The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-13
PEOPLE Be DAMNED
Railroad Committee UnsuG-
cessfully Tries to
Hold Back Popular
Measures.
ERIE ELEVATION ADVANCED
Speaker Lower Cracking the Cor
poration Whip-Physical
Force Gag Law.
Special to the JERSEY CITY Neass.

SDec2Qt TO Inc JeTSeD C1tu Nclte.
TRENTON. March IS. 1SsS.-It was a
great day for the people in the Assembly
yesterday. Twice the Committee on
Railroads and Canals. which has been
doing everything in its power TO suppress
measures introduced for the public good,
We're rebuked in a manner which would
have made ordinary men hide their faces
il shame. In fact two of the committee.
Mr.. Harvey of Orange and Mr.. Tice of
Middlesex did feel the lash to such an
extent that they e~ndeavored to justify the
course they had taken.
At the opening OF the afternoon session
Mr.. Fleming called up the resolution,
which he had offered in the morning, re-
lieving the Committee on Railroads and
Canals of his bill for the elevation of the
Erie tracks in Jersey City. He made
q good speech, saying that he introduced
the bill over three months ago that the
committee had given hearings upon it,
and the Chairman, Mr.. Lower, had prom
ised him that he would report it one way
or the other, but up to that time had
not done so. He told of the necessity
for the measure. and how much it was
demanded by the people of Jersey City.
Mr.. Lower. in reply. said that the COM
mittee had resolved TO report the bill by
resolution, and that Mr.. Harvey, one of
tS was nov" 81 WOl PiSR1A-
ing the substitute, and it would be re-
ported as soon as it was completed.
Mr.. Allen asked in the name OF the
ty that the bill be brought out. He
spoke OF the efforts which, had been
tracks elevated. and dWelt upon the
necessity for such a measure.
Mr.. Harvey asked Mr.. Allen if he
ure, and Allen replied that most assur-
eddy he did. and he proceeded to show
why he SO considered il
Mr.. Scovel wanted to know if the COM
mittee would give assurances that the
bill would be reported today. Mr.. Harvey
said that the substitute which he was pre-
and he felt warranted in stating that it
would be reported by this afternoon at
the latest The matter of track eleva-
zion. he said. was one of great import
ance, and could not be considered in
five minutes. 1t needed time and careful
study.
Mr.. Benedict said it was the longest
five minutes ever seen. The committee
had had the bill for two months. and
that was ample time for them to prepare
an attack upon the Erie Railroad for
its desire to shirk its duty in this matter.
He was proceeding to show how the
Pennsylvania had elevated its tracks in
Jersey City and Elizabeth, and the Cen
tral had theirs in the la, ter city. when
that he must confine himself to the ques-
tion of the committees report.
A vote was then taken. and much to
motion was carried by a vote of 81 to il.
No one was moro surprised than "Abe"
Lower. Chairman of the committee After
a while he regained his compos1re enough
to remark that the Houses action was
entirely unprecedented. entirely unprece-
Then Mr.. Lower became angry and
made some remarks about those who
voted against his committee which are
unfit for publication. He was madden.
however. an hOt1r or So l9far whom tho
second rebuke was administered to his
committee; He. reported Mr.. Bauer's
Dill compelling the trolley companies to
furnish sheltered waiting rooms at trans
fer points.
An attezapt was made at once to rail-
read the REPORT through with a motion
for the previous question. which was
calculated to cut off debate. That was put
and defeated, much to the surprise of the
speaking. took off its coat and got to
work Mr.. Bauer obtained the floor and
moved that the report be not concurred
ton with vim and vigor. He explained
how the Introduction of electricity in his
section OF North Hudson brought about
the transfer system. Under the old horse
car regime when connections had to be
made, the company furnished good
now those were wiped out and the people
were dumped out into the streets in all
kinds of weather to the great danger of
AT this point the Speaker interrupted
Mr.. Bauer. and said he was out of order.
He must conf1ne himself to the question
be concurred in and not discuss the
merits of the bill. Mr.. Bauer protested
measure. and only subsidized when the
Speaker directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to
see that he took his seat.
COMMITTEES had reported the bill adj
yersely was that the matter it covered
was one entirely. for the municipal author
liz 70 dnnf TErsfh nT6 r~no nAL -. Aha
province of the Legislature to spend its
time over such trivial matters.
That: Mr; Queen said, was a very
have "a to look further = The 9fef necessity sass : sg0f for
was not a slfHcienf one to warrant the
onmen in such report. He quoted
acts to show thai the matter was not one
of municipal authority and that the Legis-
1ature was justified in taking it up.
Mr. Harvey, who is q very young man,
his importance. in grandiloquent manner
declared that the House was not there to
l%egislate for one small place up IN Bergen
to make what he considered funny re-
marks about jersey city ard Hudson
county which he. said. came to the Legis-
mares and dreams, and he hoped to Hea-
ven that their SKY would soon clear away.
There was something about Mr.. Har-
and he pitched into Mr.. Harvey in a man.
ner which made thai nice young mar
protected the halt. the lame and the
blind. who were put out in all kinds of
weather by the trolley companies with
out any protection against the element.
Then he turned on Mr.. Harvey and said
it i'll became a young man scarce out of
his teens to insult the Hudson men as
he had DONE.
Mr.. Benedict. of Newark. said that he
was opposed to accepting the report. 1t
was not a question which concerned HId-
son alone. Essex was Interested N the