The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-05-14
LAW MAKERS EAT SHAD
Solons Discuss the Coming
Session-Judieiary Amend
ments May Pass.

Planked shad and the coming special
session of the New Jersey Legislature
were discussed while the rail fell by the
riverful at Washington Park on the
Delaware yesterday afternoon. 1t was
the first attempt of New Jerseys law
makers to get together at the merry
banquet board, and, despite the terrific
%downpour. they enjoyed the effort so well
that it is likely to become an annual
State occasion. The North Jersey mem
bers reached Camden at eleven o'clock,
and one of ex-Assemblyman William J.
Thompson's Park boats stood ready for
them at Federal street wharf. Some of
them were surprised at the size of the
Delaware River and the nearness of
Philadelphia. Assemblyman Martin Roll
of Union county said he had often seen
the Delaware on the maps, but he never
conceived that the Dam bill had SO much
significance, and he was a little sorry
that the shad dinner had not come earlier
in the year.
The party took a sail up the Delaware
as far as Cramps shipyard, and Assem-
blyman Wilder of Hudson said the ship
building plant was a big thing. but the
oil plants at Constable Hook were a
good deal more apparent. Going down
the river ~Assernblyman Nelson of Hudson
could not be convinced that Camden was
SO big a town, and he declared that he
would never again oppose a measure Of
Leader Derousse's production.
Landing at the pier the party was
Fish Hawk, where young shad are being
p~ropagated, and the North Jerseymen
We're simply amazed. They had always
thought that fish simply grow up without
being born. Sergeant-at-Arms BREEDER
bach, of the House, thought it would be
a good idea to start a little hatchery in
to have a supply always on hand. Comp
troller j. S. Gibson said the sealer of
weights and measures would bring the
Sheriff down on him with SO many light
doned the project.
After, admiring the beauties of the
clouds and watching the haul of the
big seine, in which several hundred wrig-
Cling shad We're captured, the statesmen
and their friends sat down to the dinner.
The quiet side of the merry conversation
soon drifted to the coming special ses-
sion, the general impression was
error in a single word in the Constitutional
amendment was to receive attention.
Indeed, it was limited that the judiciary
amendment, which failed of passage be-
cause of the conflict .atween the Voor-
hees and the johnson adherents, might
be considered in some form. In this con
nection it was noted that letters had
been received from Lawyer Frank Bergen
SINCE the regular session closed bearing
upon this subject. Then it was suggested
that perhaps Governor Griggs had some
delicacy about making final disposition
of some of the bills left in his hands, and
much preferred to have the Legislature
deal with them. The Delaware Dam bill
was one of those regarded in this light.
STILL, all the talk was mere conjecture,
and in the absence of the State leaders
nothing definite was concluded.
The lawmakers left at five o'clock, af-
ter adopting a concurrent resolution that
rlanked shad is quite the finest thing on
earth, next to a signed bill.
Those who sat down at the very in
formal inner were Senators Herbert w.
Johnson of Camden and cha Miller of
Salem; A~ssemblyman Abraham c.. Hol-
drum of Bergen; /. T.1Derousse, Fl. s..
Scovel of Camden; Robert E. Hand. Cape
May; Albert J. Simpson. George B Har-
rison, Peter 3. Fairchild, Thomas H.
Jones, Jacob Rau, James ]. Hogan, Carl
". Baumann, George w. w. Porter of
Essex; David O, Watkins, Gloucester;
William George Nelson, Robert D.. Ur-
auhart. Theodore c.. Wildman. John e.
Macarthur, William H. bod of Hudson;
Speaker George w. MACPHERSON of Mer,
Ger; Oliver II. Brown of Monmouth: Rod
erick A. Clark. Ocean. Phineas Bridge,
I1ssaic; Joseph b. Crispin, Salem: Peter
". ID. Van Doren, Somerset; j. Martin
Roll, William r. Coddington, Union;
Bloomfield Minch and James Hunt, Cum
berland.