Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-02-16
OCEAN CITY Is IN THE MIDDLE
Fractional Fight RumOrs Move for
Annexation to Atlantic County

By reason of strange factional poll
tics Ocean City would not surprise in
ner political circles If some day soon
it asked the privilege of foreswearing
allegiance to Cape May County and
asked to be adopted into the municipal
family of Atlantic County.
At least this is the opinion of South
Jersey political leaders who see in the
controversy now brewing at Trenton
over the ocean highway route, the
manifestation of more irritation in a
factional fight that has practically
divided Cape May County against
itself.
Recently c. A. Higbee, county So
licitor of Atlantic, prepared a bill to
run the ocean highway down the coast
in such a way that it would cut across
the bay from Somer's Point and side
track Ocean City in the motor whirl
to Cape May County resorts further
South. This bill, presented by Sena-
tor Richards, represents, however.
only the way state highway boosters
who want to save mileage look upon
the proposition.
1t seems that Senator William H.
Bright, of Wildwood, who himself rep
resents Cape May County, has spon-
sored another bill that does practi-
cally the same thing.
Stevens Introduces Bill
To counterfeit the effect of these
attempts to ostracize Ocean City,
Majority Leader Stevens, of Mon
mouth, last Monday night introduced
a bill creating a new State Highway
Route from Absecon to Seaville. AS
explained to the Press correspondent
this bill, although not yet available in
printed form, would make the route
run from Absecon to Somer's Point,
thence across the old toll road to
Ocean City, down the Ocean City coast
line, back across the meadows again
this side of Sea Isle and thence on
the mainland to Seaville.
This stevens Bill' was introduced
for the President, Senator Joseph
Wallworth of Camden, and it is said
that the Camden Senator was intro
ducing the measure as a favor to Cape
May politicians who cannot expect
any favors from their own Senator,
whom they bitterly opposed in the
last elections-politicians of Ocean
City who want to keep that resort
from being wiped off the map, figura-
lively speaking, through a r~earrange-
ment of the State Highway Route.
What will happen in the Legisla-
tive war, with two Republican Sena-
tors sponsoring widely different leg
wislation for the same county, is prob
lematical of course. But the rumors
growing out of the fight are that
such a big barrier-politicdl barrier
separates Ocean City from the rest of
Cape May County, that some infuen-
tial citizens of the latter are seriously
considering a movement to annex the
municipality to Atlantic County.
City One Of COunty's Largest
Ocean City is one of the three larg-
est cities in Cape May County. Ac-
cording to the 1920 census, Ocean
City has 2,512 people, Wildwood City,
2,790, and Cape May City, 2,999. If it
came into Atlantic County it would
rank between Egg Harbor City and
Ventnor City in population, being the
LlIH 4dl SCSL City Ill Inc Guilty.
1t is interesting to note that in the
1921 regular election, Senator Bright,
Republican, carried only one of the
two wards in Ocean City, a strong
Republican bailiwick. Bright lost
Ocean City to Howell, a Democrat,
for Senator, by So votes, while the
Republican candidate for the Assem-
bly,, Robert ]. Kay, carried Ocean City
by 4S6 votes. This may be taken as a
barometer of the keen political feel
ing existing between Ocean City and
their Senator.
OF course the rumors about pos
sible annexation to Atlantic County
have not gone beyond the mere rumor
stage. No one in Ocean City or else
where in Cape May County has agreed
to talk for publication or to make any
statement in an official way.-Atlantic
! GStxy Drocc EHohr,,orr Q 1000