The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-05-26
.SEWELL- WINS AGAIN
He Defeats Foster Voor-
hees' Judiciary Amend
ments After a Des-
perate Battle.
ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES THE TRICK
The Union Senator Makes Remarks
About the Governor Yester-
day in the Legislature.
ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES THE TRICK
Especial to tThe Jersey city News.'l

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News.''1
TRENTON, May &C. 1S97.-Again Foster
NJ VOORHEES,, Senator from Union county,
has measured swords with the great Re-
publican boss, and again has he suffered
defeat at the Camden mans hands 1t
was a mighty battle, such as only these
two chieftains could wage, and it ragged all
day yesterday in the House, with victory
now apparently with one side and now
with the other, until it finally rested with
the great corporation leader. The Re-
publican conference which was held yes
terday afternoon to consider the question
of taking up the Voorhees, judiciary
amendments was particularly stormy
one. Angry voices pitched unusually high
mingled with the sharp rappings of the
chairman came floating through the big
oaken doors of the Speakers private
room, and from what was dropped by
those members who came out from time
to time to get a glass of ice water things
inside were everything but harmonious.
AS stated in yesterdays News, the con-
ference lasted two hours
In the conference Messrs. Roll, De-
marest, Klink and the Speaker favored
taking up and acting upon the resolution.
Mr. GledhiM and Mr.. Lloyd were the
leaders of the opposition. and contended
that the amendments could not come up
in the way proposed because. having
been once defeated in the House, they
were dead, and the only way they could
be revived was by beginning all over
again.
This was strongly denied by Mr.. De-
marest, who contended that the special
of 1887 and not a distinct sitting by itself,
and that the amendments were not dead.
He also said that the Constitution had
been strictly complied with in preparing
the resolution, and the manner in which
it was worded made it unnecessary to
pass the Senate again.
The arguments waxed hot, but the
friends of the voorhees, amendments
finally succeeded in forcing a vote.
Twenty Eight voted to take up the De-
marest resolutions and twenty-five
against.
Then the biennial sessions amendments
were considered, and it was decided not
to take them up by vote of rs to 26.
The conference arose and the House
took a recess
Upon reconvening in the afternoon the
Demarest resolution was first considered.
A long debate followed. Mr.. Gledhill
claimed that the resolution was out of
order, because the Legislature of 1897
ended when it adjourned on March 81,
and the Judiciary amendments died with
it, Mr. Demarest pointed out that the
constitution said 1.-THE next Legislature
chosen by the people, hot the next ses-
sion.
The Speaker declared Mr.. Gledhilr s
point not well taken, and Mr.. Demarest
advocated the passage Of his resolution.
He insisted that the people had elected
the Republicans to the Legislature to do
something. They were spoken of now
as the s'do nothing Legislature" and they
should show the people that they did not
deserve the name These amendments,
he said were passed by the Republicans
during the session of '96, and the people
indorsed their action by returning them
to the Legislature that fall by an in
creased majority He explained that the
passage of amendments by the House
did not make them part of the Constitu-
ton, but only afforded an opportunity for
laying them before the people and CIV
ing them a chance to say whether they
wanted them or not.
Mr.. Lloyd did not think the House should
take such an important step so hastily.
He had understood that the Attorney
General had said that the House could
not take UP these amendments at the
special session because when the House
defeated them at the regular session it
killed them. He moved that the amend
ments lie over until an opinion could be
obtained from the Attorney General upon
the power of the House to take them up
at this time The friends of the amend
ments saw their danger and fought hard
to prevent the reference to the Attorney
General.
Mr.. Klink made one of the best speeches
of the day in opposition. He argued that
the Attorney General was not infallible,
that such an important matter as this
one man, however brilliant and honorable
he might be. He referred to former At
torney General Stockton's opinion that
the Senate was continuous, and spoke of
the manner in which the Supreme Court
set it aside.
Mr. Roll raised considerable merriment
in his speech opposing the resolution. He
said the Legislature had passed many
bills that session ''no worse than this.
and yet nobody had moved to refer them
horn and Mr.. Lloyd spoke in favor of the
resolution
Then recess was taken until the At
torney General could be heard from. IT
was well known what the Attorney Cen
erals opinion was on the subject and AID
interest in the fight was over. In about
an hour the opinion was received and it,
of course. held that when the House
killed the amendments it lost all control
and they could not be passed at the
This is the opinion in full as read by
the clerk:
Trenton. N. J., May 25, 1897.
Hon. George w. Macpherson, Speaker OF
the House of Assembly.
Sir-Ins response to communication re.
ceived from the Clerk of the House, I beg
to submit the following
of the State of New Jersey is given in
Article 8, which authorizes the Senate OF
General Assembly to propose any specific
amendment to the Constitution, and s'i1
the same shall be agreed to by a majority
of the members elected to each Of the
two Houses such proposed amendment
or amendments shah be entered on thei1
journals with the ayes and nays .taker
thereon, and referred to the LEGISLATURE
then next to be chosen, and shall be pub
lished for three months previous to MAX
ing such choice, in at least one news
paper of each county, If any be published
therein. If in the Legislature next chosen
as aforesaid such proposed amendment
or amendments, or any of them, shall be
agreed to by a majority of all the mem.
bers elected to each House. then it shall
be the duty of the Legislature to submit