Bridgeton pioneer., 1885-03-19
Bridgeton, N. j., March 10, 1885.
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
TRENTON, March 1S, 1885.


Lively times at the State House this
week. All the bills taking away the
power from the Governor in the matter
Of appointments of various State
Boards, and placing the same in the
Joint Meeting, have passed both
Houses, and before the Legislature ad-
ipurns on Thursday, they will become
laws, notwithstanding his veto. Every
day there is an exciting political de-
bate, and many bitter speeches are
made. In the Senate the contest is
always more interesting because of the
narrowness of the vote between the
two parties. The Republicans are re-
quired to keep every one of their Sen
ators present, eleven votes always being
necessary for the passage of a bill.
When a Republican Senator is absent
ali political measures are laid over un-
I'll he returns.
Senator Ezra Miller, of Bergen coun-
t., who has been ill almost ever since
his election in 1883, has been in his seat
barely two weeks during the present
session. He is now at his home in
Mahwah, and has sent word to Tren-
ton that he will be unable to return
again this session. This leaves the
Democrats short one vote, and reduces
their strength in the Senate to nine.
The convict labor question is loom
ing up again owing to the increased
cost Of running our State Prison since
Che bill abolishing contract labor went
into effect at Keeper Laverty's castle
In South Trenton. John s. Perry, of
New York State, is out in a pamphlet
entitled "Prison Labor with tables
showing the proportion of Convict
to Citizen Labor, in the prisons of the
State of New York, and of the United
States" 1t is an argumentative docu-
ment, and should be widely read. Mr..
Perry takes ground in favor of the
contract system. In commenting upon
it he says
81 take this position and challenge
the world to controvert it. that by rea-
son of the withdrawal of the convict
population from the industrial pursuits
20 citizens, their competition with hon
est labor has been largely reduced; and
further, that were the 53,51 inmates
Of our penal and reformatory institu-
Aions to be set at liberty, and their
labor as citizens thrown upon the
market, and also that of the 1881 first
class citizen mechanics now employed
IN our prisons, to say nothing of the
thousands of prison officials, the compe-
Gtion to the labor intereets would be
increased more than four-fold beyond
what is now experienced from the labor
Of 81 ,374 adult prisoners in penal insti-
tntions, and children in reformatories."
Mr.. Haines, of Gloucester County,
presents for the consideration of the
Legislature an excise act, which in it's
provisions is practically local option
law. 1t provides for the election by
each county, of an excise board, to con-
sist of one member from each town
ship, incorporated town and borough
and ward, to be elected on general
ticket, as other officers, to hold office
for three years, and their compensa-
ton to be So day, to be paid by the
county. The board shall meet at the
court house on the first Thursday of
May every year, the county clerk to
act as clerk, and it shall have power
over the granting or refusal of all
iiquor licenses.
Senator Griggs of Passaic County,
is friend of the feathered tribes. He
recently introduced bill which pro-
hibits the killing or sale of night hawks,
whippoorwills, sparrows, thrushes,
meadow larks sky-larks, finches, mar
tins, swallows, woodpeckers, robins,
orioles, cedar birds, wrens, tanagers,
cat birds, &C., and all other birds not
known as game birds, but the act not
to apply to English sparrows, under
penalty of $5 fine. The bill also pro-
hibits the destruction of shore birds
under penalty of $50.
The Senate has rejected the nomina-
zion of Uzal Garfield for Lay Judge of
fhe Common Pleas Court of the county
Of Warren. All of the Governors
for Commissioners of
Deeds in other States were confirmed.
Much has been said by Democratic