The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-14
IN COURT AND OUT.
Republicans Have Two Plans
Whereby to Settle the
Senate Middle.
VOORHEES, THE AUTHOR OF ONE
Camden Police Bill the Other,
Which Will Be Passed
Friday Morning.
specfal to The jersey City Nears.

Special to the Jersey City Ne,cs.
TRENTON, Feb. IA, 1s94.-Although the
exact process is somewhat misty and hazy,
the Republicans profess to believe that they
have at last discovered a way of breaking
the Senatorial deadlock, and strange as 1t
may seem they look to the courts to bring
about the much desired result. After the
interview which Senators VOORHEES, and
Smith, and Assemblymen Cross, Aabrlskle
and Murphy had with the Governor yester-
day over the passed bills, at which the Gov
ernor refused to allow himself to be en-
trapped by the cunning questions of the
able Republican lawyers, the committee
went over to the Secretary of States office
to take observations. They found Assistant
Secretary of State Hickey in full possession
of the office in the absence Of Mr.. Kelsey,
who is in Florida. Mr.. Hickey is another
diplomatic gentleman who received the Sen
ators and Assemblymen with all the honor
due their high positions. He told the gentle
men that he had full authority to act as
Secretary of State during the absence OF his
chief. The committee returned Mr.. Hickey
salaams and asked him if he would receive
and file the passed bills which had met with
such hard luck in the Governors office.
ICKEY ON HIS GUARD.
"Gentlemen, replied the diplomatic Mr..
your bills here. 1t will be time enough to
say what disposition will be made OF them
when they reach this office.
The republicans scratched their heads
over this sage reply, and inking5 the other
eye at Mr.. Hickey, Withdrew to hold a con-
ference. The first thing they agreed upon,
and unanimously, too, was chat Mr.. Hickey
would not file the bills. The more they
talked the matter over the stronger were
thew convinced that it would not be worth
while taking the bills to the Secretary OF
States office. Mr.. Hickey might ask them
some questions which they would undoubt-
edly find difficult to answer. For example,
he might want to know why they brought
the bills to him, and if they should
say that the Governor had failed
to take action upon them within
the five days allowed him by law, and they
brought them to the Secretary OF State as
required by law, he might ask what there
was on the bills to show that the case was as
they stated it to be. OF course there would
be nothing on the bills to show that they had
ever been in the Executive Chamber, let
alone the Governors hands, and Mr.. hickey
in his blandest way would say:-"Under the
circumstances, gentlemen, L cannot receive
your bills. You, OF course, understand my
position
ENATo VOORHEES, PLAN.
Then Senator Voorhees, suggested a plan
which will be adopted and which, the he
publicans claim, will Offset all MI. Rlckey's
| suavity and diplomacy.
sIf we are the constitutional Senate" SAID
| Mr.. voorhees,, in explaining the new plan,
swe must act as if we believed So. Laws
| passed bv our Senate must be placed before
the people. The requirement that bills
| should be sent to the Secretary of State, who
shall be the custodian thereof, is a statutory
matter, while the five day limit for the
| Governors action on a measure IS provided
by the Constitution. In order to have a law
published the Secretary of State furnishes a
certified copy to the printer, and under no
other consideration can it be published. Now
we propose to repeal the law making 1t obll-
| gatory to send bills to the Secretary OF States
office, and then pass a law providing that a
person other than the Secretary OF State
shall be the custodian of passed bills. The
| Governor will be allowed to keep the bills
| sent him and We will prepare affidavits set
| ting forth that we left the bills with the
Governor and their disposition by him.
ssWe nave duplicates of these measures
and they will be sent to the new custodian
of bills, whom we shall appoint. He Will
issue certified copies to the printers, and,
don't you see, our laws will appear in book
form and we shall respect them as laws"
TO GET THE MATTER INTO COURT.
The manner in which the Republicans
propose to get the deadlock into the courts
| is ~this:-Among the bills to be passed at the
session of the Senate to be held on Thursday
| evening, is the one repeating the law under
which the police department Of Camden now
exists. The city authorities of that sink OF
political iniquity are republicans. As soon
as the Republican legislators declare the re-
pealer a law, these authorities will refuse to
pay the patrolmen and others having claims inns
against the city on the ground that the
board ordering the claims paid has been
abolished by the Legislature. Then those
affected will nave to apply to the courts for
a mandamus to compel the board to pay
their claims, and that will bring the entire
matter of the deadlock into the court.
President Rogers and A~ssemblyman Stat
ford declare thai the people of Camden want
the repeater, and are willing to fight the
matter in the courts to the bitter end. The
Camden police bill was given its first read
ing yesterday, and will be passed to a third
reading tomorrow evening. On Friday
morning it will go through with bells on,
and that is the true inwardness of the I'M
usual session on Thursday night and Friday
morning.