The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-01-03
WILL CORBIN BE SPEAKER !?
THE APPROACHING SESSION OF TIE
STATE LEGISLATURE.

be known till the Monday night previous,
Who il to be the Speaker, but the indica-
lions now all point to the selection of AS
semblyman William FL. Corbin, Of Union.
The contest is between him and Armstrong
Ana Sneaker of the last House The main
r,hiecfion made to Corbin is that he is
Altogether too good for the place; but the
House last winter set the precedent by
the election of goody- goody man and
the objections to Corbin on that ground
win not prove Of serious import. MIR. Cor
bin is, however, a different kind of good
man from Armstrong. There was more
affectation than sincerity in the late
Speakers self-righteousness. There is no
thing of self-righteousness or affectation
phont Oorbin. He is intrinsically a good
man. Some of the fellows who are afraid
xhat he will be Speaker unless they can
saw something against him, have revived
fhe labor howl against his Labor Bureau
scheme of last winter to scare his strength
away. bat YOU will remember that the OPP
1,oeition TO his bill last winter was due to
a rnisapprehension of its merits, and that
by the time the session closed the men
who were loudest in their protests against
II had become its warmest advocates and
supporters. Outside of its partisan propo-
sition to elect the Labor Bureau in Joint
Meeting. the bill was full of safeguards
for the workingmen and when Mr.. Cor
hin went to Newark after the Legislature
had adjourned to explain Its purpose to a
meeting of the Trades Assembly, he salts
fed them that it was just what they
wanted. Unless, therefore. the new Menu
bers are hoodwinked by the clamor of his
enemies the labor argument will not count
afeather's weight against him. Armstrong
comes back to the Legislature by q vastly
reduced majority. The knowledge of that
fact will not help him in his canvass His
strength last year was due to the personal
efforts of Senator Sewell. He will not have
The benefit of them to any marked extent
this year. So that altogether it is a pos
sible and apparently feasible thing to
beat him. Even if he carries the caucus,
F IL is said that one Republican member has
positively declared that he will, under no
circumstances, vote for him; and one Re-
publican member, in House with but one
Republican majority, can deadlock the or
ganlzation.
THE SENATE OFFICES.
The scramble for the Senate Presidency
is between Griggs and Nichols. They are
the youngest Senators on the floor. Griggs
is putting his claim to the place on the
sympathetic ground that he was cheated
out of it by Schenck's bolt last year.
Nichols is shrewd and far-seeing, how
ever, and is making it pretty lively for the
Young man from Passaic. 1t is said, how
ever, that Shoe Fly Herring, of Cam
den, has deserted his standard, and the
flight of one from his own domain shows q
screw loose somewhere In Nichols's politi-
cal machinery. There is warmer rivalry
for the Secretaryship than even for the
Presidency. The disposition is to give it
to Readington, Chairman of the Republi-
can Committee in the Democratic strong
hold of Hunterdon, that last Fall elected a
Republican to seat in the State Senate.
But Joe Hulme and ssSenator" McSherry-
that was to be, but isn't, you know-are
both engaged in active canvasses. don't
think McSherry has any very exalted notion
of his chances and Joe Hume would
probably be glad to fall back into the Jour
nal clerkship which he has filed SO accept
ably for many years, If 1t had not already
been bargained away irrevocably to "Gus"
Barber, friend of Senator Gardner's. E.
o. Chamberlain, of the Philadelphia Press,
seems the likely man for the Reading Sec
xetaryship, for the reason that he can't
<sread" worth cent, and for the other
reason that the Senate has weakness for
selecting newspaper men to do its reading
Tor it. The House organization as to minor
officers will not probably be materially
changed from last year. Even the benighted
charcoal HEAVIER that was Sergeant-at-Arms
Last Winter will probably be reelected.
RAILROAD PROBLEMS.
Notwithstanding the apparent lack Of
Interest in the approaching session, it bids
fair to be one of the most Important held
In the State in many years. The Baltimore
and Ohio contest for an cntrepot on the
shore front is the expected sensation for
the ssboodle" seekers but there are other
railroad topics that may stir up the people
even more than that. Senator Sewell's
announcement that the Pennsylvania Rail-
road has been provoked into antagonism to
the tax act means, In ali likelihood. an
attack upon it in the Legislature as
well as In the courts. The people
will have to see to it that that
piece Of legislation is not disturbed.
It is likely that Governor Albeit will sur
render to the discussion of the question q
large part of his Annual Message and
s without desiring TO pique public curiosity,
! may be allowed to remark that when it is
presented 1t will attract universal atten-
lion.
CONVICT LABOR.
Leaving railroad topics, it may be OBJ
served that the convict labor question will
probably rise into fresh interest. The abo-
1ition of convict contract labor threw the
State upon her own resources for the en-
ployment of her prisoners, and the prison
authorities decided upon the Piece Price
System" as it is called. By this system
the State agrees to deliver to contractors so
much manufactured stuff for SO much
money. State Prison Keeper Laverty, in
. report just submitted to Governor Alb
4 bett, pronounces the new system perfect
success in every respect. Supervisor But
Ter has, however, placed in Comptroller
{ Anderson's hands report in which he
declares the system to be dismal failure.
He is reported to have said that the State
might rather give up her contracts and pay
the Sc, 900 forfeit for their non-fulfillment
than GO on. He admitted, however, in q
little conversation had with him the other
evening that the State would probably get
as much out of the prison under the new
system as under the old. Major Anderson.
the State Comptroller, is quoted as agreeing
with the Supervisor about the wisdom Of
The new system. It is something entirely
new IN prison management, and the prob
1ems involved cannot be intelligently dis
cussed by outside parties till all the facts
and tendencies are made known. This
difference of opinion may be due to con-
tract that the State Prison Supervisors
have entered into. 1t was not found to be
IS beneficial as it was expected to be, and
Governor Albeit, with Keeper Layerty,
refused to sign it. The Supervisors, anxious,
they say, to divide with Democratic officials
the responsibility for the mistake, tried to
fnrce the Governor and Keeper into acqui-
essence but both held out, and the con
tract still needs their signature, and much
Bitterness is the resultof the controversy.
TEE NEW CAPITOL.
Another topic that will doubtless pro-
woke much gable 10 the State Capitol re-
building scheme. The Legislature directed
the Rebuilding Commission to reproduce
the burned section Of the building at an
expense not to exceed $4,000. The fixing
Of this absurd limit was the outgrowth Of
the movement to secure the erection of q
new capital at Newark. The Newark
chaps knew that $4,000 was but a patch
of what would be needed, and the amount
-