Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-01-21

D66u mad6. his revision 0ugnG 60 place
them all under the same general form az
far as Is practicable, so that the provision
of the constitution requiring general legis-
lation may be complied with both in letter
and in spirit
1t is obvious from the illustrations ]
have given above that instead of being q
source of enlightenment and guidance our
statutes must necessarily be cause of dis
order and confusion in the conduct and
management of many of the public affairs
of the state. desire to repeat the recon-
mendation contained in my inaugural ad-
dress that the legislature shall pass no act
except such as is justified by some general
public necessity; that every act shall be
carefully scrutinized before its passage and
comparison made with other acts relating
to the same subject, in order to see that
no conflict is created and that the consti-
tutional prohibition against special legis-
lation is not violated. The last legislature
deserves much commendation for it's efforts
in the direction of restricting the volume
of public statutes, and / believe that its
course in that respect has met with very
general approval from the citizens of the
state. hope that during this session a
still further advance will be made along
this line. If it be possible, it would be of
great advantage to the public if those SUBJ
jeots which are now covered by a large
number of different acts could be revised
and consolidated In the same manner that
the laws concerning corporations were re-
yised and consolidated last year. It Is evil
dent that If the multiplication of statutes
shall go on at the rate that has prevailed
during the last ten years it will be necessary
to repeal that legal maxim which declares
that Ignorance of the law excuses no
man." for ignorance of the law is neces-
sary consequence of the continuance of
any such condition as is disclosed by the
last edition of the general statutes.
River Pollution.
By an act approved Feb 26, 1896, the
governor was directed to appoint three
citizens of this state to consider the SUBJ
ject of the pollution of the Passaic river
and of general system of sewage disposal
for the relief of the valley of the Passaic
river. This river, once clear and pure
from it's sources to its mouth has under
gone the fate of all similar streams that
happen to flow through sections attractive
to large populations and manufacturing
industries 1t has become the receptacle
of the wash the refuse and the gener IL
sewage of the great and rapidly growing
populations of the valley, until public COM
fort and health are threatened from the
excess of pollution poured into the stream.
This condition has been produced gradu-
ally as the industries and population of the
section have gradually increased. 1t affects
several cities whose sewers empty into the
river, and affects either directly at once
or will in the future affect every munich
pal corporation that now exists or may be
hereafter created in the Passaic valley from
Little Falls to Newark. Any plan for the
remedy and prevention of this unfortunate
condition will involve both legal and prac-
tical difficulties of the most serious nature
as well as great expense. In compliance
with the direction of the act mentioned,
appointed Elias j. Marsh, Hermann H. G.
Herold and William L. Hunt commission
ers to investigate and report as required
by the act. These gentlemen have been
actively engaged in the investigation of
the subject given them in charge ever since
they were appointed, but have not been
able to complete their work SO as to make
their report before the opening of the leg-
islative session. They expect to submit it
before the session shall have terminated.
The subject is of the utmost Importance,
not only to the immediate district known
as the Passaic valley, but also to every dis
trict in the state lying along fresh water
stream. 1t is manifest that the greatest
growth of population and manufacturing
industry is along the valleys and hills that
border such streams as the Passaic, the
Hackensack, the Raritan, the Shrewsbury
4
best for the Passaic section will necessarily
in time be applied to the others. These
conditions are the result of growth and
prosperity, and the penalty of prosperity
must be paid, probably at large expense,
in new and improved plans for the pres
ervation of the health and comfort of the
inhabitants.
All the suburbs of our state in the
neighborhood of New York on the one side
and of Philadelphia ON the Other are filling
up rapidly with population. New neigh
borhoods are constantly forming, old set
Elements arc growing, and there is con-
stantly Increasing demand for the creation
of separate municipal governments
towns, boroughs, cities-wherein more
minute careful oversight of all departments
of civil control, taxes, schools, health, po-
lice regulations, can be had than under
the township laws or the older forms Of
suburban government
Two objects of government, the preser-
vation Of public health and public safety,
have been heretofore usually left to the
local governments entirely. 1t is evident,
however, that in cases like river pollution
mere ldsal control is insufficient The sub
ject requires for proper treatment the oper-
alton of one system operating uniformly
through every locality through which the
river runs.
1t will in the near future becoifie prob
lem how to regulate the Sc werage and
drainage of twoscore different local gov
ernments lying in the region directly west
of New York bay and the Palisades so as
to give to each the bMnefits of q SYSTEM of
sewers and drainage and at the same time
preserve each against the injurious systems
of the others.
In this connection also it may not be
out of place to say word about the pres
ervation of the safety of citizens from &C
oidents at railway crossings. In small
cities and rural neighborhoods the dangers
are not SO great but that accidents can be
readily avoided. AS the cities grow in size,
however, the dangers increase. Our popu-
lations are growing very rapidly, so that in.
the large cities, like Newark and Jersey
City, it seems imperative that grade cross
ings, at streets where travel is largest,
should be soon abolished. AS other cities
grow the same need will be apparent in
them. The subject is difficult to deal with
by specific legislation. 1t is unrea asonable
to apply the same requirement to all cities,
or even to all parts of the same City 1t
would be hardship to require all grade
crossings to be abolished at once, but a
system of gradual and progressive i'm
provement might be inaugurated 1t Is
doubtful whether the law passed last year
is adequate to compel an unwilling cor
poration toAelevate or lower its tracks. 1t
Is quite certain that sooner or later We
shall need a body similar to the railroad
commissions Of samc of our sister states,
In which shall be reposed the power to de-
eide when any particular grade crossing
shall be abolished and the manner and
terms; what part of the work shall in each
instance be done by the city and what by
the railroad company, and also the power
to regulate the manner in which railroads
shall cross the tracks of other railroads
and to supervise the establishment of cross
ings for new routes of railway. The great
aggregation of people that IN the next
quarter of a century will have crowded our
northeastern borders near New York will
form continuous and connecting system
of towns and borounhs separated only by
imperceptfble boundaries, and forming, in
fact, one great URBAN community. 1t is
we'll tOaAak ahead to such condition and
to prOvide AS far as nossihie that mistakes