The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-04-06
TO GUST MCDONALD
The True lnwardness Of
the Gardner InVestiga-
ton Circus.
A REPUBLICAN PLOT
Progress Of Ballot Reform---The
State Prison Enquiry
Tax Appeals.
REPUBLICAN PLOT


Republican majority of it, intends to I'M
seat Senator Mcdonald, even If 1t has to
strain point to accomplish its design.
When the investigation com
menced, although the COM
mittee never openly said 50.
the impression was allowed to get abroad
thai under no circumstances would Mr..
Mcdonald be unseated It was even said
that as between the two men-aIcD Donald
and Stuhr-Mr. Mcdonald was far more
to be desired as colleague, and PAL
ticuiar stress was laid upon the fact that
no United States Senator would be chosen
during the term of the present Senator
from Hudson, and Ii aid not make so
much difference who occupied the seat.
All this. however. was what the late
United States Minister TO the Court of
st. James in his rules on poker would
cull bluff, and was intended to divert at
tention from the main design Of the in
vestigation.
The terms Of State Treasurer Toffey
and Comptroller Anderson both expire
next March and the Republicans mean. II
those influential offices. They have
now but a bare majority OF
one, with the prospects that
that will be wiped out next fall. They
have but little hope OF securing major
ity in the House, and they are laying their
plans upon being able to retain their ma
jority in the Senate. and by preventing a
Joint session make some bargain which
will inure TO their benefit 1t is said that
Il bargain has been made with Stnhr, and
that he will vote with the Republicans
whenever they may require him TO DO SO.
THE BALLOT REFORM BILL.
On Monday night the first discussion in
public OF the Joint Committees Ballot
Reform bill will take place, when the
measure will come up On second read
ing. and amendments galore will be
fired at it by the Republicans. Many of
the knowing ones are predicting that no
ballot reform measure will be enacted by
this Legislature They say the present
billwill never be accepted by che Repub-
lican Senate and that the Democratic
House will not consent to any amendment
to the fundamental clauses, which are the
very ones to which the Republicans OBJ
iecf. However, when Senator Werts
comes to advocate his bill with that eio-
quence which he employed in the secret
conciayes Of the committee ne may sue
coed in winning enough votes to pass it.
Il will be called to mind that each
Republican member Of the committee
went to work with his mind thoroughly
saturated with q prejudice IN favor Of
the official secret ballot.
Senator Werts succeeded in winning
over TO his idea OF having ballots as free
as air all his Democratic colleagues and
two of the Republicans, Assemblymen
Voorhees, and Cole, two of the ablest men
and deepest thinkers in the House At
first the Republicans would not YIELD and
then Senator Werts proposed that two
bills be passed and the matter submitted
10 vote of the people. The Republicans
would not agree to this. and Senator
Werts emphatically declared that he
would not consent to any bill which dis
franchised the illiterate voter.
SENATOR wERTs' EIoQUENCE.
Then he began to exercise his power of
persuasion, and so eloquently aud logic
ally did he present his views on the mat
/ ter that he succeeded in making MessPs
Cole and Voorhees, enthusiastic support
ers of his idea Mr. Voorhees, declares
that under Senator Werts' plan there is
no way nnder heaven of ascertaining how
a citizen voted Mr.. Voorhees, thinks
that an additional safeguard in the shape
of an official envelope given to each voter,
in which TO deposit his ballot, so that no
jokers could get into the ballot box,
would make the proposed system about
as near perfect as possible. Senator
Werts agrees with Mr.. Voorhees,, ana is
preparing an amendment embodying Mir.
Voorhees, idea.
That such an able Republican as Mr.
Voorhees, favors the bill is encouraging
to the friends OF tue ballot reform. The
other day President Nevius, Of the SEN
ate, spoke rather sneeringly of the bill.
but was quickly convinced by Mr.. Voor-
hees that he did not know what he was
talking about
THE STATE PRISON INVESTIGATION.
A great deal of nonsense has been
printed in the Republican newspapers
Mr. Mullone to introduce his resolution
calling for special committee to exam
inc into the State Prison, which passed
the House Wednesday evening.
The resolution stated that it is alleged
that the law in regard to the stamping o I
all goods made in the State Prison has
been constantly violated.
The law requires that all the goods
shall be stamped in alegible and conspicu-
Gus manner with the words, "Alanufac-
tured In the New Jersey State Prison.
The object OF evading the law in this
particular is apparent at once. Goods
stamped with the prison stamp will not
bring anything like the price unstamped
articles will and when the goods are put
on the market unstamped they come in
direct competition with honest labor, the
very thing the law requiring the goods to
be stamped sought to avert.
1t is also alleged that discrimination is
made in favor of certain prisoners, both
male and female: that they are allowed
privileges not permitted by law, and are
treated differently from the ordinary con-
vict. 1t is further alleged that there are
irregularities in the making of contracts
for prison labor. and in the matter of
supplies furnished the institution.
The resolution provides that the COM
nlittee shall have power to send for per-
sons and papers; to examine witnesses
under oath and to report the result of the
investigation, if possible, before the close
OF the present session, and IN case the
Legislature adjourns before the COM
mittee has completed its work the latter
shall sit during the recess and report at
the next session of the Legislature.
Under the State law the Governor.
Attorney General and members of the
Legislature constitute an official visiting
committee to the institution with the
power to examine the cells and every
portion of The prison, and il is the duty Of
the keeper of the prison to afford the
official visitors every facility for a
thorough investigation OF the institution
On recent visit to the State Prison by
the Committee of the Assembly, the
members, or some of them, were denied
access to certain portions Of the prison.
The reason is not known, but it is sns-
pected the refusal, which is in violation
OF the law, was due to the fact that GER
tain favored convicts occupied that part
of the prison.
Il was for the purpose of thoroughly
investigating these rumors, correcting
the abuses ii they existed or forever put
ting to rest the rumors If they do not