New-York tribune., 1886-02-03
VOTING FOR STATES RIGHTS
DEBATE IN THE NEw-JERsEY SENATE.
,,r STATEN ISLAND BRIDGE RESOLUTIONS


s,,r STATEN ISLAND BRIDGE RESOLUTIONS
ADnPTTp.
frrox THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE 1RIBuS..1
TRENTON Feb 2.-The Senate this ate rnoon con-
,urrcd in the Assembly resolutions against the Staten
Islond bridge 10y vote of 10 to 4, after discussion
which began in the morning and continued all dag.
The effort OF those opposed to the resolutions as they
s,ood was confined to an attempt to amend them into
same shape more in accord lnce with the postbellum
views upon Stats sovereignty The resolutions were
road through AS passed by the Assembly and Senator
Gardner moved their adoption Senator Fish, of Essex,
oAered four amendments. The first struck ont the
nortion of the preamble which quoted and construed
the law of 1878 and the other modified the preamble
4; further particulars and struck out the third and
tourtb sections Tue main object to qualify the
alleged excessive application of the State sovereignty
doctrne and place the resolutions on sm @ basis
Of protest against the building of the bridge, without
entering into the arguments which characterized the
Touse resolutions or making appeal to the sym
nathy of other States which the House embodied. Mr..
Fish supported his amendments in an extended
address pointing out the legal inaccuracies of the
in the resolutions and rdiculng the views
taken as to States rights. do not Object, said he
" 70 the intent and purpose of the resolutions bat
do think we should not send to Congress resolutions
which Will make us appear absurd The Act of 1873,
bridge across the navigable waters between this and
another State does not apply railroad yiaducs.
the decisions of the courts of this State and the United
States clearly show. The act of 1873 was never in
tended affect railroad bridges. Fnrher, the state
ia 1883 took other action
Senator Vanderbilt made constitutional argument,
asserting. Democrat as much devotion 10 tue
cause of State rights as any, but declaring that the
resolution up opinions which could not be approved
y reasonable men. Congress has supreme power over
the commerce of the Nation and its right to regulate
Al mil at bp
protest against the bridge but he could not ana would
not aid the passage OF resolutions so 1"se III doctrine
and erroneous in statement as these.
Senator Nichols said that the great interests OF the
country should be encouraged The resolutions ad-
vocate view of the State rights doctrine witch has
been buried for twenty years. it expired WIen Lee
offered his sword TO Grant at Appomattox. lt was
disgrace TO Jerseymen to revive these dead issues
The new line of railroad will be benefit TO the State
General Sswen. who had fought Tor his country
should not be asked insult his record by urging such
opinions as these upon the United States Senate The
railroads of the State would be all the better 1or the
competition of the Baltimore and Ohio.
Senator Gardner made the argument for the Ieson-
tions He denied the assertion that the Act OF 1873
was intended affect passenger bridges only, IT
was palpabls absurdity. The resolutions had been
drawn by the careful hand of distinguished Jersey
man. and they contained 'naa couI 1Ie tI a
utons. section by section, and made an eloquent
constitutional argument.
Senators Fish and Vanderbilt replied briefly. the
former declaring that the chief interest against the
resolutions was that of rival railroads. The vote on
the amendment was as follows;
Yeas Bogert Fish, Mel OILS. Vanderbilt and Young
blood g. 20 49,,
Navs Bnnkerhof Carter, Chase Chattlt, Cramer,
Gardner Griggs, Howe. Herring Large, Livingston,
Mcbride Moon. PancOast and Thompson 10.
Absent Mr.. Miller
Tn. resolutions were then adopted by the same ott
executing that Senator YOungbOod voted yea.
The result wss generally expected, the indications
this morning clearly pointing to such result lhe
Senate would undoubtedly have modified the language
of the resolutions, had not been necessary in that
case to send them back to the Assembly for concur
renee aud this those opposed TO the bridge would not
permit.
The Assembly this afternoon defeated resolution,
offered by Mr. Noonan, tor investigation as to the
right of the railroad companies to refuse legislators
nermission 10 ride free on limited trains. The law
provides that they shall be entitled TO nee tanspor
taton but says nothing about parlor cars