The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-02-02

WILL Be JUDGE WHRTS.
Important Political Devel-
opments Result From
Judge Knapp's
Death.
NO RACE TRACK BILL YET.
Board of Control Fad Faith Kills
livery Dull Sessions
at Trenton.
NO RACE TRACK BILL YET.
Special to the Jersey City Ne,cs.


TRENTON, Feb. 2, 1S92.-There was q
buzz of excitement in the corridor of the
Capitol last night when the rumor be-
came rife hat Senator George I. Werts
was to be appointed to the Supreme
Court bench by Governor Albeit, to fill
the v. cancy caused by the death of Jus.
tice Knapp. Such a movement on the
part of the Governor took every one by
surprise. 1t had been thought that the
appointment would go to Hudson county,
but it was seen at once that there was u
shrewd move on the part OF the Governor
to lay the gubernatorial honors at the
feet of James Smith, Jr., of Newark.
Senator Werts has, up to the present
time, been regarded as having a sort of
mortgage on the nomination in conse-
Quence of a promise made by Senator
Mcpherson in 1889. If he should accept
q place on the judicial bench 1t would re-
lieve the party of the debt implied in this
bond, and the way would be open for ar
rangements tending to harmonic all in.
terests.
The Morris Senator has for three years
directed all the most important legisla-
ton of the Democratic party. He has a
remarkably good knowledge of the law,
and is in many ways fitted for the position
on the bench.
For the past year, however, he has
seemed to fall into disfavor with the
leaders of the party, and it was thought
that they would not be friendly to him in
the GubernaJorial fight. Senator Werts
was determined to secure the prize, and
had it not been for this opportunity to get
him out of the way, he might have carried
his point.
R OF THE HOUSE.
The House went at business in real
earnest last evening. Spe ker Bergen
VI nc 1n6ICnnQn1 and univ nnnII nlad the
chair for a short time. and then gavo up
the gavel to Mr.. Hardin, who displayed
admirable aptitude as presiding officer.
There was ruffling of feathers when the
bill reducing the fees of Comptroller Con-
molly of Newark was reported adversely
to the House by Mr.. O'Neill as chairman
of the Committee on Municipal Corpora
tions. Mr.. Ketcham defended the bill and
declared that the people of Newark
wanted it. They were entitled to official
searches, and the money collected for
making them should go into the city
treasury. Mr.. O'Neill took .uD the cudjel
for the Comptroller. who stood behind
the Speakers desk watching the fight
which he knew would end in his favor.
Mr.. O'Neilps argument was'that the bill
made the city responsible for clerical
errors in the tax office. and this ought
not to be. He humorously remarked that
he guessed the people of Newark thought
the Comptroller was getting along too
well in the world. After a second vigor-
Gus Republican speech by Mr.. Ketcham
the adverse report was concIrred in by a
vote 80 to II, the Democrats all voting in
the affirmative.
THE NEWARK DEADLOCK.
The Republicans had another opportu-
nifty to display their partisan %eloquence
when the bill giving Mayor Haynes au-
thority to settle the political complexion
of the Newark Common Council came
up on third reading. Mr.. Ketcham first
opened his guns GU the measure by de-
claring that it effected every city in the
State, and Il lat it would subvert the very
foundation of the government. The bill
was in direct violation of the constitution
of the State, and 1t will cause a tangle
instead of break a tie. Mr.. Potts stirred
the blade of his oar in the troubled
waters a little. and then the bill passed
bY a vote of 80 to 8.
The Werts Borough License bill came
UP on final passage In the House and was
bitterly denounced by the South JERSEY
mem bers. Mr.. Ross OF Cape May made
his Made speech, in which he declared
that it was a dangerous measure, and
that six boroughs in his county were III
most unanimous in their opposition to it.
Heaney and O'Neill thought the minority
were going too far in their opposition to
bills offered by The majority. Messrs.
Engard of Camden and Stokes, the tenn
perauce orator, of Cumberland, spoke of
what they thouRnG were Gne vicious 1eat-
ures OF the measure. Inc bill passed,
with Messrs. Honce, Strahan and David
son voting with the Republicans in the
negative.
Among other bills passed were:-
Changing the line between Union and
Essex counties from the middle of tae
Elizabeth and Morrfstown turnpike so
that the line runs halt, on the east and
half on the west side of the road; the
Newark Temporary Bond Funding bill.
The New Jersey Congressman were
requested by a concurrent resolution in
troduced in the House by Mr.. Honce 10
vote for the bill increasing the salaries of
the men employed in the life saving
service.