Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-03-04
Ispeelal Correspondence. |

Especial Correspondence
TRENroN, March S--Although the in.
aaguration ceremonies at Washington car
ried away the legislature yesterday after
noon, making an unusually brief legisla.
tive week, still, while they were here, the
senate and assembly both disposed of q
good deal of interesting business. The
most important feature was the receipt OF
large batch of appointments from the
governor, Slisposlng Of the places that have
occupied public attention so generally fol
weeks past Following is the full list;
Chief justice of the supreme court. VII,
liam ]. Magic OF Union county.
Associate justice of the supreme court,
Gilbert Collins of Hudson county.
Clerk of the supreme court, William
Riker. Jr., of Essex county.
Secretary of state, George wurts of Pas
saic county.
Attorney general, Samuel H. Grey OF
Camden.
Keeper of the state prison, Samuel S
Moore of Union county.
Commissioner of banking and insur
ance, William BEETLE of Camden.
State board of medical examiners, A.
K. Baldwin, George F. Wilbur and Edwin
De Baum.
In executive session the senate subse.
quently confirmed Chief Justice Magic and
referred the other nominations 1t is moi
believed that there will be any difficulty
in securing confirmation of the others next
week notwithstanding the chagrin Of
some of the senators at the failure of their
colleague, Senator Stokes of Cumberland,
to get the secretaryship of state.
Chief Justice Magie's appointment is 9
promotion from the associate judgeship OF
the supreme court. He has been on the
bench since 1880 and is in his sixty fifth
year. He is native Jerseyman and Q
graduate of Princeton. The salary of his
new Office is $40. 900 year, and the term
is seven years. Chief Justice Magic is a
Republican. Gilbert Collins, the new asso-
ciate justice, is also Republican, thus fol-
the first time in long series of years
turning the supreme court over to thai
party. Judge Collins is one of the most
popular as well as most able members OF
the New Jersey bar. His salary will bt
So, 600 year and his term seven years.
William Riker. .Jr., Republican, the new
supreme court clerk, succeeds Benjamin F.
Lee, Democrat, but his term, which will
last for five years, does not begin till No.
vember. The salary is $4,000 year. Al
county.
Samuel H. Grey, Republican, succeeds
John p. Stockton, Democrat, as attorney
general, and he comes from Camden well
equipped for the office. His term is fol
five years, and his salary is 81, 900 year.
William BEETLE, Republican, succeeds
George Wurts, also Republican, as com
missioner of banking and insurance Mr.
Wurts being advanced to the office of sec
rotary of state. Mr.. BEETLE is railroad
man and Mr. Wurts an editor The former
will draw $4,000 year and the latter &c..
900. Mr.. Wurts' term is six years and Mr..
Bettle's is three years.
Samuel S. Moore is the present prison
keeper and is reappointed for full term
of five years; salary, So, 500 year.
Taxation and BICYCLES,
The assembly gave most of it's time this
week to a consideration of the question OF
equal taxation and of the propriety of com
polling railroads to carry bicycles as free
baggage
Equal taxation was the theme Monday
night, the house resolving itself into s
committee of the whole to hear the argu
ments of several speakers. AssemblymaL
Klink of Hudson county, who champions
the equal taxation measure, was the frs
orator, explaining the present law and out
lining the remedy proposed by the taxpay-
ers of Jersey City. His contention was
that the railroads are not bearing their fair
share of the public burden. Ex-senator
Edwards, counsel for Jersey City, made ar
elaborate argument on the same side OF
the question, illustrating by the aid OF
maps the realty holdings of the railroads
in Jersey City. He quoted great mass OF
statistics.
On the other side of the question were
arrayed William II. Corbin, who spoke fol-
the Lehigh Valley and Erie systems; + lavel
MCGEE, representing the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western railroad; James B.
Vreedenburgh, for the Pennsylvania rail.
road, and Robert De Forrest, for the New
Jersey Central railroad. These gentlemen
all argued to show that the present law is
very thorough in it's operations and that
the railroads are paying tax on every dol
tir's worth of property. They opposed the
Klink bill, pending, and favored the meas.
ure recommended by the special commits
sion which considered the subject last year.
Under this latter bill Jersey City would
receive large increase in revenue to be
UAbOl OOQ VA1O OdAOo TOGOlNcu ny but
state. The argument lasted till after /
o'clock Tuesday morning, when the COM
mittee finally decided to report to the as
sembly not the commissions bill, but the
Klink bill. This latter bill was according
ly reported Tuesday. 1t provides that the
local rates. It will have hard time get
eng through the house, and II 1t succeeds
there it will he killed in the senate.
The bicycle baggage bill occupied atten-
ton Tuesday The first speaker was Isaac
B. Potter of New York, president of the
League of American Wheelmen. He ar
gued for the bill, representing that SINH.
lar law has already been enacted in five
states while five other states are consider.
ing a similar draft. He commended that a
bicycle was personal baggage. Mr.. King
submitted amendments requiring that
lanterns must be removed from wheels be.
fore being checked, relieving the railroads
from responsibility for breaking cyclone
ters and bells and allowing the bikes te
be carried on other trains than those on
which the riders are passengers Thess
were voted down, and the bill was reported
30 the house without amendment. 1t IL
now on the calendar.
Railroad Commission Setback.
Senator ". NJ. Johnston bill providing
for a state commission which should have
sweeping powers with respect to railroads
and their responsibilities to the public was
called out yesterday afternoon from thu