Palisadian., 1923-08-31
C0RKER FACES
WHITE IN FORT LEE
Continued from page 1

sioners toppled 1t over. Over IL
Hackensack you will find on the rec
ords that that s94 500 bears this en-
dorsement: Reduced to S36,500, the
Fort Lee assessor concurring." Now
at that moment when this endorse
ough allowed the matter to go by
default because it had no attorney
there to hold that assessment up to
where it rightfully belonged. Go over
you who doubt this statement, and
read for yourselves. And to empha,
size the badness of things bit more
that Sanford Ross property sold for
$250,000 cash just little while ago
to the Interstate Park Commission.
Not long ago | asked neighbor of
n-ine this question: What is your
tax on your home?" He told me
something under $500 l think. "And
90 you know he added, that few
Sunday mornings ago a man | had
never seen before came here and
asked me the same question that you
have? / told him what my taxes
We're and he at once asked me if
W uld be interested in his having the
AMOUNT reduced / told him no, very
emphatically and he skunk away"
| rode up here to meeting not
long ago with a man who is new
conner in the borough. He had bought
a home for $4,000. He said, "My
tax assessment is 81 800 on my house
and $1,000 on the lot. That is too
much" l made inquiry on this case
and was told, "But we have to give
them little leeway the first year."
Now, I cite these things, not to
make disagreeable references but in
order that you may see how badly
we need a change in our system OF
government. 1t is not really the prin-
ciple of the government itself but
how it is handled. l need not call
IL iniquitous, but it is at least unfair
and unjust.
Now, l noticed in last weeks Senti-
mel in reference to the fact that Mayor
White was nominated at public
meeting In this hall, that he had re-
marked that he already had been
mayor and he knew the job and all its
work. I guess that was about right.
He further said that he had been ap-
preached several times during the
past two weeks by Republicans and
Democrats concerning the possibility
that he was forced to decline because
he could not see his way clear to ac-
cept the nomination. He said that he
appreciated the honor, but that he
could not spare the time to PROPER
LY CONDUCT THE OFFICE.
Later in the report of the meeting
l find these significant words: "Coun-
Gilman Aikens, who proposed the ex-
mayors name, then appealed to Mr..
White TO UNDERTAKE THE SAC
RIFICE FOR THE GOOD OF THE
PARTY"
Now, If what Mayor White said
was true-that he could not spare the
time to PROPERLY CONDUCT THE
OFFICE-why should he put the inter
ests of the people in such unsteady
shape and accept Mr.. Aikens proposal
TO MAKE THE SACRIFICE FOR
THE GOOD OF THE PARTY? l do
not care how many times Mayor
White becomes mayor Of this bor-
ough. The atmosphere here is 30 full
OF organized bias that am never sur
prised at what takes place. Organ
lied bias is a good expression and an
unusual description of the state of af-
fairs here, but it is true. If a man
happens to be named for public
place, "Oh, he is so and 80; he be-
longs to such and such body; he
goes to such and such a church"
Now, these things are not relevant to
the material interests Of the commu'
nifty, and yet they exist. ! know a
whole lot about things that have hap
pened here, but it would be indiscreet
for me to tell one-fiftieth of them. 1t
may be that l am too discriminating.
II may be that I do not make allow
ances for the trickeries of politics. In
any event I have no patience with
them, because 1t does seem to me that
the business of people in commu-
nlty ike ILLS ouOulu UO oo Hoh"6 Su
that there would be no trickery. 1t
seems to me that when a contract for
building road like the one between
Palisade and Fort Lee is accepted on
q bid of $146,000 1t should have re-
mained at $146,000 instead Of the peo-
pie having to pay $256,0O0. And un.
derstand from what was said at the
White meeting the other night by Mr..
Mahoney that 1t was a shame and a
scandal that no assessments had been
made for the cost of this road as yet.
personally wrote to the Highway
Commission at Trenton about the ut
ter lack Of justice in forcing the vii
lage of Palisade to pay four-ffths OF
the cost of this road and got the reply
that 1t was impossible to reopen the
subject and that Palisade would have
to pay.
Now. here comes in this state OF
organized bias again. There are scores
of people, hundreds OF people, living
in the borough of Fort Lee who think
that this road should properly be paid
for by Palisade instead of the whole
borough And yet l find the assessor
of the borough claiming that he was
able to reduce assessments In some
cases because of the increased values
he obtained in his budget along this
highway. 1t Is a famous highway
II ere is no doubt of that. Famous for