Home Rule, Part Two: Oradell Breaks The Mold.

Few passersby today realize the old Hackensack Water Works on New Milford Avenue played a key role in the outbreak of Bergen County’s “Borough Fever.” Prior to 1894, school districts embracing the railroad hamlets of Oradell and New Milford, River Edge, Cherry Hill and New Bridge spanned the Hackensack River, crossing township lines. For historical purposes, it must be remembered that New Milford was the name of the train station and surrounding neighborhood on the west bank of the Hackensack River in present-day Oradell and was not associated with the modern Borough of New Milford, which only acquired the name when it replaced Palisades Township in 1922.

In February 1893, citizens of New Milford and Peetzburgh, situated on opposite sides of the river, fought over division of Oradell School District No. 29. Peetzburgh, a growing suburban tract named for developer Gustav Peetz and settled mainly by German immigrants, was ready for a school of its own. Oradell and New Milford residents were miffed when Peetzburgh demanded the entire school district lying east of the Hackensack River, thus capturing the Hackensack Water Works, the district's largest tax ratable.

On the west side of the Hackensack River, the Midland Township Committee abandoned a proposal to bond for $75,000 worth of roadwork in February 1894, returning to their original plan of raising $50,000 to macadamize only major highways. With reduction in the proposed mileage to be improved, engineer Leslie Menger attempted "to give each section of the township a fair proportion of the outlay." Under this plan, annual payments over twenty years would average about $4,000.

There was no pleasing everyone and this compromise proved short-lived. The Maywood section resented exclusion of Maywood Avenue, north of Essex Street. The Hackensack Republican flatly stated, "the proposition to bond Midland township for the purpose of macadamizing about fifteen miles of public highways does not meet the approval of certain citizens of New Milford and Oradell, for the reason as we are informed, that the schedule of roads to be worked does not recognize the two communities to the satisfaction of all the inhabitants, and the dissatisfied ones seek relief from what they believe will be onerous taxation by moving for incorporation as a borough." According to the dissenters' calculations, the area within their proposed municipal limits "pays about $2,400 in road tax and gets about $600 worth of road work, which is unsatisfactory to those who are moving for a borough; they point out that the [proposed new] borough [of Delford, now Oradell] will include the Hackensack Water Works, paying tax on a large assessment, which will make the general tax levy comparatively light." But some taxpayers were wary, fearing borough incorporation "as a thing hedged about by mysteries" with hidden costs.

Despite such trepidation, a meeting of property owners from both Oradell and New Milford on February 12, 1894, was “fairly well attended for the weather.” Jacob Van Wagoner, of New Milford, was chosen chairman and J. Edgar Waite, secretary. By all reports, “the sentiment expressed was largely in favor [of borough incorporation], provided it didn’t increase the tax rate to any considerable extent or that powers vested in the government are not too great.” A Committee of Five, chosen to give the matter further examination and to report back the following evening, included: Jacob Van Wagoner, Hiram Bellis, Stephen Voorhis, Richard W. Cooper and Frank Barnes.

The proposed limits of the new borough included the villages of Oradell and New Milford. Boundaries were drawn to satisfy the legal requirement for a borough to encompass at least two square miles of territory. The Republican duly noted, “There is an impression that the formation of a borough government will be an especial benefit in relieving its inhabitants from what some believe will be an onerous tax for macadamizing the roads in Midland Township without any compensating return.”

The special committee reported on February 16, 1894, that they “had a prolonged session where the chief topic was the selection of a name.” Rather than choosing the name of either train station, the committee recommended the “Borough of Midland.” Some protested adoption of the committee’s report, believing that approval implied adoption of the name. Thinking on his feet, C. H. Storms suggested combining the last syllables of Oradell and New Milford, but when called upon to spell it, he could not decide between Delford and Dellford. John G. Webb, who had heard it was proposed to include River Edge, was also on hand to protest. At the meeting's conclusion, the presiding officers appointed a committee to secure signatures representing one-tenth of the taxable property on their petition and present the same to Judge Van Valen. Two days after the meeting, the petition for borough government, conveniently placed in the Oradell post office, garnered only a single signature.

Despite the initial hesitation, the petition to form the new Borough of Delford from portions of Midland, Palisades and Harrington Townships acquired the requisite number of signatures. It was presented to James M. Van Valen, Presiding Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, on February 23, 1894. Almost half ($15,000) of the taxable property represented on the Delford petition ($31,000) came from inclusion of the Oradell Land Improvement Company under the signatures of Elmer Blauvelt, president, and James C. Blauvelt, secretary. On March 5, 1894, voters of Oradell and New Milford voted (89 to 29) at the Oradell Lecture Room in favor of combining their villages into the borough of Delford. Delford would be renamed Oradell in 1921.

To settle an old score and retrieve tax revenues on the Water Company’s property from Peetzburgh, this portion of Palisade Township, lying east of the Hackensack River, was included within Delford's limits and, for that reason, the legitimacy of Delford's birth was immediately called into question: Judge Van Valen ruled there was no provision in state law sanctioning formation of a borough from parts of more than one township. Delford, therefore, appeared to be stillborn until the State Legislature revived its existence. On April 26th, the Hackensack Republican announced "legislation is under way that will remove existing obstacles to forming the borough of Delford upon the original lines, and it is believed that this will soon be carried through."

The consequences of casting special legislation under guise of a general law soon became apparent. A Supplement to the Borough Act, enacted May 9, 1894, not only allowed the formation of a borough from parts of two or more townships, but it actually encouraged such civic cobbling by entitling such composite municipalities to a representative on the County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Greedy partisans now helped themselves to slices of neighboring townships to form boroughs that guaranteed another Freeholder for their party and, by this means, Republicans and Democrats contested control of Bergen County government. On June 14, 1894, The Hackensack Republican noted, "borough mania continues to spread in Bergen County and the possibilities are that it will not be checked in some time." Boroughitis was "assuming the force of rivalry between communities to determine which shall be the big fish and swallow its smaller neighbor, the contest not tending toward a survival of the fittest, however, so much as demonstrating which community has the smartest leaders."

On September 16, 1894, State Senator Winton, editor of The Bergen Democrat, informed his readership that a bill would be introduced at the next regular session of the Legislature in January "to amend, if not to wipe out of existence altogether, the present Borough act." Bergen County, he noted, was "about the only county in the State, which affords a full and fair exemplification of the mischief which has followed the practical workings under the borough system." He mused how some boroughs barely possessed enough population "to fill the numerous offices which pertain to the borough organizations which are within the township limits." He thought the "Borough craze" might be regarded as a "roaring farce, if not for the fact that these numerous municipal organizations, each with a dozen office holders, is bound to prove a very expensive luxury in the near future unless abandoned." The various County Boards of Election, Assessors and Chosen Freeholders had grown to "undreamed of proportions" with taxpayers paying the freight and lawyers reaping the profits. The Board of Chosen Freeholders increased from sixteen to twenty-five members and its expenses were expected to rise proportionately. Senator Winton believed that the size of this Board needed to be restricted without delay by an act of the Legislature to either five or seven members, thus assuring a large savings and more efficient service. According to the Evening Post, Winton predicted "Home Rule" would unnecessarily inflate the costs of government.

On June 5, 1894, Delford’s first mayoral contest in was fought between two Democrats, Richard W. Cooper, running on the Citizen’s Ticket, and Adolphus Landerman. Cooper won by vote of 82 to 44. Jacob M. Hill, a Democrat, was elected Assessor. Successful Republican candidates were: Jacob Van Buskirk for Freeholder and Peter Van Buskirk for Collector. As noted by the Oradell reporter for The Bergen Democrat: “It is plain that the utmost harmony does not prevail at the start of the new government.”

Feeling cheated, officials of Palisade Township announced their intention in March 1896 to file suit against the Hackensack Water Company for the amount they felt was owed on the bonded indebtedness of the old school district. At the time when the Peetzburgh school property was purchased and a schoolhouse erected thereon, much of the Water Company’s property was within the bounds of the school district and therefore subject to taxation for interest on the bonded indebtedness and for the payment of bonds as they became due. Since the Water Company’s property was subsequently included in the Borough of Delford, it declined to pay taxes to Palisade Township.