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THE NX88AU POST, FREBPORT, N. <., PltPDAY, HARCH 29, l«1A-4>affe 4
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FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1918.
News Has Its Warfare.
Rockville Centre last week had • little war all ita own as a*i accom- paniin«ntt«/the red hot village elec¬ tion. The war w«8 limited to a few convbatants, a nerwa reporter for Tlie Brooklyn Daily Eagle and a promi¬ nent couple of th« village. The re- -porter, it appears, was given a hard ship in the face at the viUajfe polling place by an irate hurfsand to resent an alleged insult to hk wife ttke day previous when the reporter, at a meet¬ ing of the non-partisan wonaan'a or¬ ganization, is said to have told her that she bad "peralatently lied" about certain facts ytlnch pertained to the resignations of two club officials.
The reporter endeavored to make a chargre on his foe, but was repulsed by the woman involved and a police officer. Then the reporter went be¬ fore Police Justice Wright and ob¬ tained a summons for assault in the third degree.
News of the sudden and brief war¬ fare stirred ^ckville Centre to a high pitch. The E^gle was telephon¬ ed, was visited by some Rockville Centre residents and received a num¬ ber of letters. Dismissal of the re¬ porter was demanded from some sources -while others upheld him. The Eagle sent out an investigator who pYobed the affair quite deeply. On Saturday, the Eagle absolved the re¬ porter from blame and told him to go ahead with his work a« usual.
'Stories printed in the Eagle con¬ cerning the woman's club, so far as The Nassau Post can learn, incited the bitter clash between the offended couple and the reporter. The-¦woman whose husband made the attack on the scribe has been active in the non¬ partisan club and she took exception to gome of the .statements.printed in the Brooklyn newspaper. The stories appeared to have no great news value. The treatment accorded at least one of them tended toward a display which might be termed sensational. Time was when the Eiagle would have trimmed down suoh stories or consigned them to the waste basket. Their publication, it is safe to say, did not make a favorable impression with the thinking people of Rockville Centre and all others who have pride in the village as one of the best, cleanest and most peao&ful on Long Island to live in.
Mm magna eliarta, • hmippj eifwrai- posed of the Oontity Jodge. f^nrro
' g»t«, Connty Cterk, Sheriff, niatrlct .Mtomey and County OomptrolteT. It
•tenee for the Barons, Whoa* <!•»•- tl<m Iw the p#«>p1*i was atfawiiilatsd m\th tiM thought that if vnanoeMsful at Rannymede, the King wm Hkely to <lo some wrinrin« •<>' btrtmial necks on his own ac<^«nt Motley Jndged high¬ ly Wie government of the Nether¬ lands, which recognised neither a King nor a Peop«e. Yet, it, too, fa-led away, the ruling class beioming a plutocfwcy, engaging in no ouslneaa and leisurely enjoying their inherit¬ ed fortunes and thus contributing to it« decay.
Throughout all these dead snd gon« ^tystems ran the thought »f an Over¬ lord divinely gifted to administer the affairs of Wa fellow men.
Coming down to a more recent pe¬ riod, we And that the history of <)ur own state deals with systems equal¬ ly repugnant to the freeman. Benevo¬ lent paternalism was their base and force was the ultimate arbiter in all disputes. Tyranny and injustice were the characteristics of all.
The quaintest of them all, perhaps, was the Patroon system, a proprietary form of govemment that was only broken up about 80 years ago, when the lineal descendants of one of the original Patroon's tenants rose in their might, refused to pay back taxes, and altogether conducted themselves in a manner «o Bolshevekic that old Gov. Silas Wright, he of patched breeches fame^ interned a lot of thenn —two for life.
The earlier Patroon made all the appointments to office in his "colonie," attended to all budgetary demands of his little kingdom, personally di¬ rected its highway and other inter¬ nal affairs, and in fact was, as mod¬ ern vernacular hath it, "the whole cheese."
The Patroon was, indeed, the Super- visor-at-large of his realm.
Unto this Caesar was rendered the things that were Csesar'a and of all his subjects besides. It was the same old Overlord business done to a deep, dark, juicy brown. It isn't such u long sfep from the Pooh-Bab of Ren- .sselaerwyck to the proposed 'Pooh-Bah of Nassau County contemplated by the charter. The difference between ths two is one of time, largely, the divine system of Over-lording is involved in each instance.
is to b« re«rr#tted that, the Charter Commission made no provision for •wathinir bim while in the fles^, in flannel or cotton batting or otherwise 'preservinK against drafts and colds so precious -a county possession. But tt didn't, ao far as ran be laamed from any language of the Charter. But that frequent demise is antici- pate<)\ in thia office of offices, that it entersd largely into ihe meditations of the Commission must be apparent from the pains and penalties impoaed if this Board of Appointment docs not forthwith appoint a sncceasor. '^Singular that the methods of the Vatican in such cases find no reflec¬ tion in a fundamental law provided for a county like Nassau, entitled as it is to the very best thought of the ages.
The Supervisor-at-large will rec¬ ommend the amount of annual salary to be paid all appointive county offi¬ cers and the Board of Supenriaors shall not ijncfease the same, though it may reduce it. This is described by the Charter as the poWer confer¬ red upon tiie Board of Supervisors to "fix" annual salaries. In a word, the power of Mr. Fixit, the Slipervi- sor-at-larg:e, alone is supreme.
The Supervisor-at-htrge shall make the County Budget, stating therein the amounts estimated to be neces¬ sary to pay for all pubKc or county matters or purposes for which the Board of Supervisors may or must by law make provision during the next ensuing fiscal year. To him must be made not later than the first day of eadh August Departmental es¬ timates of their fiscal needs by all heads of departments, boards and commissions. The Board of Supervi¬ sors may survey his figures with a view to their reduction; they cannot increase them, and after their sur¬ vey they must approve them. No money shall be borrowed without his racommendations. All contracts to be made or let for work to be done or supplies to be furnished shall be mads by him. He s:hall designate two new.s- papers for all public printing and award the contracts thercifor to the publishers who offer the lowest bids per folio.
A Piioh-Bah Government Proposed for Nassau County.
The day the proposed charter for Nassau County becomes a law, Uiat day the Republican party of Nassnn Is doomed: and by the samo taken fche Democratic party has rot the slightest chance to become its succes¬ sor aa the ruling political orsfaniza- .tion of t^a county.
A theory of political evolution is tiiat "political organisms grow, ma¬ ture and die." The government of Carthage, whieh was a government •f capitalists, a benevolent body of citizens of the same high type as we have in Nassau, flourished for a time and decayed. The theory of the Ro- ihan empire, we are told, was that of a representative despotism. The various ofl>bes of the Jleipublic were not annihilated, but their powers were gradually concentrated in the hands «f a single pian, and the Senate be¬ came the last bulwark of political f»^«dom. The earlier German theory of government recosrnized laud-o.vn- •rs only as Freomcn, although no man was regarded as a slave, and io these land owners only were cives political rights and thoae right* wor«
4«aak>usly protected.
The Feudal system of government, p^r ae, had ita virtaaa as well aa ita
'. vicfls. The man of casHmon clay lo<^<.
t-od to a k>rd of superior clay for pro-
li.4fect>09, but his own meaaurs of por*
Dnal freedom was exoead ingly sBtall.
lis freedom of th« indlviJaul was
»id«rably anlargod wluin tha Kiig-
I^et us look at some of the many ex¬ traordinary powers and duties con¬ ferred, as the 'Hon. Timothy J. Camp¬ bell, of Manhattan, was w^ont to ex¬ press it, upon His Royal Nibs, the proposed Supervisor-^^at-lar^e of Nas¬ sau County:
First, he v;ill draw from the coun¬ ty's rich coffers, the salary of $7,500. He will have an office somevrhere, rent free, which is proper, but a. |?overn- nient house an 1 a retinue must bo provided irom his own plethoric nurse. It gne-j wUhcut saying that he m'.i?t bp a very rich man, otherwise he could not secui'-e election to an of¬ fice which requires him to be a candi¬ date in every nook and corner of the county. In far greater degree, I^r. Bacon discovered this same absolute necessity when he was a candidate for Undted States Senator against Mr. Calder. No ordinary citizen can hop into such a race with only trol¬ ley-car fare in his waistc^t pocket, and the Charter, by the way, pro¬ vides no incentive for any such citizen to serve his kind in public office in Nassau County.
For hisjialary, which is lamentably inadequate considering the scope of his power and the multiplicity of his duties, the Supervisor-at-large shall in addition to keeping his office well dusted and the door knobs polished very care-ful-lee, appoint:
A County Treasurer
A Commissioner of Highways and Public Works '
A Commissiorver of (Public Oharities
A Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
A County Attorney
A County Health Officer
A County Police Commissioner; and
All officers heretofore appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
He shall also authorize any of the foregoing, offlcers to appoint a deputy or deputies.
All county officers thus appointed by the Supervisor-at-large shall be appointed "without term and shall hold office at his will and pleasure." 11
The 'Supervisor-at-large shall have a term of office himself, of four years. If he is sick or absent from- the stata a president pro tem shall be elected by the Board of Si^pervisors, who shall have all his rights and powera except the right and p«w«r to remove appointees, appoint others, or to veto, approve or disapprove any ordinance or resolutions of the Board of Super¬ visors. These aacred rights of the Pooh-Bah are preserved for him for a period of thirty dayl, a protection of inestimable v«lu« to one of gouty ot sporty habits demanding hia pr«<g- ence at a spa or a racing meet.
Ii the oU gentiaman dies (no s«U- r««pecting SuperviHor-at-lari^e would rvar rasign) his auccesaor ia appoint- ud. ami bjr>to leiOamt it ^tm Biaid
These are among the chief duties of the Supervisor-at-large, for the doing of which and as .^ sort of deterrent against malfeasance, misfeasance and other forms of weakness occa¬ sionally observable in the holders of public office, tihe Supervisor-at-large is bonded to an amount fixed by the Board of Supervisors—nbout all the "fixing," by the way. entrusted by the charter to that honorable body of freemen, the Commission having imbibed somewhat freely, perhaps, of public suspicion that Supervisors gen¬ erally are or ought to be fillibusters as weU as freemen and should be curfbed accordingly.
In a word, as described so candid¬ ly by the historian selected by the Commission as its umbilical connec¬ tion with the Brooklyn and Manhat¬ tan newspap'ers, "the Supervisor-at- large is the symbol of centralization in the county government as evolved by the Commission,"
He is, indeed, the SUN of Nas¬ sau's solar system, around which re¬ volves a numerous body of satellites in specially described circles and curves "in parabolic concussion," with their periods of aphelion and infre¬ quent perihelion; a body of Titanic power, awesome, fearsome, even, cer- tan to be worshipped idolatrously by all who seek preferment, plethora for the purse, public position in the newly established citified County of Nassau.
Of the Board of Supervisors, in¬ creased in members with stipends of iRockefeller proportions! the abolition of offices with iconoclastic sweep, the creation of others, the duties and pow¬ ers of those predestined to become our public servants, much of interest re¬ mains to be written. A ^barter, by a ifinite mind, like a bullock by a boa constrictor, requires time for di¬ gestion.
former Member af As«eiiA>Iy, Williani G. 'Milter of Fre«pori The marked predilection of the two iVmorTSti*^ Supervisors for frentlemen of large landed interests on the nort^ aide of the coanty Slaving no practical ex¬ perience, if experience at all, in the governmentsl and political affairs of Nassau CK)unty, -w^m not unnoted by observers on the south side of the county. In fact the only representa¬ tive of the entire south shore was the Freeport member. Had conHitions been reversed and the creators of the Commission been Republicans, a "deal**—the most innocent under¬ standings are liable to be thus clas¬ sified in politics—would have been re¬ garded as most certain, and denounc¬ ed accordingly. Fortunately, the high character of the members thus select¬ ed favored the fforth side Supervi¬ sors and they "g6t away ^th it" without attracting to themselves the uaual suspicion. As for the Commis¬ sion itself, its mission was recognized as wholly public-spirited and its mo¬ tives were open to no doubt whatso¬ ever.
Had the Commission, however, been appointed after the Days of Illegnl Audits, instead of before, that comity between statesmen so olbservable in
Pol
itical
ind I?
ersonal
Counselor Harry W. Moore of Min¬ eola hag taken charge of the law bu%> inaas of Counselor ,7ohn P. McCarthy of Olen Cove and Orster Bay while Im is "doing his bit for Uncle Ram."* Couns«U>r Moore is well qualified to "do his bit" at home for McCarthy, one of his friends, and the fraternal interchange should be profitable to both meTr*ers of the B*r—conserv¬ ing "McCarthy^ interests whiile at the front in war wrvice, and adding some coin to Moore's income.
Harry Shorenstein of Olen dove recently sent his check for $10 to the local fire department in appreci¬ ation of efforts it made to save his stock of clothing from destruction by flre. More tokens of this kind would give inspiration to the volunteer fire¬ men in every community.
Thomas T. Ramsden of Ocean Side, a former Highway Commissioner of Hempstead town, continues active not¬ withstanding he has passed the three score and ten mark. "Tom" was al¬ ways A loyal Tlepublican and for many years took the Big Four on its annual bay outings in his oyster steamer.
ost -
BY THB TRAVELER
Political paragraphs to Brooklyn papers from Nassau County feature Archie Patterson, Town Highway Su¬ perintendent, as a prospective candi- a Federal 'Senate would have obtained , date for Supervisor at the next elec- in the Nassau Board of Supervisors , tion. One paper said that Archie sold
and there would have been more rep¬ resentatives of the south side on the Commission. This it is fair to say of the Commission in its entirety—it lacked acquaintanceship with a body of citizens distinguished neither by wealth nor the lack of it, suoh as constitutes the majority of every com¬ munity; it lacked experience in the discharge of those governmental duties that are the lot of county offi¬ cers, experience in the greatest of games, broad American politics.
his horses, Viiagons, road implements, etc., last Monday so ttiat he would be clear of all incumbrances that might hinder his political progress.
Counselor Sidney H. Swezey, who has just retired as President of Free- port, made an excellent record, and if he had political aspirations could no doubt win high honors. The office of Village President is a trying one and war conditions made it much more so during ths attorney's term.
The Sunday Rasehall Bill, intr»-i dwced at Albany sgsin this yesr, hMi been referred to the Committee all the Whole by the Senate, and will stay in what is termed "the grave- ] yard." This move, accordi-ng to Al¬ bany dispatches, means that the bill j stands little chance of passing. Tb« Traveler is of the opinion that "tha graveyard" is the proper place for the bill. The move to legalize Sunday. baseball has been on for years be¬ cause promoters of the sport, princi- ' pally in "cities, have apparently not been satisfied with doin|» business six days of the week and have harbored some jealous feelings because a num- I ber of amateur and semi-professionsd ' exhibits could "get away with it.'* I lit is certain that country villages do not need Sunday baseball and thera can be little, if any good reason, why ¦ it should be allowed in cities. Satur- I day half-holidays prevail with a larg* ' majority of manufacturing and othar business lines during the Summer, and with a number.of them, the half holiday is in vogue the entire year, ', giving emploJ^ees plenty of opportuni-- ties to play baseball. The argument tlvat Sunday baseball games will tend to keep thousands of men and youths from engaging in other recreation more demoraKzing would seem to be far fetched. The Traveler knows of mm nnd youths by the hundreds who play baseball Saturday afternoons or attend games, and on Sundays ar* ' ready to repeat the program. The baseball games do not keep them from I the saloons, .i>vap and other ^ames of chance or from smoking cigarette* I and doing other thangs that are ahy- I thing but elevating to their manhood. I There are scores of other ways open < for quiet recreation on Sunday aside ; front baseball, and by keeping it off [ the calendar tTie day can be better maintained as one for quietude and ! rest, as was intended.
For these reasons, if no other, the product of the Commission is bound to be criticized as not wholly in sym¬ pathy with the mass of the countj^s citizens and not altogether devoid of a desire to acquire power and control of affairs rather by the force of stat¬ ute than by the mandate of the peo¬ ple. The charter is NOT the work of men of substance knowing the peo¬ ple of 'Nassau thoroughly, versed in their affairs and possessed of their confidence. A body of such practical
Tredwell P. Eldred, one of the vet¬ eran Republican district leaders in Hempstead village, one of the Big Four, and for many years a Trustee of Greenfield Cemetery, has been ail¬ ing for some time, but is now im¬ proved.
Dt>mocrats in Hempstead township are lookine: for a lively fight in the campai.q-n to choose a state committee¬ man as successor to Bertram Gard¬ ner. It is about Settled that Gardner will not be a candidate for re-election. Lawrence FT. Kirwin, Election Com¬ missioner, will, it is expected, be the organization candidate. Frank H. Stevens of Freeport will be the anti-
organization candidate unless some and experienced citizens would con-, thing breaks the program arranged to struct a different, undoubtedly a be't- date, ter charter for Nassau.
We apprehend no immediate dang¬ er of its approval by the State legis¬ lature, certainly not without greater publicity and discussion than it has had, or is likely to have this year, being accorded it. Every newspaper in the county should print it in its entirety and the people of the very smallest hamlets should have oppor¬ tunity to know fully its details before any further action is taken on it.
The body politic of Nassau County is admittedly afflicted with fleas, but this is not the particular specific to be chosen for their extermination.—
South Side Observer, March 22, 1918.
4
The students and faculty were proud to learn on Monday that their high school contains a playwright. He is Cornelius ^. Van Rees, who -wrote "•Hooverize," writing the words and music himself. This song is nevr but copies are being distributed all over the States.
Women citizens are expected to line up with the two dominant parties in the near future! The femininists have not as yet advanced from the pri¬ mary classes of politics in New York State, but when they do, rapid ad¬ vancement is expected. They ara schooling themselves regularly, and by next Fall's election should be well up in the higher grades of political engineering,
Justice Wilbur F. Southard made The Nassau Post a combined boisiness and social call on Tuesday. The dis¬ penser of 'justice from the eastern section of the tavfn carries no frills about with him and typifies to the fullest measure the good old honest Long Island stock. _
The daylight saving bill has become a law and everybody on 'Sunday"com¬ ing will have to put their clocks fea*. ward one hour to meet the situation or be behind time. Then, on the last Sunday in October the clocks must be turned back again. Every man, wo¬ man and child who works for his or her daily bread, will be forced to re¬ port earlipr each dav for seven niont.hs of the year, beginning next Monday. This, it has been figured by big cor¬ porations and other business firms, 'Will give them more of the fresh en¬ ergy of the worker and cdt some of the fatigue period which, it has been discovered, comes on after 4 p.m. The arrahgement will, it also has been asserted, increase manufacturing pro¬ duction. The laboring classes will, if fair methods prevail, quit work an hour earlier.
By a peculiar coincidence, whether accidental or otherwise. The Traveler does not know, "Daylight Saving** will become effective on Monday, Ap¬ ril 1, known as "All Fool's Day." The scheme could not have been started at a more opportune time to "fool" a lot of people.
Bells to Rine on New Time.
All the churches of Freeport will fall in line with the new daylierht saving schedule and tbe bells for ser¬ vices on Easter morning will be rung in accordance with the new orders.
A Brooklyn newspaper, in one of ite special departments, said on Tuesday:
"For man and team with plow, $7 a day means high-priced gardens on Long Island this year." '
Why single out the man and team to show that crardening will be high- priced? Fertilizer, seed, implement* and everjrthing else that enters into the preparation and care of gardens will be "sky high" in price. The Trav¬ eler hears. Compared with this situ¬ ation is the urging for people to get liusy and do more planting than last year. With living conditions oppress¬ ing rtiany, the -garden problem will doubtless cause many to think twice before engaging in it.
It would be an injustice to the con¬ scientious gentlemen who have pre¬ pared ithis charter to deny it all val¬ ue. It possesses features that merit the approval of practical minds. Ita chieHfeature, however, eo reflects the epirit of Overlordship common to ear¬ lier mankind and the belief (en¬ tertained to this day) that many are born who may not be fully trusted to serve and few are 'born to command, as to 8«em to require the close exami¬ nation herein given.
It may not be considered imperti¬ nent to enquire somewhat into the origin of the Charter Commission, its membership and ita special adapta¬ bility—or lack of ii—-to ths work it lias undertaken. It waa certified to the listening world by those two knights-errant of Dsmocraey, Super¬ visor Ctu-ist of North Hempstead and Supervisor CocIes of Oyeter Bay. Tiya toh Republican member of thtf B^ard of. Supervisors, Supervisor Smith, pannittad to solaet a singlo mom- 9i iM» 4i*kiB«MriMHl gre^:, •
FASHION WEEK
At Bert's Specialty
Shop
PaONE 595.W
Corner Merrick Road and Church St., Freeport, L. I.
Showing all that is new and up-to-date in Spring Fi^ry, comprising Ladies', Misses' and Chil¬ dren's Suits, Coats and Dresses, Waists, Skirts* Leather Goods, Silk and Lingerie Underwear, Sweaters and numerous other articles to complete the Easter Toilet.
Before buying your Easter Outfit pay a visit to BERT'S, for our store is stoc^:ed full of up to the minute wear, and our pricey are in every respect the same if not lower than the city stores. We have made a special effort for distinction and in¬ dividuality in our Suit, Dress and Coat Depart¬ ments, no two of a kind.
Our Millinery Department is exclusive and origi¬ nal, showing all the new styles in trimmed and un- trimmed shapes.
Ol ALL ALTERATIONS FREE ^
BERT'S-The Store of Style and Value
