USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Essex county, N.J., illustrated > Part 21
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THE BOARD OF TRADE
THE Board of Trade of the City of Newark has a place in the hearts of the people. Especially is this the fact in regard to that portion of the citizens who are en- gaged in the upbuilding of her industrial and commercial greatness. It is within the council chamber of this body, made up of Newark's representative business men, where the questions of interest, not alone to each man personally but to all as a corporate body and an association, Newark is in the enjoyment, as a corporation, of many things which would never have been mooted, let alone the fact that they are already established facts in full operation, and results already accruing the greatest good to the great- est number. The Board of Trade has been in existence since 1869, having been incorporated March to, of that year. To make use of the
EDWARD F. MC DONALD, (DECFASED).
135
ESSEX COUNTY, N. J., ILLUSTRATED.
language of their own: " The object of the association is the promotion of trade, the giving of proper direction and impetus to all commercial movements. the encouragement of intercourse between business men, the improvement of facilities for trans- portation, the correction of abuses, the diffusion of information concerning the trades, manufactures and other interests of the city of Newark, the co-operation of this with similar societies in other cities and the development and promotion of the com- mercial and other interests." The association has been called upon to mourn the loss of several of its presiding officers, all of whom have been men of large business faculties and engage- ments, and have been called away at times when they could not well be spared. At the time we write, the emblems of sorrow over the loss of President Ure are draped on the chair he occupied, and the tears of sorrow over the loss of President Samuel Atwater are, scarce yet dry ; a man beloved by all. The officers of the Board of Trade are as follows, viz .: Presi- dent, vacant ; Vice-Presidents, James .A. Coc, Cyrus Peck and James A. lligbie ; Treasurer, James E. Fleming ; Secretary, P. T. Quinn.
R. WAYNE PARKER.
C ONGRESSMAN R. Wayne Parker, representing the New- ark District in the Congress of the United States, is a man whom the people delight to honor and one whom they have called from his briefs, being by profession a lawyer, and in the footsteps of his illustrious father, Cortland Parker, Esq., who stands at the head of the bar, not only of the courts of Essex County but of the State as well; a man who has grown great in the walks of professional and private life. R. Wayne Parker has steadily grown in popularity and in the respect of the citizens of Essex. From time to time he laid aside his professional work to represent his assembly district in the State Legislature, until he was selected for the high honor of being the successor of the author of Ben Bolt, in Congress of the United States. Mr. Parker is an Essex County man to the core and is now representing in Congress the city in which he was born and reared, and if more were required in proof of the esteem in which he is held, we have only to refer to the the majority he recevied at his late re-election.
ALLEN L BASSETT, (DECEASED).
SETH BOYDEN INVENTOR
SETH BOYDEN MONUMENT IN WASHINGTON PARK.
COL. JAMES E. FLEMING.
W HETHER yon take Col. James E. Fleming and think of him as the Treasurer of the Board of Trade, or as the head of the immense coal business which has grown up under his personal care, or as the organizer and commander of the Essex Troop of dashing cavalry, is seen the man and official to whom, when a trust of any character was imposed, was never known to lack one in its fulfilment to the letter. For several years Col. Fleming has handled the funds of the Board of Trade as its Treasurer, and from the time of his first election to the respon- sible position his re-election has been found a work of entire unanimity. Col. Fleming is in the prime of life and in his record as a business man, as a citizen and as a gentleman, always courteous and painstaking, his reputation stands as high as the highest, unquestioned and unchallenged.
ALLEN L. BASSETT. W
HEN Colonel Allen I .. Bassett died, New Jersey lost one of her most gallant children and a son of whom every one that knew bim 'twas but to love him, and few men indeed have died of late years whose loss has been more sincerely mourned than his. For several years Col. Bassett presided over the delibera- tions of the Board of Trade, and no institution ever had
WILLIAM A. URE, (DECEASED )
136
ESSEX COUNTY, N. I., ILLUSTRATED
a more deeply devoted and firmer friend and one which made its every mterest his own, than the Board of Trade had in Col. Bassett. To make use of an old and trite saying. it was "the apple of the Colonel's eye." In his hands the work of the association was never known to languish, and dur- ing the same length of time never was so much for public good accomplished, than while Col. Bassett was at the helm. We are fain to beheve had Col. Bassett lived. the project which had for its culmin- ation the building of a new first-class hotel for the city of Newark, would have been consummated, and now while the great industrial city is spreading out in nearly all directions like the ribs of a great fan. that one which should point with unerring finger toward the hotel springing heavenward as if by the touch of magic, has not yet started in the race.
Far be it from us to detract one jota from the honesty of purpose, courage or dash of a single gentleman who has been honored with the leader- ship of the Board of Trade, but when we are witnessing the upbuilding of such marvellous archi- tectural works as the Prudential and new Post Office on Broad Street and the beautiful brown- stone edifices on Market Street, we cannot well avoid stirring up our recollections of men like Col. Bassett, who ever had a shoulder to the wheel of progress and made their magnetic influence felt.
WILLIAM A. URE.
W HEN William A. Ure died a strong tower fell, but he had grown to that tower by his own unassisted efforts. Modest, unassuming and unagressive as he was, yet he grew on and on from very modest beginnings until when stricken with that disease which called him from his life work ere he had yet past the prime of life and when he stood at the head, not alone of a great newspaper, but also at the head of the representative business institution of the great industrial city of his home, and the twice elected president of the Newark Board of Trade. It is no fulsome eulogy we wish to write and place on record amid the pages of this book, but to give voice in befitting words to a tribute of the worth of one who was an eminently self-made
DE. QUINN, SECRETARY BOARD OF TRADE
RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM A. URE.
man and justly earned all that may be said of him, by a short, busy and successful career, a worthy exemplar of the great fact which will pass along down the line of his life-work, so plainly defined as to leave its impress everywhere he moved ; in the language of the poet who truthfully wrote:
Honor and fame are gained not by surprise, Hle that would win must labor for the prize.
William A. Ure began life as a reporter, and if it can be said of any other class than the poets that they were born to this or that, it can as well be said that he was a born newspaper man, and that he carefully petted and abundantly nurtured his ideal, we have only to survey the marvellous result in the culmination of his first and last great work, the Newark Sunday Call, which will ever stand a monument to his life-work and be a continually speaking memorial of how he wrought to fill, the weakling the paper was when it came into his hands, with that vitality which he felt assured would give it renewed life, and each Sunday
output would go among the people a living oracle. As week after week. month after month, and year after year, the Cal wert forth, himself and associate James W. Schock could whisper to each other, "it is done, the victory's ours."
As will be readily seen by the interest he took in the growth and prosperity of the city in which he lived and the steady growth he made from the lowest to the highest lop round of the ladder of the Board of Trade, Mr. Ure did not confine his work to self. No sooner had the Call been placed on a solid basis and where he could see suc- cess ahead, a tendency to assist others and help on the good works going on around him was given full reign. When Mr. Ure died Newark lost an upright citizen, his wife a loving husband and his child- ren a doting father.
COL J. W. FLEMING, TREAS, BOARD OF TRADE
NEWARK CITY GOVERNMENT.
HILE the greater part of Essex County is, indeed city -but few acres of her soil being yet given over to the plough and the harrow, the shovel and the hoe yet it is well to mark the divis- ion and touch the history in brief of the great industrial city of the west- ern world which has been built upon a large section of her territory, under the name, style and title of Newark, New Jersey. Not unlike many of our great western cities, Newark has had a truly phenominal growth and a pros- perity of her own quite unexampled.
No city in this country, with perhaps the exception of New York, Chicago and San Francisco, with one or two other of the mighty number of beautiful and thriving cities among those which have multiplied with startling rapidity: and all within the four short centuries of time since Columbus planted the flags of Ferdinand and Isabella, the then king and queen of Spain, on that little isle of the Bahama group. made famous by the horde of felines which the great navigator found in peaceful and undis- turbed possession when he landed his jaded and half mutinous crew-when considering all its reactions, has had such a marvellous growth and career as this Newark, city of teeming industries and the capital
JAMES M. SEYMOUR, MAYOR.
city of Essex, of whose beauties we love to bear record. and of the grandeur of which we delight to write.
But little more than two hundred years have cycled by since the little band gathered round the leaders' charming daughter and bestowed upon her the honor of christening the new town on the Passaic, Newark.
From Connecti- cut. the little ;com- pany came aimed with a heroic de-
-
Schuetz PHOTO ENG.CO
NEWARK CITY HALL.
votion to the religion they loved, and a sacrificial fervor which would brook no restraint when the worship of their Heavenly Father, and the adoration of his Son was the true religious work being done. As all new cities, boroughs and towns must needs have a government, the new city of Newark must on no account be, or become an exception ; nor was it.
If ever church and state came together and at white heat, the government of Newark was a bright particular example of such a coalescing. The men and women who came were made of the right kind of stuff, and as the town grew the government stood ready harnessed to take up the pace, and for quite forty years it was an open, easy race with the church in the lead and the State close up. Some of the early writers of Newark history set the government down as "essentially religious," and left it at that ; others said it was a combination of the " Theocracy of the Jews " and a " Democratic town meeting " of New Eng- land. One fact is ever at the front in all the govermental affairs. and that was, that everybody turned out and took a hand in the primary work of government forming. But there was still another, and that the all-potent, viz. : None but the saints were permitted to take part, hold office or vote. The written law read, " none shall be admitted ficemen but such planters as are members of some or other of the Congregational churches," "nor shall any but such be chosen to the magistracy," " nor
138
ESSEX COUNTY, N. J., ILLUSTRATED,
shall any but such church mem- bers have any vote in any elect- ion." "llere," says the writer, " was the most complete union of church and State ever estab- Ished since the Mosaic dispens- ation."
This kind of theocratic govern- ment wound up. the record informs us, on March 1, 1677, when it was voted, as a town act, "that all and every man that improves land in the ' town of Newark,' shall make their appearance at town meetings, and there, attend to any business as shall be proposed, as any of the planters do." The saints themselves thus becoming careless and negligent, allowed the sinners to come in and join the government phalanx. Just at this point in the career of Newark, then, began the work of those influences which operate with such magic power in the upbuilding of communities, viz. : Freedom of speech, Freedom of the press and Freedom to wor- ship God according to the dic- tates of one's own conscience.
Newark and its town-meeting methods of government con- tinued to march on hand in hand like lovers in the country on going to church, till the same, becoming a sort of by-word and reproach, the State Legislature, on petition, granted the city the right to a division into wards, four in number, North, South, East and West Wards. The only one of the number, which had enough of prerogative matter in its make-up to inspire that reverence for a name which makes it tenacious and long cling- ing, was the "Old North," and the "Old North " contained enough to make it hallowed to the memory of the oldest in- habitant, and you have now only to tickle his recollection with the straw of a rye to make the memory jin- gle again, al- though for- getfulness was not dis- tant so very far.
101IN S. GIBSON, COMPTROLLER.
The name still clings to the section which has the beautiful Washington Park for its centre and the D., L. & W. R. R's. Depot, and other public places, for its blazoned
NEWARK CITY HOSPITAL.
marks. Among the latter we may name the popular and safe financial institution, called in its honor, the North Ward National Bank.
All the "Old North's " sisters which deported themselves over the territory joining right angles at the crossing of Broad and Market Streets, died spinsters, leaving no issue, and their names have gone into forgetfulness, only as the oldest inhab- itant is induced to bring forth his treasures at the behest of some kindly ambitious soul, who is full of anxiety to write a book, or to say the least, make an effort, with the city of Newark for his subject, before the sere and yellow leaf of his existence shall have waxed and waned, or the bauble of literary fame shall have bursted, when just within his reach.
The first charter of the city of New- ark, the histor- ian informs us, was granted by the legisla- ture in 1836. Then it was that she cast away the scarcely soiled shoes of her township boy- hood, and put on span new
1
LOUIS J. WENDELL, CITY CLERK.
139
ESSEX COUNTY, N. J., ILLUSTRATED
boots, " manhood," and started forth as a city proper. As in nearly all young communities, the great men soon out-grew the places for their political enthrallment, and as Newark did not prove an exception, however devoutly it might have been wished for, there were continual calls for supplements to the charter, and the legisla- ture was kept busy fulminating supplements until they became confusing and burthensome. Finally, in 1854, the Common Council appointed a Board of Commissioners to unravel the tan- gled skein of supplements and touch with index finger the tender spots in the derme of the grow- ing crop of seekers and holders of offices under their provisions.
The commissioners entered heroically upon the task, and finally succeeded to their own satisfaction, in preparing a code from which had been, as they thought and had abundant and satisfactory reasons for believing. elimmated all the questionable features, but, when the Council had received their report, and as a whole had gone over their work with great care, places were found in which officials were in- trenched, who would not surrender. Late in 1855. a committee of citizens joined in the work and finally succeeded in presenting a charter quite satisfactory to the majority, and on March 20, 1857, it having received the sanction of the law-making body of the State, was signed by the Governor.
Newark, at this important period of its history, was divided into eleven wards, each of which, under its provisions, were en- titled to two Aldermen. These, with his Honor, the Mayor, constituted the city government. Provision was also made in the charter for the formation of a Board of Education, to which was deputed the work of taking care of the public schools, minus the appropriations, which was reserved to the Common Council. While much wisdom had been displayed in the formation of the government, a practical application soon proved that simplicity had been too much simplified, and that many absolute requirements, in a rapidly growing community, had not been met, and the supplement mill must needs be started
GEORGE H. WILSON, CITY TREASURER.
and the old business of grinding out supplements begin again.
One of the first to pass through the hopper was the supple- ment estab- lishing a Re- ceiver of Taxes, and the provid- ing of a sinking fund to meet thecity's bond- ed debt when its payment wasdemanded. Next in or- der came the Board of As-
NEWARK FEMALE CHARITABLE SOCIETY'S BUILDING, CORNER HILL AND HALSEY STREETS.
sessment and Revision of Taxes, an institution of which the city was sadly in need of. This institution, which has proved such a boon to the tax-paying public, came into existence in 1866. At this time, 1897, the Board continues with the same number of Commissioners as when it was first organized, but all are now appointed by the Mayor.
In 1873 the demand made by the growth of the city, and the extent and importance of its financial business, was met by the formation of a Board of Finance, with an officer called the Comptroller standing at its head. So smoothly, economically and wisely has the affairs of this department been conducted, but few changes, and these of a minor character, have been deemed necessary.
The mighty growth of the city and its expanse hill-ward, seemed to demand some radical changes in the license methods of the city. To meet this a supplement was obtained and the Board of Com- missioners were appoint- ed under its provisions. These have continued with about the same duties and powers as when they first began.
Now we ap- proach an all important part of her history- that, which is connected with The Water Board. In 1 860, a supple- ment came
through the
JULIUS B. FINGER, RECEIVER OF TAXES.
140
ESSEX COUNTY, N. J., ILLUSTRATED.
r
O
CITY HOME, AT VERONA.
hopper authorizing the city to purchase the franchise held by the Newark Aqueduct Company, and it was then, the Newark Aqueduct Board was established, and into its hands passed the management of the City's water supply.
This Board, as provided by law, is composed of five members. who are elected by the people, and is clothed with very extensive powers. It has the entire control and management of the Water department, the Street department, sewers and drains, and in fact all the public works of the city. The other departments of the city government are the Health Board, which, under recent legislation, has very extreme powers ; the Trustees of the City Home, a reform school for boys and girls and the Trustees of the Free Public Library, a most excellent institution which is giving unqualified satisfaction.
Newark is situated on the main highway between New York
and Philadelphia, and on the Passaic River, and hallows the spot where our forefathers first delved, and then " built better than they knew." Its transportation facilities by railroad and water are unequalled. It is less than thirty minutes from the city of New York by rail, and about an hour by water. Six railroads, and trains innumerable each day, transport its pas- sengers and its goods to and from the great metropolis, and to and from all the great countries and cities of the world.
The territorial jurisdiction of the city embraces an area of is square miles. Its improved streets aggregate a length of over 200 miles, nearly 75 miles of which are paved with granite, asphaltum, etc., and its sewers a length of more than 100 miles. It has a combined area of nearly 150 acres in parks. And it now has a supply of water which for purity, wholesomeness. sweetness and abundance, is unequalled. As the bird's-eye views of the city reproduced in this work show, the large territory embraced within the city's limits is well built upon, but not overcrowded. The salt marshes or meadows in the southeastern part of the city, are as yet sparsely occupied by either dwellings or factories, but even here business and manufacturing enterprise is draining and re- claiming the marsh, and buildings and dwellings are multiplying.
The innumerable factories in the city are, almost with- out an exception, well and strongly built, finely venti- lated and lighted, and are excellent examples of factory and mill architecture. The dwelling houses evince the
ALDERMAN WILLIAM HARRIGAN.
ALDERMAN JAMES A. MCCARTHY.
141
ESSEX COUNTY, N. J., ILLUSTRATED,
prosperity and thrift of the inhabitants, who as a rule are well and comfortably housed, while many of the larger dwellings, as illustrations of the hand- some homes of the city given in this work will show, are models of comfort, convenience and beauty. The population at the present time, 1897. exceeds two hundred and twenty-five thousand souls.
The future growth and prosperity of the city is assured, and will be continous. steady and promises to be vast. New manufacturing industries are constantly being attracted to the city by its magni- ficent facilities for production and transportation, the reasonable prices and rents asked for lands and fact ries, the low tax rate and the perfect police and fire protection, which the city affords. And with this constant accession of new ind istries and enterprises, comes a vast and steady flowing stream of workmen and their families. certain of employ- ment, present comfort and future competence. In addition to all these, there is a large overflow every year from the city of New York, of those who look for cheaper and quieter homes than the great metro- polis can furnish. Moreover, the industries of the city are so diversified that no depression in any one industry can materially interfere with the general growth and prosperity of the town. Altogether, it seems safe to predict that the city of Newark will at no very distant day be the largest and most flourishing manufacturing city in the United States, if not in the world.
The question now being mooted of a "greater Newark," which shall take in the larger portion of Essex and those divis- ions of our sister county of Hudson, known as Harrison and Kearny, the latter named in honor of the heroic Phil Kearny. who lost his life at Chantilly, and a bronze statue of whom adorns the beautiful Military Park, will ere long be answered in the city of Newark with a teeming population of 500,000 souls. The city is both well and cheaply governed. The tax rate for the year 1896 was only $1.96 upon each Stoo of assessed valu- ation, and this included the county as well as the city rate. The assessed valuation of property within the city for taxable purposes was, in 1896, after deducting debts, $133.483.311. The
ALDERMAN JOSPEH SUTPHEN.
taxable prop- erty was, the year preced- ing, $1 30,085. 787, which was an in- crease over the assessed valuations for 1895 of $3. 397.537. The credit of the city can hard- ly be surpass- ed. The management of its finances is honest, conservative and wise ; and although public im- provements
HOME OF THE FRIENDLESS, SOUTH ORANGE AVENUE.
are being constantly carried on, and there is never any pause in the efforts of municipal authorities to improve, beautify and adorn the city, yet all these public works are carried on and managed in so wise and skillful a manner, that the burden of pay- ing for them is scarcely felt by the taxpayers. So excellent is the credit of the city, that it has no difficulty in placing such bonds as it finds necessary to issue, at 4 and 4} per cent.
The inhabitants of the city are in the main enterprising, indus- trious, thrifty and prosperous. Considering the size of the city, such poverty as exists within its borders is almost insignificant. There is employment for all who are able and willing to work, and at fair wages, so that none, except those stricken by disaster or disease need know the name of want. And for these un- fortunate and distressed, charity is liberal and abundant.
The city was first incorporated by the name of " The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Newark," and this name has never been changed in all the subsequent legislation relat- ing to the city and its government, although many changes have been made in the powers, duties and responsi- bilities of these officers.
The present Mayor of the city is James M. Seymour, who succeeded Julius A. Leb- kuecher in May, 1896.
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