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By J. Owen Grundy
With a Democrat in the governor's chair in Trenton, Hague felt more secure than ever, but his confidence was to be of short duration. Gov. Edison appointed his friend Frederic R. Colie to the state Supreme Court, and Hague lashed out at him over the phone. Colie had been one of a number of prominent lawyers who had signed a protest, when Gov. A. Harry Moore had appointed Frank Hague, Jr. to the state Court of Appeals, "to make his daddy happy." From then on, relations were strained between Hague and "his" governor. They broke, openly, when Edison signed the Railroad Tax Compromise Bill. Full-Page ads appeared in newspapers all over the state: "THE GRAVY TRAIN HAS ROLLED INTO TRENTON. EDISON SELLS OUT TO HIS RAILROAD CUSTOMERS." The abuse reached a crescendo. Gov. Edison replied, calling Hague a notorious, ruthless boss, a menace to the American democracy.
About this time, Grundy sensing the need for some kind of organization to strengthen Edison's position, was largely instrumental in organizing the City Affairs Committee of Jersey City, conceived in the apartment of Judge Ashley B. Carrick, then preparing to enter U. S. Army as a volunteer. Those composing the Committee were James E. Pope, aged but still active reformer, from the Bull Moose days, as chairman; Elias Jacobowitz, realtor and civic activist, Vice Chairman, Emil Perkin, treasure; and Dr. Irving Schuman, dentist-president of Rabbi Plotkin's Congregation, (which had been politically ousted from the Jewish Community Center, because the rabbi had dared to speak out,) Murray Greiman, attorney, still active in the Congregation; James M. Keefe, Rev. George G. Hollingshead, Superintendent of Goodwill Industries, Raymin Chasan, Jacob J. Levey, the late Irving Eisenberg, Leo Rosenblum, and Paul E. Doherty, all attorneys, plus Grundy and Longo. This group met without publicity or fanfare and planned constructive action. The big coup came when Former Judge John Warren, long a Hague opponent and an able lawyer, came to the Committee with formal charges, which he had prepared, against the discriminatory conduct of the Hague controlled members of Hudson County Tax Commission. City Affairs Committee filed these charges with Gov. Edison. Public hearings were held. Warren acted as prosecutor, with Rosenblum, Chasan, Eisenberg, Greiman, all of counsel. The charges were sustained and the four county Tax Commissioners were removed. Hague retaliated by having the ousted commissioners file million dollar damage suits against each member of the City Affairs Committee.
Gov. Edison appointed Rosenblum, Doherty, August Ziegener, and Joseph Loori as the "new" Tax Commission. Michael Donovan, an attorney and brother of Mayor Donovan, of Bayonne was named Commission secretary. Donovan had openly supported Edison and was soon afterward indicted, along with the police chief an other Bayonne officials, for allegedly "protecting" disorderly bars in the South Hudson city. These involved long and scandalous criminal trials, first of the bar owners, who were sent to prison, and then of Mayor Donovan (defended by Warren), who was acquitted.
The new Tax Board began to hold public hearings in the Court House, slashing tax assessments, right and left. This was a heavy blow to the Hague administration. It hit where it hurt, in Hague's pocket book, because it was reducing revenue, which Hague counted upon to support the gigantic payroll. Moreover, it was making friends among the sorely oppressed taxpayers, who had for years sought tax relief in vain.
Edison, in Trenton, continued his Anti-Hague fight, wooing Mayor Bernard N. McFeeley, of Hoboken to issue an Anti statement, appointing James F. Murray, Sr., long time Hague foe, as County Register, upon the death of Register "Big Bill" Sullivan, naming Paul J. Duffy to the County Court bench, advocating a new state constitution, and other reforms. But, Edison was largely stymied, because the Hague Republicans in the state legislature refused to confirm many of his appointees or otherwise cooperate.
This Web version, edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
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