JERSEY CITY

Jersey City 'is a mirror in which other cities may see what they may become.' It shows how far a political machine may go to dominate the whole life of an American community, how totalitarian methods of rule are not incompatible with party politics, life in a police state, the relative costs of government under machine rule and democracy. The machine itself is so nearly perfect that other machines may be measured against it... Few individuals on the American scene possessed as much flamboyancy and magnetism as did Frank Hague during his political career. Though he died in 1956, he retains steadfast friends and bitter enemies to this day. Controversy surrounded almost everything he did; reporters made him the frequent object of savage attacks or lavish praise. Frank Hague was always good copy. As far back as his days as a young constable, he captured more newspaper "mentions" than many of his superiors. Given Hague's dual nature, it is puzzling that few scholarly polemics about Hague..