The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-01-29

MCDONALD And SYUHR.
The Senate Election Com
mittee Ask for Larger
Power.
AN EXCURSION THROUGH THE BOXES.
Mr.. Mcdonald Makes a Speech Un-
der a MissapprehensiOn.
IN EXCURSION THROUGH THE BOXES.
LATEST FROM TRENTON,

TRENTON, Jan. 80, 0.--The Senate set
the political ball a rolling this morning.
The pretext is BILLY" Stuhr's protest
against the seating of lone Edward f.
Mcdonald as the Senator from Hudson.
1t was reported in the Senate lobby Mon
day night that the matter would be sent
to special committee. If the Republican
Senators contemplated doing this at any
time, they have since thought better
of it.
This morning Senator Gardner, of At
lantic, who is the chairman of the Com
mittee on Elections, rose with a resolu-
tion in his hands. 1t directed the Com
mittee ON Elections to proceed to take up
the Stuhr protest. The Senate Committee
has full power to do that much without
getting specific authority from the SEN
ate and so, if the committee contem-
plated only an ordinary election investl-
cation, the committee would have gone
right along without saying anything
about it.
A NosING EXPEDITION.
But the committee cannot sit away
from the State House without the au-
thoTity Of the Senate; ner can it summon
witnesses without the Senate'S consent:
nor can it examine ballots unless the Sem
ate first directs it. These were the three
things Mr.. Gardner's resolution en-
powered the committee to do. No one,
OF curse, made objection to any investi-
gas 3n the committee may see fit to set
on foot, however searching, and the re-
solution went through without delay.
MR.. MCDONALD MAKES A SPEECH.
Mr.. Mcdonald was absent when the
action on his case was taken. He came
into the Senate soon after and rising to a
question of privileges said that he had
been given to understand that the matter
had been taken from the Committee on
Elections to be placed in the hands of a
special committee. He thought that this
action was unseemly and unfair to him in
his absence. All he wanted was fair,
honest and careful investigation. Every
thing should be made clean no matter
whom it might strike.
Mr.. Gardner replied by saying that if
he had supposed that the Senator from
Hudson cared to be present when the
matter was brought up he certainly
would have waited until he was present.
Ii the gentleman from Hudson thought
: the matter had been introduced hastily
he would apologize and he would move
that the Senator from Hudson record his
vote on the resolution. The Whole sub
ject had been allowed to slumber for
shree weeks, he continued, and the reso-
luton had been offered to give the COM
mittee power to proceed.
MI. MCDOnHlQ IOllOWeQs anu Salu Uuab
the gentleman from Atlantic had stated
exactly what he wanted to do, and he
wanted the privilege of recording his
vote In favor of the resolution.
MIR. M'DONALD MIsINFORMED.
The President, interrupting, said that
Mr.. Mcdonald had been misinformed;
that no special committee had been ap-
pointed, and the matter was still in the
hands of the Committee on Elections.
Mr.. Mcdonald replied that he could see
now that he had been misinformed and
that he had not been treated unfairly and
that there had been no unnecessary
haste. He hoped the Committee on Elec-
tion would proceed Immediately with the
investigation, Everything that has been
done this morning was desired by him,
and he directed the clerk to record his vote
in favor Of the resolution. This was done
and the Senate adjourned for the week.
The Committee on Elections, consisting
of Senators Gardner, Adrian and Roe,
will sit early next week and begin the in
vestigatlon. They will issue subp9nas
this week, and will push the matter, they
say, as rapidly as possible.