By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor@ Blogfinger.net

The Borough of Ocean Grove:  Part 2 on Blogfinger.  Quotes from Gibbons’ History of Ocean Grove.

“Including this 1920 effort to secede, there had been six prior attempts to create a Borough of Ocean Grove.”

“Another failure to establish a Borough of Ocean Grove occurred in 1911 when a bill was passed in the Assembly but struck down in the Senate.

According to Gibbons, “On other occasions, the legislature could not bring similar bills out of committee, or local opinion made them prohibitive.”

“And where one  was successful  (1920) creating a Borough of Ocean Grove (see our Part 1 ) that success was “short-lived.”  (one year)

“The bill that created the Borough of Ocean Grove in 1920 became the ‘Borough Act.’   Interestingly, it was drafted by a joint committee with representatives of the Camp Meeting Association and the Civic Betterment League, and then Assemblyman Stout of Monmouth County introduced the Borough Act  which was then passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.   After that Police, Health and Fire Departments were created.

“Immediately after the Borough was established, the Lessee’s Association, headed by Dr. Massinger, which was continuing its fight in opposition to the Borough, applied for a writ of certiorari to review the legislative act which created the Borough.   A hearing was held before the NJ Supreme Court with lawyers present representing the Lessee’s Association and the Borough of Ocean Grove;   the Court dismissed the writ , and the Borough was again free to function.

“Then the Lessees’ Association appealed to the NJ Attorney General. At first the AG would do nothing, and “meanwhile meetings for and against the Borough were being held, funds were collected, prayer meetings and fasts were were held in private homes and Thornley Chapel.   The atmosphere in Ocean Grove was ‘extremely tense’

“Then the Camp Meeting changed its mind about encouraging the Borough idea. It seems that the CMA was not convinced that they would be better off tax-wise.

“In late summer, the CMA held a special meeting, and after considerable debate, adopted a resolution asking the AG to lend his name to the CMA “for the attack.”  The CMA decided that the Bill might be  unconstitutional.

“The AG decided to take the matter back to the Supreme court and then the Court of Errors and Appeals, and the latter ruled that the Borough Act was unconstitutional.  Lawyers representing the CMA, the Borough and the Lessees’ Association participated in the court hearings.

There were some oddities about that Borough bill.   For one, the CMA retained ownership of the roads.   In addition,  according to Gibbons, “The Act creating the Borough followed the general form of all borough charters, except it specified that there should be no vehicular traffic within the confines of the Borough on the Sabbath Day, and that certain unique features of Ocean Grove should be preserved.  “(Blue Laws”)

“It was those exceptions which the Court later declared to be special legislation and unconstitutional.   (1921)  The town was turned back over to the CMA.

In retrospect, the CMA agreed to the Borough because of an agreement that allowed blue laws to stand, but in the end, the blue laws buried the Borough. And then when the CMA took over again, their cozy relationship with Neptune continued.

“The people of Ocean Grove had a great thrill and many humorous incidents occurred.  However, many individuals and families who had taken such an active part in the development and civic affairs of Ocean Grove seemed to lose their spirit and interest.  Apparently some of the old fire had been extinguished.

“There we have the story of the rise and fall of the Ocean Grove Borough.”

SECESSION AFTER 1920:

After that, there were still groups that wanted secession.  According to the NY Times, in 1985, State Senator Pallone said, “There are definitely precedents.”  He said, “If you go back far enough, almost every town in Monmouth county seceded at one time because there were originally only four giant townships here.”

In 1980 there was a referendum, but Neptune had veto power by numbers and voted it down.

NY Times:  “But no one was sure how secession would affect taxes in Neptune, and some citizens were afraid of secession because of that. Others wanted secession to take the Grove back to “the rigidity and religiosity of the old Ocean Grove.”

*Source:  Gibbons 1939 History of Ocean Grove.

THE SPANIELS  with a song from American Graffiti