The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-01-28
NOW FOR HARD WORK
Fourth Week of the Legis-
1ature Promises to Be a
Busy One for the
Law Makers
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Reformers Already Have Plans to
Spend Almost a Million Dol
lars-Gilbert Collins Urged
for the Supreme Court.
speciat to the Jerseu Citu Meas.

United States Senator, very little legiS-
lation has yet been accomplished The
Introduction of bills, resolutions and
amendments has been quite active, and
the calendar shows that there are 1S5
House bills and 81 Senate bills already
introduced, together with a number of
Constitutional amendments. The COM
mittees have been slow in getting down
to work and reporting bills. but this
week promises to be one n1uchly given
over to committee hearings.
1t is an exceedingly good year for
Constitutional amendments, and there
seems to be no end of them, and if an
attempt is made to pass some of them
and reject others there IS likely to be
cutie an interesting %squabble. The Con-
stitutional Commission that set last sum
mer have reported their amendments
making changes in the judicial system
of the State. There are nine amend
ments altogether. Senator Winton in
reduced in one batch nine other amend
ments that seek to make a number of
changes in the interests of good govern
ment, and which are regarded as the
Democratic platform of reform. To this
must be added the anti-gambling amend
ment that has already passed the House;
the amendment providing for the
election of prosecutors by the people,
and the amendment in the interest of
the Direct Legislation League, making in
all twenty-five amendments to the Con-
stitution.
SOME MERITORIOUS.
Some of the amendments proposed are
mer;torious, and it will take some care
full sitting to select the wheat from the
chat. and it is necessary that this be
done, for in this particular case delay
win be dangerous. It is certain that
the anti-gambling amendment Will be
passed because both parties have in
troduced it. If the others go by default
this session they become dead letters
for a period of five years. The Consti-
tuition requires that amendments must
be passed by two succeeding Legisla-
lures and then submitted to the people
at least four months after the adjourn
ment of he Legislature, at a special
rejection to be held for that purpose, so
hat the people may approve and ratify
such amendments. The Constitution says
distinctly, mo amendment or amend
Eents shall be submitted to the people
by the Legislature oftener than nee N
five years.
It is quite probable that insomuch as
there are SO many amendments and such
a diversity of them that the Legislature
will decide to let them go over for the
present in the hope of securing a Con-
stitutional convention. There are de-
fects in the Constitution other than those
that have been anticipated in the TWEEN
ty-two amendments that are now pend
ing. There has been an aversion in lat
ter years against a Constitutional cons
y%ention, but this is gradually being over
convention for fifty-one years, and the
one held in 1874 was far from being sat
STATE REFoRMAToRY.
The Legislators have been in session
three weeks, and the appropriation bills
already scheduled, together with those
amount to s744, Isl. To this must be ad-
ded a bin that is coming in next week,
wing and improvements at the State
prison, at a cost of 1920 600 additional.
making a total of 1864. "A AL the IN
there is knowledge of several substan-
tial special appropriations that will be
Under Eisele's bill, providing for a
State R~eformatory, the sum of $50. 500 is
provided for. In connection with this,
and when the institution IS erected it
viii take from forty to ifty. thousand
S SiHlaasT HeaE year th to oiaSeF senator IT 9 sS Voors ices
Gas introduced a bill providing for the
erection of a new building and other
Plain Asylum, at a cost of $685., 600. There
is a bill to reimburse the State Agrieulo
seholars G1l5sse making i9n tn me u abRpropri sff5e
s533, asa more. The State Board of Animal
Industry, which IS to be created, viii
Experiment Station wants $4,000 Tor
improvements. It was expected during
a ans pasi Wfse s & paa T to the s. State Prison.
which is very. sadly in need of a wing,
hospital and chapel.
$55, 600, which represents the difference
that will be made in the receipts to the
State fund should Senator brakes bill
for the keeping of insane patients. His
bill provides that there shall be q de-
crease of 81 per week paid TO the State
counties that have no insane hospital,
and an increase of 81 per week to be paid
by the State to the counties that do
have insane asylums. This is practical
ly a reduction of the expenses of the
counties and an increase in the expenses
of the State, which is figured out to
pass, in the future counties will pay 50
instead of 50 per week, and the State
will pay the counties that take care of
their own insane 81 instead OF IL per
IN this estimate there has not been
considered Senator Winton's bill, which
PROVIDES 1OF d dih SOIi2iiiSS1Oii Z
have power to go about the State and
purchase grounds suitable for State res
eryation, and spend any amount of
Park Commission has for its specific ob-
ject the preservation. of the Palisades,
and it will take a good many dollars
to enable them to fulfil the object and
purpose of the act. Some of the State
leaders view with alarm the large size
of some of these appropriation meas
ures.
TO INCREASE THE SCHOOL FUND.
Senator Edward c.. Stokes has an ap-
preparation bill which provides hat the
sum of $500, 600 shall be given to the.
public schools. This is al increase of
500, 900, but this sum is not to come from
the State fund, as is generally under
stood, but from the school fund to the
public schools. This would have the
effect of wiping out the school fund sur
plus, but in appropriating this extra
300, GOO from the school fund, Senator
Stokes bill provides a sufliciency by di-
ycrting the collateral inheritance fund
to the school fund
The collateral inheritance fund for the
fiscal year that has ended amounted
"a s204COO but it will not always be so
rnrch. because it was inflated last year
by some .holdover amounts, bur the
State COMPTROLLER estimates that for the
ensuing year the fund will amount to
$40. 600. which If diverted to the school
fund will not only be an assistance to
the general fund, but will benefit every
school district in the State. and will
lessen the amount of money. to be raised
by local taxation for school purposes.