The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-28
THE POLITICAL FIELD.
Special Legislation and the
Constitution 1.-The Next
Legislature.
Special to the Jersey CITY Nelos.

De nelQ on september SUN nexJ Is OF
more Importance than the average voter
accredits to it. On that day the citizens
Of the State will be required to exercise
their judgment on the acceptance or re-
lection of certain constitutional amend
ments which have been pending before
the last two Legislatures. These amend
ments are important because they are
aimed at a species Of legislation which
public opinion long ago decried as being
obnoxious.
Special legislation is and has been un-
constitutional in New Jersey. 1t took
many years of agitation to secure the
passage of o resolution creating COM
mission that gave much consideration to
legislation of special character. Gov
ernor Joel Parker appointed the commits
sion that suggested amendments to the
Constitution, which made special legisla-
tion for cities Illegal The result of their
work was the changes made to article 4
and section Of the State Constitution.
The mischief done by special legislation
was demonstrated to the commission.
At the time there was no end Of munici-
pal Scandal. The city of Elizabeth had
been bankrupted by special legislation,
and SO had Jersey City. Special legisla-
tion added debt of 50, ,000, 600 to Newark,
anu u6iptQ Od1uu6H lutO uuduClhk Qlul-
Guilty.
CONSTITUTIONAL CHECKNATEs.
The Jersey City Court House job and
boulevard scheme was for many years
checkmated BY constitutional amend
ments. During the past five years all
sorts of municipal. schemes have been
passed by the Legislatures under the de-
nomination of class legislation. All sorts
of bills for counties of certain class, as
well as for cities of certain class, have
bean passed. The Jersey City charter
was of this character and 1t was given a
special flavor by the fact that it was left
to the municipalities to adopt by special
election. There is no trouble now for
any municipality to get whatever legisla-
ton it may want by some trif1ing Jug
Cling with the law.
If, however, the principal amendment
to be voted on September 80 be accepted,
1T practically let's all the bars down and
makes special legislation very easy; in
fact, gives it constitutional warrant.
The concensus Of public opinion is
against the acceptance Of the amend
ments, for the simple reason that they
make special legislation easy, and special
Legislation has been very costly for the
Jersey, No satisfactory explanation has
been made why the adoption of the
amendments is necessary.
PR0HIBITIONIsTS AND BALLOT REFORM.
The Prohibitionists seem to be in
quandry about the Ball@ Reform law.
They are anxious to nominate candidates
in all the Assembly and Congressional
districts, but the new law stands in their
way. The Ballot Reform law provides
that no party that received less than five
per cent of the total vote at the last cleo
tion can nominate by convention. This
make any nomination in eighteen
counties. The counties where they can
make nominations are Cape May, Cum
perland and Hunterdon. In the matter
of Congressional nominations, there Is
only one district out of the seven where
Fourth, where they have a strong Pro-
hibition following in Warren and Hun
terdon counties.
The law requires that where no conven-
ton is held the party nominations must
be made by petition, and each petition
must contain the signatures of five per
cent. of the voters of the district or
county for which the nominations are
made. Every voter signing a petition
shall go before an officer ana make
acknowledgement of the signature. This
is very hard on the Prohibitionists. and
they are afraid they cannot get people to
go TO the trouble to do all this work as
signers of a petition.
They believe that the law is unconsti-
tutional, and the committee to which the
question was referred will probably de-
eide that the law does not guarantee to
all citizens the right of suffrage. This
committee consists of the heavy weights
of the Prohibition party, and comprises
George La Monte, the Rev Solomon Par
sons, Dr. J. B. Graw, Judge George G.
Beekman, w. H. Nicholson, Cortlandt L.
Parker, Samuel A. Haines and Z. w.
Burger They have held no meeting yet,
but will do SO before September. They
frt11x hn hao roff
ballot reform law upon the party and
make recommendations to the party
workers.
The Prohipitionists are preparing for
an active campaign and because OF the
trouble they anticipate with the new law
they have arranged for a large campaign
fund. At the recent meeting of the State
Central Committee they authorized the
State organization to raise $2500, and
State Secretary Walter w. Winans makes
the announcement that over one-third of
this amount has been raised and that the
party intend to place candidate for As
sembly and Congress in every district in
the State.
SLATED FOR THE SPEAKERsHIP.
The Democrats are confident that they
will control the next House of Assembly.
II so they will make young Fred Marsh,
the white-haired, blue-eyed youth from
the Democratic leader last year and
served his party we'll. He was ambitious
to be State Senator, but it was ques-
tion whether he could afford it. IL has
been arranged that he is to be Speaker
and before the Legislature adjourns he
will be appointed to be the Prosecutor of
Union county, which pays a salary of
81. 900 a year, He could not be Senator
and Prosecutor at the same time. This
new arrangement suits him best and
gives him more pecuniary reward.
The indications are that Foster NJ.
Voorhees,, who led the Republican minor
ity, and who comes from the same coun-
ty. will be a candidate for State Senator.
There are some of the county bosses who
are opposed to Voorhees,, because. as they
saw, he is unwieldy, or, IN other words, he
cannot be used as they want him. The
rank and file of the party tavor him, and
his friends promise to secure the nomina-
tion for him.
The Salem South Jerseynlun hints that
If ex- Senator Gabe Nichols is nominated
for the Assembly in the Brldgeton dis
trict of Cumberland county, that he can
not be elected because of certain opposi-
ton against. him. In return the West
Jcrsey Press, edited by the veteran Sim
nickson Chew, suggests that IL Richard
Starr is nominated for Senator by the
Salem Republicans he will be defeated.
Here are two men seeking Office whose
candidacy Is attracting much attention
Ex-senator Nichols is q little man, but he
has been q power in Cumberland county
politics. He was nominated to be the
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