The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-11
FEW REAL CHANGES
Constitutional Commission
Completes Its Labors
Ultra-Conservatively
HARD ON WOMAN sUFFRAGIsTS
Amendments Adopted to Be Put in
Shape By a Committee EYES
terday's Proceedings.
HARD ON WOMAN sUFFRAGIsTs
Special to the Jersey CITY Ns.rs.

eral Stockton, ex-Judge Fort of Newark
Allan McDermott. John Kean, Jr., of Eliza
beth, and ex-Judge tanning Of Trenton Q
committee to clothe the amendments agreed
upon in proper legal hlaseology. President
Grey by virtue of his Office was made chair
man of the COMMITTEES. The commission
then adjourned to meet on the first Tuesday
in September and receive the report of the
committee.
The Commission did a long and hard days
work. 1t sat until half past four O'Clock
with only a recess of q half hour for lunch.
Mr.. MdDermott's little joke at the opening OF
the session threw everybody into good
humor. which was maintained until the end
of the session. President Gray presented a
petition extensively signed by men and
women claiming to be citizens of New Jer-
sey, and praying the Commission to strike
the word ..Inale" from tine Constitution.
Mr.. McDermott suggested that as the Presi-
dent of the United States had issued a proc
lamation ~forbidding any Interference with
the mails, the petition had better lie over,
and over it went. On motion of Mr.. Nc
Dermott it was agreed to take up, in order,
the twenty-seven propositions which had
been submitted uy the Commissioners and
dispose of them. AL were indefinitely post
poned down to number nine, which was
adopted at a previous meeting.
NEW SCHEME OF COURTS.
This provides that the courts of this State
shall be r~eorganized to consist of the follow
ing :,
causes shall be designated The Court of
Errers and Appeals in the last resort in all
causes, as heretofore" That said court
shall consist of a Chief Justice and four AS
aociate Justices, of whom four shall be a
quorum. That said justices must be coun-
H. - 1-rr@ ~ %Hse S4.fn ~ of lo0Sf ton
years standing, and shall not, during their
respective terms, be member of or hold any
ether court.
Sscond-A Court of Chancery.
Third-That there shall be a court to be
designated .'The Supreme Court of New
jersey" Such court shall consist of nine
jusNees, which number may be increased by
tAS Such court shall be divided by the jus
hereof into three or more divisions.
n sessions of one division shall be held at
such times and places as shall be determined
by said court, or by statute. Not less than
two nor more than four justices shall hold
any division.
Fourth. There shall be Circuit Courts held
in every county of the State by one or more
justices of the Supreme Court. The judges
of such Circuit Courts shall hold within the
county the Courts of Oyer and Termlner and
General Jail Delivery.
BOARD Oh
No. Is was the next one to escape the axe
of indefinite postponement. This was also
adopted at a previous meeting. 1t changes
the name The Court of Pardons" to "The
Board of P~ardons," and provides that the
Board shall be composed of the Governor,
the Chancellor and the Attorney General.
Nos. IA and Is were rejected, while No IS,
by Mr.. McDermott, which referred to the
Supreme Courts, after being amended was
incorporated in No. 9, and is that part of the
latter which authorizes the branches OF the
Supreme Court to sit in cities other than
Trenton.
The next proposition adopted was No. II,
which was also introduced by Mr.. McDer-
mott, and is the one which provides that all
references to the office of Justice OF the
Peace be stricken from the Constitution. III
is not intended by this to abolish the Justice
of the Peace entirely. 1t was recognized by
the commission that such a judicial officer IS
o necessity in the rural districts, and it is
proposed to let the Legislature regulate the
matter, providing for him in the country
where their are neither Police Justices or
District Courts. and abolisbing him i'll the
cities where there are both, if such q
course appear wise.
RURAL NEED FOR TIE j. P.
Mr.. Mitchell OF Asbury PARK demonstrated
the rural need of the j. p. in the speech
which he made yesterday in his efforts to
to have reconsidered the vote by which Mr..
McDerinott's resolution was adopted. he
WIS absent from LIE ncStIuE Which, LUX
that action and he asked as a matter Of
courtesy that the commission consider his
proposition that there be elected unuer this
Constitution at least one Justice OF the
Peace in each township OF the several coun-
ties of this State, and III each OF the
wards of the cities and townships that
may vote in wards. hen a township or
ward contains nine thousand inhabitants, or
less. it may have one Justice; when it con-
tains more than nine thousand, 1t may have.
two justices.
No Justice of the peace hereafter elected
shall be commissioned until he shall have
first been examined upon his knowledge of
the law in such manner as the Legislature
snail designate.
Governor Bedle turned his subtlest sar-
casm on this. lie said he opposed it be-
cause it did not provide for enough justices;
there ought to be more. Healso objected TO
their being learned in the law as the best
guesser made the best judge.
Mr. McDermott wanted to know how AMI
waen the J. P.is were to be examined as to
lueir knowledge of the law; before or after
election and if after what was to be done
ii the man elected should be found to be de-
fcient. This ridicule rolled Mr.. Mitchell and
he interrupted Mr.. McDermott with the
Iesty remark that the trouble in Hudson was
that the justices OF the peace interfered too
much with the race tracks. Mr.. McDermott
TOOK no further notice of this than to move
that MI. MIbcheIlS pfOpOSlUlonT De luueIn-
iteiy ostponed, which was agreed to.
NO lore JUDICIAL CANDIDATES.
No. Is, MIR. Carrow's resolution to strike all
meltion of the coroner from the Constitu-
ito i, was declared out of order. Mr.. Grey
was responsible for proposition No. IL, which
was to be a substitute for that part Of No. 9
which relates to the Supreme Court and pro-
viied for a chief and fourteen associate
justices, and, according to Mr.. Grey, sought
to make the court non-paTtlsan. The main
proposition, after a long debate, was rejected,
but an amendment to it was adopted pro-
yiding that no judicial officer Of this State
saall be a candidate for, nor hold any other
Office under this State nor the United States,
during the term for which be shall have
b-en appointed or elected.
Mr.. Kean facetiously designated this:
"a resolution to abolish the supply of Demo-
cratic G~ubernatorial candidates"
Mr.. Randolph did not favor the last reso-
luton, as it would deprive a man, even if
eligible, from accepting any kind of an office
during the term for which he is appointed.
He thinks the State of New Jersey should
not thus be deprived of the services of such
men as might be found among these twenty
one judges.
Mr.. Bedle moved to postpone the PROPOSE
tiou indefinitely and leave the question OF
the county courts alone. This motion was
lost by a vote of 9 to Z.
Mr.. Fort moved to strike out the words
"Or of the United States" which was
adopted.
The remainder of the proposition as
amended was adopted by a vote of IL tod
No. 20 having been rejected, No. 81, Mr..
- v+N~s1Sr,~.