The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-24
REFORM AND REPEAL
These are the Siamese
Twins of Republican
Legislation.
REMARKABLE EXHIBITION OF FREAKS
Scalp Hunters Who Would Like
to Lift the Hair of John P.
Feeney and Barney
Ford.
REMARKABLE EXHIBITION OF FREAKS
Special to the Jersey CITY Neus.

IIGNlON, I'll 81 AZ"
yesterday afternoon started the programme
agreed upon by the Republicans for the
passage of ''Those bills which the public
demand.n The public demand, as voiced by
the Republicans, appears just now to be
loudly clamoring for the repeal OF Demo
cratic laws, however good, bad or Indifferent
they may be. They propose to repeal some
laws whose absence from the statute book
no good citizen will lament, but Others are
good laws. and the only thing which the
Republicans can allege against them is that
they were passed by Democratic Legislatures
and approved by Democratic Governors.
When the House adjourned in the morn
ng it was to meet at two o'clock, but it was
after four when Speaker Holt called the
Assembly to order.
MYSTERIOUS
In the meantime there had been many
mysterious caucuses. 1t was said that GER
| tain rumors concerning the proposal of the
| Governor to call a special session of the SUI
| preme Court to settle the difficulty had SO
| ratified the leaders hat they proposed to hold
| a night session to take action on the rumors
if they were found to be true. Just what
| they would do or how they would do it no
one seemed to know.
Some of the cooler and wiser who have
had some legislative experience and possess
more horse sense, declared that there was no
necessity for a night session, and that the
House couldn't do anything if the rumors
were true. But they had hard work to con-
vince the accidents who were swept into
| the Assembly by last falls tidal wave, SO
thoroughly mbued were they with the idea
| that the salvation of the State depended
upon their holding a night session.
A WAVE OF REPEALERS.
When the House was finally opened the
repealers began to come in first. Mr.. Lewis
led off with No. "a, which seeks to abrogate,
| revoke and annul all licenses heretofore
granted under the raeetrack laws of last
winter. Mr.. Lewis started this off with No.
IS as a running mate, repeating the law
| legalizing b~ookInaking, poolselling n other
forms of betting ON racetracks. When he
had taken his seat, Judge Cross of Union
| fred a 13-ton shot at the Subway Commits
sioners, Allan McDermott, Miles Ross and
George R. Gray. This was No. sc, and it
repeals the law creating the board.
The next officials to receive attention
| James Cannon of Hudson and Michael Con-
roy of Essex. He fired at them No. 81,
which seeks to abolish their officer. Mr..
McEwan then took a hand at interpreting
the 'spublic demandn with a little bill which
seeks to repeal bill No. 6S giving the
Secretary to the Board OF State
| Prison Inspectors the princely salary of $500
per annuha.
NOW FOR MIR. FEENEY.
Mr.. John P. Feeney, Chief of the State
Police, was the next target at which the
Republicans fired a repeater. The mar who
trained the guns on him was MI. Codding,
who comes from that good old Presbyterian
Village of Westfeld. No. SO was Mr.. Cod
ding's bill, and its object is to repeal the act
creating the State police.
The County Excise Board law was recent
" declared unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court, but that will not deter the Republi-
cans from getting a little cheap notoriety by
seeking to repeal it. Mr.. Zabriskie, of Ber-
gen, brought his gun to bear on that law,
and fired bill No. 20 at the rapidly decom-
posing corpse. Mr.. Zabriskie also took a
| hack at the races and put in a measure for
the purpose of repeating the act which took
~racetracks out of the scope of the disorderly
house act, and made running an unlicensed
race track punishable with q fine OF S25.
Mr.. Codding then turned his attention to
| second-class counties, and got in one for the
repeal of the law which allows the Free
| holders of those counties to fill vacancies in
their boards.
Reformer Storrs then too a hand in the
| proceedings and produced a repeater of the
act which enables the Governor to approve
and pay bills for which nc appropriation is
made. This law was passed two years ago, and
under it the new Assembly Chamber was
built. Mr.. Storrs also went for the scalps of
Inspector of Mines, Michael E. Hara, with a
bill repeating the law creating the officer.
The reformers stopped at this point to
breath, and a bill was put in to correct the
abuse Of pawnbrokers. 1t provides that they
shall not take more than the legal rate of in
tereSt unless specially licensed so to do by
municipal authorities. Violations of the law
will be punishad with a fine of 800, or I'M
prisonment for a year, or both. This having
been properly referred the effort to heal the
public demand, was renewed.
AFTER BARNEY FORD.
This time the object of attack was Barney
Ford, the genial Superintendent of the State
House. During tie five years Mr.. Ford has
been in office, the State House has been ma
terially improved and the grounds greatly
beautiied. If there is any officer in the
State who should be retained it is Bernard J..
Ford. He earns his salary every year and
renders the State full value for every cent he
receives. Three bills were deemed necessary
to dispose of Mr.. Ford, and they were fired
by Mr.. Codding. The other bills introduced
were:-
No. S0-Mr. Lewis. Authorizes cities to issue
bonds to include all temporary, outstanding
notes. scrirf and other indebtedness other than
bonds outstanding and unpaid by such cities.
No. 8l-Mr. Zaoriskie. Requires clerks of all
courts to enter satisfaction of ali judgements
upon which an execution is returned satisfied.
No. S2-Mr. Zabriskie. Makes void all rights
that any co spotatioa may have attained to the
n AN1NHn TIIGT hITEhn