The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-03-05
The ..Nearest Justicee Bill.

Allan L. McDermott's open letter to
Senator William d. Daily is a most en-
tertaining production. 1t will be read
with pleasure by everybody. There
is in it. besides, one paragraph which
calls for serious consideration, espe-
cially by some of the accidents" who
are perpetrating reform" legislation
at Trenton this year. Here it Isl
The bill which is the .'crowning act of my
Ubiquitous career is, you say, the amendment OF
the Criminal Procedure Act. 1t beats. you de-
clare, anything that Tweed or Mchane ever dia;
that is, in the line of pure cussedness. The
owners Of Monmouth Park, desiring the owners
of the North Hudson Driving Park to join in
obtaining legislation to legalize betting on horse
races, employed counsel in Jersey City, who OBJ
tanned warrants from Justice LOCKWOOD, charg-
ing persons known aud unknown with betting
endorses At Gutenberg. The warrants directed
the constables to drag the defendants about SIX
miles, through two townships and two cities,
before they could be released on bail. l pre-
pared az act providing snas any person aFr res q
demand that he be taken before any justice OF
the peace. for the sole purpose OF giving bail.
The act should remain on the statute oook.
When it is taken off, a justice of the peace in
Bayonne can direct q constable to bring a per-
son charged with assault and battery from the
Bergen County line to Bergen Point before he is
admitted to bail. There is considerable humbug
about the cry against everything and everybody
couuected with horse racing. and there is more
than one hypocrite covering his rotGenness with
q placard declaring his horror of betting.
This sweeps away the cloud of
demagogic twaddle with which this
measure has been enveloped by poll
ticians and pharisees. 1t shows that
the measure was necessary to the in
terests of justice. 1t cannot even be
said that it was abused by the race
track people, for they only took adj
vantage of it to prevent a gross abuse
of law which their opponents at
tempted to practice. The statute in
no way impairs the operation of law.
1t simply safeguards personal rights.
The Senate MIDDLE.
The World evidently thinks the Jig
is pretty nearly up with the minority
Senate at Trenton, and it is hedging
as fast as it can. The World might
have done a service to the State by
protesting against the course of
Adrain and his gang from the Begin
ming; but it chose the other course,
and, SO long as there was a chance OF
bulldozing the Republican Senators
into a surrender of their rights, it en-
dorsed what it very well knew to be
an outrage on the people.
Whatever refinements as to pro-
cedure the Supreme Court may in
dulge in, in its decision, it a hardly
be doubted that it will rule that the
credentials of Senators must be ac-
cepted in the first instance as titles to
their seats. and that the holders OF
such credentials are entitled to par
ticipate in every action of the Senate
from the very opening of the session.
1t is in evidence that this was the
principle established in the very first
sessions of the Senate under the new
Constitution, and that the practice
was eye modified until the Adrain
gang tried to alter it this year.
With this point once settled, every
other detail becomes insignificant. 1t
is no matter whether the Republican
Senators arrived early or late in the
Chamber. The minority had no right
TO take any action without them.
They did not constitute a quorum
When the Republicans entered the
Chamber they were at once entitled
to vote, and the proposal to submit
their credentials to a committee be-
fore permitting them the enjoyment
Of their rights, was a gross wrong.
The sooner the Republicans are al
lowed to take hold of things the bet