The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-15
SCHEMES At TRENTON.
Partisan Measures Now OC-.
cnpy the Attention of
the Legislature.
RACE TRACK BILL TO DIE
Jerseymen Who Want Office From
the Mckinney Administration
Busy Week Expected.
Specfnz to ths .Jerseu Citu Nelps.

plaln, everyday hustling machine poll
| ties, has at last taken full charge Of
this Legislature and will run it to the
wind-up. Not that anybody really ex
peeted that this Big Majority could dt
much of anything else than drift ints
the ruts and schemes laid out by the
snrewd and always on-hand wire pullers
but There was first glimmer of hope
| among the masses of people that the ses-
sion might be Short, sharp, decisive and
devoid of partisan schemes SO that tlleil
selections of lawmakers might receive
full ad complete vindication. So long
as the do-nothing policy could be kept uI
There was no real danger of political
shoals for the Republican ship of State
but gradually one partisan scheme after
another stuck its ugly nose above the sur
face till NOW the whole aspect is full od
difficulty and danger and party lead
e17s have grave fears for the result.
1t was this condition that brought Gem
eral SeweM to the city last Monday might
but, unfortunately he was compelled to
leave early for Washington and could
Only partly straighten things out. II
was said that he called some off the legis-
iauar5 together and intinated pretty
uharply that it was time to shut up shop
| and go honSe; that business was tagging
and lhsre was NO reol reason for keep
ing the shutters down amy longer. 1t is
sa d that he told them the Hudson Els
sex Election bal was a good thing tc
push along; that the Equal Taxation
scheme was far from it; that the con-
sttutioual amendments must be passed
upon and that then enough had been ac-
complished. OF courses it is mere con-
jectune that the General told the sleepy
lawmakers anything at all. He is not
tihe man, nor are his trusty 1ieutenamts the
men, to cry from the house tops and the
street corners his plan for attending to
the requirements of the Republican party
in New Jersey.
The General may have said nothing at
all, but still the mere fact of his visit
to the familiar headquarters, in "No
100, was sufficient to start the guessing
and that visit was Immediately followed
by considerable of stir in both the Sen
ate and House Colonel Samuel Dickin-
son came down from Hudson and Major
Carl Lentz came down from Essex on
Wednesday, and they started in to make
hay while the sun shone for their pet
the Election bill. They discovered that
their measure, which has already had its
ups and downs, had caught fast on a
snag. They found that it had been laid
over with the amendment offered by the
Committee on Elections, providing for its
submission to vote of the people The
amendment had not been engroSsed and
time was SO precious, with April fast APP
preaching, bringing the spring election
fnr Tor if1y s,r,1 ,.1x g.
captured the office of the engrossing
clerk, and, presto! the amendment was
engrossed and laid on the desk of Presi-
dent Williams. Now, if there is one thing
dislikes, it Is interference with the smooth
running of the Senate machinery by
would-be engineers from the outside.
Therefore, when he beheld among the
pile of bills on his desk this amendment,
marked with all the ancient insignia of
the engrossing clerk, though the Senate
had not taken action upon it, he was
very wroth, and, although President Will
Jams never swears, he said certain things
on this occasion that meant a heap. With
fire in his eye, he picked up the docu-
ment and said
BY what authority has this amend
the Senate"
Nobody seemed able or willing to en-
tighten him., and, with the fire still in
his eye. the president gave it mighty
cross, and in twinkling it was in frag-
ments as big as dimes "I will permit
no such practices. while I am presiding
over this Senate" he added, and the
business of the day went on. After that
the advocates of the measure ..lay low
as Br er Rabbit might have advised. The
bill will come up ON final passage In the
Senate probably tomorrow, and the
its sponsors realized that they made a
mistake in endeavoring to hurry it
through. Whatever it's fate, there are
many Republicans who feel that it is bad
ger their chances of holding Hudson and
Essex counties.
Unless the programme is changed Arm
bruster's Racing bill will be reported
without recommendation in the House to-
morrow night and am opportunity will be
given to the orators to make a bid for
feeleGon ee h5 mi Dy x deimlsonncng ilsd IT after which
bers want 1T reported adversely in order
that there shall not be even suspicion
@ tliat the House, as body, gives it coun-
opinions OF many of its members favor
racing. The Introduction of the bill is
expected to have an important bearing,
on the fate cf some of the constitutional
amendments Senator Voorhees, init
nation that the object of some of the sa1n
porters Of the Johnson amendment was to
people of the anti gambling amendrnenrf
until after legislation could be secured
iegal7ng racing was repelled at the time
py senator Johnson; but since the intro-
duction of the Armbruster Racing hill
there has come a general demand that the
aIItl-gambling amendment shall he re-
adopted and submitted to vote this year.
even II no action is taken on judiciary
amendments
The bill to substitute a commission az
five for the Boards of Chosen Free
holders has been amended, so that 1t
now applies to all counties, and has a
referendum clause. In some counties If
will be adopted. If vote was taken on
investigation in the methods of the Free :.
holders, there would be almost unani-
nous expression in favor of the act.
The Jury Commission is not making
much headway The Railroad Commits
sion bill is practically dead The mar
where adj previous marriage license
bills have died. The sentiment in lis
favor is very strong this year, and it
stands good chance of passing the
Upper House.
The bicycle baggage bill is up against
rocky road in the Senate. The Wheel
men managed their campaign in the
House very badly and they have no rea-
son to expect the Senate to straigbten
out their twisted wheels.
The MACPHERSON bill to dam the Della
ware River at Trenton Falls has pro-
voked newspaper war The principal
argument made against 1T is that the
dam VIII interfere with propagation Of
fish in the Delaware River.
Mr. Macpherson in explaining the bill
on Wednesday, stated that the Fish
Commissioners would. have supervision
OF a part of the dam SO that fish war1fiI3os
to get to the head waters could a,ef
The fsh and; game bilisshav ali passed
bills we're 8 flxr -