The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-02
THE ASSEMBLY.
THE CORPORATION SPEAKER

| tions than John l. Holt, the Speaker of the
Assembly. Mr.. Holt is native of Passaic,
| the first district of which county he repre-
| sents in the Assembly. For seventeen years
| he has carried on the business of dealer IN
( clocks, watches and tho like in the Clty Of
Paterson, and during that period he has
! found time to mix considerably in the Re
| publican politics of that county
| These are dominated by Garrett A. Ho-
bart and John W. Griggs, two loyal citizens
/ of New JERSEY whose chief business is to
| interests. Since he was elected to the
| Paterson Board of Education in 1879 until
| the present time. Mr.. Holt has been actively
| engaged in furthering all the schemes of the
| Republican party, which to large extent
| are the schemes of the corporations.
No better evidence of this could be want
| ed than the manner in which he made up
| his committees, Take, for instance, the
| Committee on Corporations. to which are re-
! ferred large number of the bills relating
| to the chartered companies Its chairman
was Mr.. Stafford of Camden, who did not
| even attempt to conceal his allegiance to the
great Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
! Next was Mr.. Codding, whose career as the
| representative of the Third district of Union
| removed all doubts as to where he stood on
| such matters. Then came Mr.. Lewis OF
Passaic, another dependent upon the politi-
1
| Griggs while the last of the Republicans
was Mr. Ross of Cape May, who, like most
/ of the South Jersey members of his party,
| owe fealty first, last and all the time to the
railroads. Mr.. Byrne of Essex was the lone
| Democratic member who brought up the
| rear of the committee, and it did not make
much difference where he stood.
| Then there was that other committee in
| which so many measures meant to relieve
| the people from the corporate burdens that
1 Cypress them, were killed; the Committee on
| Railroads and Canals. just SEQ how that
was made up in the interests OF the " Dear
| People" Its chairman was Mr.. Murphey,
large wholesale dealer in lumber, whose life
| the railroads could make miserable or pleas
ant. as they saw fit. Then came Mr. Reading
of Hunterdon who is a near relative OF one
of the Pennsylvania Railroads most active
sagents" at the State House. Mr.. Ross OF
Cape Nav was the third member, and Mr..
McEwan was added before the Speaker had
discovered that he was bona fide. some
thing of a champion of the peoples rights,
even when he had to vote against his papty's
caucus.
The Speaker must have had some prophetic
adnonition of Mr. McEwan's position, for,
in placing democrat upon the committee,
he named Mr.. Beekman of Middlesex, who
is a paid attorney of the Lehlgh Valley
road and who never missed an opportunity
either by his voice or vote to show his devo-
ton to his corporate friends.
FOR ALL CORPORATION BILLS.
This was not the only way in which the
Speaker proved his allegiance to the great
|. corporate influences Every measure
which they were interested in received his
vote and whenever bill came up which
the corporations wanted killed, he answered
loudly and distinctly MOP to his namefon
roll call. So faithful was he to his masters
that when the Erie Company, having ar
ranged to defeat in the Senate Coursen's
bill providing for cheaper milk rates, al
lowed their members to Jolly" along the
old Sussex farmer by making him believe
he had passed the bill which no other AS
semblyinan from his county had yet passed,
Speaker Holt insisted on being consistent
and voted 'sNo"
The cheap gas bills, the two-cent ferry
bills the equal taxation bill, Elseles lnSur-
surance bill and every other measure which
sought to benefit the people by checking the
rapacity of the corporations were all opposed
| by the Speaker.
1t is not to be supposed that such faithful
services were to pass unrewarded, and today
Mr. Holt is a Riparian Commissioner, draw
| ing 81, 500 annually from the State Treasury
| and giving very little work in return. The
inside history of his appointment is peculiar.
Some years ago, when the Legislature made
some changes in the law affecting the Ripa-
rian Commission, Richard B. Reading was
| one of the Republican members of the board
who were legislated out of Office When the
commission was reorganized this year, it
was considered nothing more than fair that
he should be given his old place. and but
| little comment was made Wnen his name
went into the Senate.
THE RIPARIAN GAME
| But there was another active republican
who wanted the office, and when he heard
that Mr. Reading had been nominated he
secured from the Governor a promise that
/ I, cl,, oi170f f1o
Senate rejected Mr.. Reading.
This gentleman then went eagerly to work
upon the Republican Senators and began to
| fill them with horrible tales Of the great
calamity it would bring upon the Republl-
can party if they should confirm the nomi
nation to such an important position of q
man so intimately identified with the rail
roads as Mr. Reading The seed thus sown
bore good fruit in the mind of Senator VoOr
hees, and IN a caucus held upon the matter,
he announced that he would not vote for con-
frination
President Rogers announced that neither
would he support Mr.. Readings nomina-
ton It was hard to realize that Mr.. Rogers
would thus antagonize a man who was lden-
| titled with corporations and there was no
| necessity for such realization. Mr.. Rogers
| was not opposed to Mr.. Reading because he
| was railroad man, but because he had
candidate of his own for the Office i'll the
person of Mr.. Dick Herring of Camden He
was unaware of the Governors promise to
| the 'sother gent" and he thought he was
| playing a foxy game
This action on the part of Messrs. Voor-
| hees and Rogers of course wrecked all
chances of making Mr.. Readings confirma
| ton caucus resolution, and the meeting
resolved to reject bim Mr. Reading, who is
| one of the ''cutest" individuals about the
| State House soon grasped the intricacies of the
game, and went to work to block it, He told
! the Governor that he could be confirmed by
| the aid of Democratic votes, but, as a re-
publican, lie preferred to have the support of
| his own party. So he would authorize the
| Governor to withdraw his name provided
that some other person than the .'other
| GENT should be gwen the nomination. AT
that iuncture, Garrett A. Hobart appeared
upon the scene, and advocated the nomina-
fion Of his loyal subject, Speaker John L
Holt. That was agreeable to Mr.. Reading,
and Mr.. Holt was nominated and confirmed
REFORMER CHARLES B. ST0RRS.
| Of all the reformers who sat in the
| Assembly, none was more in evidence than
Charles BigeIow Storls, the representative
| of the Tenth district of Essex.
| Mr.. Storrs was purely and simply an acc1-
dent. He was elected by bare majority OF
! 81 in a strong Democratic district. against
an upright and conscientious democrat who