining, on the part of the pub.
lice officials, petty graft, in violation OF
their duty as public servants.
This ubiquitous condition is not OF to-
day, but is the growth of a system that
has grown up in the management OF
county affairs during the past several
years to the extent that many of the pub
lie servants, as disclosed by the evidence
have lost all sense of moral terpitude for
the sake of obtaining some gain or re-
ward, either by cash payments or pont'
cal support in order to continue tne
In many instances pubhc OIL
flee has been bartered and sold. pay
ments being made to members OF inc
board, not only by the recipients OF tne
office, but by other interests with the
of deriving some financial
benefit as the result thereof. /
Supplies for the use of the county have
been purchased without due regard to Its
necessity, quality or use, and lett scat
tered in various portions of the county