The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-31
AWFUL EXHIBITION
Republicans Proving Them
selves Incapable of Run
ming the Government.
MAKING PLACES FOR HENCHMEN.
Doing 1t in the Most Bungling
Manner ~ February IL a
Day of Buncombe.
Special to the Jersey city Nems.

TRENTON, Jan. 81, 1S94.-The happiest
nan in Trenton yesterday was John W. At
kinson, s'the T~hunderbolt Orator of the
Cat Tail District The invaluable services
which he has rendered the Republican party
in Hudson county, Edgewater Park and
other central points among the outposts
have finally been recognized and John has
been given an office. True, it is not the
Clerkship which Herb. Potts 'tdid him out
of" nor the position of Reading Clerk which
had been promised to hin by several of the
influential leaders of the party when they
begged him to throw himself into the breach,
as it were, and overwhelm the enemy with
his ~eloquence, but it was the less exalted
position of clerk to the Committee OF Judi
ciary. But as John has been recognized by
the party, and the position is considerable of
a snap with a neat salary attached, John is
happy. His appointment was the outcome
of the result of a caucus which the Assembly
men held at noon in the Speakers room.
They resolved to give six of their committees
clerks, viz, those on Engrossed Bills, Re
vision of Laws. Municipal Corporations,
Judiciary and Railroads and Canals. Be
fore the caucus adjourned, Assemblyman
Storrs, the earnest young reformer from
Orange, secured the passage of a resolution
pledging each member not to give any of the
proceedings to the n-ewspapermen. The
meeting had hardly adjourned before the
the entire proceedings of the caucus, includ-
ing Mr.. Storrs' resolution, were known.
Next Monday evening was fixed as the time
for holding the joint caucus for the nomi-
nation of Comptroller and State Treasurer,
and it was said that neither Sam Dickinson
or anyone else would stave it off again.
ANOTHER EXHIBITION.
At the afternoon session, the House, con-
tinuing its acquiescence in the demand of
the public for the repeal of ubiquitous
Democratic measures paid their respects to
the commission for the revision and codif-
cation Of the laws relating to towns and
townships. For several years back towns
and townships nave ~monopolized a good por-
ton of the attention of legislators, with the
result that there was piled up a wonderful
jam and jungle of such laws which were ex-
ceedingly perplexing and mystifying. Com
plications were continually arising, and
chaos better described the condition of the
laws governing that class of municipalities
more than anything else Finally, two
years ago, Governor Albeit undertook to
bring some kind of order out of his chaos,
and secured the passage of the bill which
created the commission. 1t is at present
COtlpOScu VI bnISO WClt-hAOHn duUuOl1 tlCS I'll
that subject, and in the two years they nave
been in existence they have secured bene-
fetal results. But the law providing for
them was one of the "Abbett partisan
bills, according to the Republicans, and had
to go.
The repeater came up on second reading
and Mr.. Carroll wanted it explained. Mr..
Olcott gave the explanation which has be-
come SO familiar in the House since the
people set up such a clamorous demand for
the repeal of 'these Ubiquitous measures
that it was for the purpose OF doing away
with three useless Democratic o~fficeholders,
and stop a drain upon the public treasury.
Mr.. Olcott also made the general statement
that the Commission had spent over $1S,000
in doing what should nave been done for
$4,000.
BEEKMAN SHOWED THEM UP.
This brought Mr., Beekman to his feet and
he soundly rebuked the hypocrisy of the
Republicans. He characterized as most I'M
fair the general way in which they a
reckless statements about the expenditures
of the Democratic officials. He referred to
Mr.. McEwan's statement, made Monday
evening. that Superintendent Ford had
spent S33, 600 in doing about the State House
what the Republican ~janitor had done for
81, 1000, and showed how in Mr..
Ford's amount was included the
cost of furnishing the offices
of the State officials, including the Supreme
and Chancery Court rooms. Then turning
his attention to the bill under discussion, he
showed how the commission expired by
limitation this year and asked what was the
use of cutting off a dead mans head. He
dwelt upon the work that the commission
had done, and touched upon the benefits
which would accrue to the towns and town
ships of the State through their efforts.
Mr.. Storrs, the quite proper young man,
who has a special call. as he imagines, to re-
form everything in the State replied to Mr..
Beekman and made some further rank par
tisan accusations against the Democrats.
Mr.. McEwan then cut off further debate
by moving that the rules be suspended and
the bill put upon its third reading and final
passage which was done according to
schedule time.
This is a great house for buncome, and no
occasion to let themselves out is allowed to
pass without being enthusiastically embraced
by the amateur statesmen who comprise
the major part of the Assembly.
LINCoLN'S BIRTHDAY.
A week from Friday will be celebrated
throughout the country as Lincoln's birth
day, and lest the people should lose sight of
the fact that the Republicans are the only
persons in the State who lave any rever-
ence for the Great Libefator, they passed
resolutions, providing for a celebration of the
day, couched in sickening terms which must
nave given the shade of the martyred Presi-
dent a terrible spasm if shades are subject
to NAL de mer. If the Republicans had
provided for exercises in which all citizens,
irrespective of party, were to join and emil
nent speakers of all political faiths were to
speak on patriotic subjects, their plan would
have been worthy of the commentator of
all good Americans. Blu CORTLAND Parker