The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-29

posed at Trenton is something appalling
in spite of Governor Griggs' wholesome
lecture to the Legislature concerning the
noxious effect of accumulated statutes
of a trivial nature. There are already
over a hundred bills in the two Houses.
and yet only six short sessions have been
held. What will there be when the Lee.
gislature has been eight or ten weeks in
session.
1t is safe to say that by far the greater
number Of the proposed measures are
either trivial or noxious or both. Some
of them are obviously designed to grind
some petty local axe. regardless Of the
effect on the State at large. This was
cially commented on. One or two of the
bills seem to be direct inspirations from
the spirit of mischief. However, they
are so very bad that there is not one
chance in a thousand of their passing.
But. besides all the bad bills. there is.
this year, an unusually large number of
good and wise measures. some of them
not the product of individual legislative
wisdom, but of the best legal talent in
the State. To this class belong the re-
vised laws affecting corporations which
were introduced in the Senate by Mr..
VOORHEES,. They have been drafted by a
Commission consisting of Mr.. William
H. Corbin. Mr.. James E. Howell, and
Mr.. Henry NJ. Snyder. Jr, with Mr..
Charles B. Storrs as Secretary. They are
nine in number. running from Senate
Ne. As to No. Sc. inclusive. They place
in order all the latest existing enactments
for the Government of all sorts of cor
body in new clauses the results of judi
cial decisions, up TO date. These bills are
quite yoluminous, but not more so than
their contents justify. They supersede
contradictory law. Every lawyer and
business man will hail them with delight.
No doubt they will all pass without OPP
position and receive the Governors sig
AACiC IL iioti4I6- III ticHi 10 tA-
cite partisan criticism, nor is there any
reason 10 look for corporation antagon-
ism since the bills do little more than
codify the law as it already exists.
Next to these bills, one of the most in
teresting is that of Mr.. VOORHEES, to mod
fly the phraseoiogy of the statutes. This
also will pass beyond doubt. Then, there
is Senator Bradley's dilution of Mfr.
Lebbeus B. Wards water bill. This Is,
Of course, an admirable measure. 1t is
no doubt improved this year by the elm
nation of the unconstitutional feature
of its earlier draft. Equally of course. it
has no more hope of passage than would
a bill to unseat Governor Griggs and
make Mr.. Ward Governor in his stead.
The bill. this year. we observe. embo-
dies strong clauses prohibiting the sale
of New Jersey water to points outside
the State, New York and Philadelphia,
to wit. These provisions are even more
important than the rest of the bill. They
should be passed. even though the rest
cannot be Therefore, they should be
embodied il a separate measure, which
could be pushed with some degree Of
hepefulness. 1t is to be hoped Mr.. Ward
will attend to this.
So far. on the whole, the present Leg
islature has kept its hands tolerabIy
c:sas. Tie hcod of partisan and corpora
tim meesl.res has not yet begun to flow
in.
G0vrrsor Ersgss and Equal Taxation
The day after Governor Griggs deliv-
Erred his Inaugural Address. we took &C
casion to coYninert Upon the absence of
all ailllsion = the railway taxation ques-
str:s. It was indeed a sad and sericus
Omission. The Evening J3urnal." how
esef. assu:nes to rel; the State that 1t
MAS O deliberate method Of leaving the
wa. opsn for the. strongest kind of a
declaration on the subject, at a time
when it will do more good Coming from
any ordinary Republican organ, this an
nounccmcnt might be taken In a Pick
wickian sense; bus the Editor Of The
.Journar' is. OF Governor Griggs' official
family and may be presumed 10 speak
BY. The card. If he does, there is essur-
eddy the biggest lin Of surprise in store
fer the STATE and above ali for the gen
tlemen who nominated and elected Mr..
GTiggs.
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