The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-02-08
TRENTON F0OLERY,
Bill to Tax Bachelors a
Feature of Today's SEES
sion of the Assembly.
THIS YEARS RAILROAD TAXES
Mr.. Johnson's Bill to Give Jer-
sey City Fair Play-Quar-
rymen Alarmed.
Doings of the Legislative Wise
acres Last Evening-Hudson
Spellbinders on Hand.
especial to "rhe Jersey city News.'.l

Especial to 'Tne Jersey city news.
TRENTON, Feb. s, 1S9S.-There was
much amusement in the House this morn
ing when Mr.. Weller of Mercer introduced
his bill to tax bachelors. A page brought
it up to the Clerks desk, and Mr.. Jones
read out, IAN act TO provide for the taxa
ton of bachelors"
Whats that?' exclaimed the Speaker,
who is himself a bachelor. Read that
title again"
A act to provide for the taxation of
bachelors read the Clerk in a loud tone.
Referred to the Committee on the Asy-
lums for the Insane promptly said the
Speaker, as the House broke into a roar.
Mr.. Weller's bill is u peculiar document,
and provides that the assessors of every
township. city. borough. town, village or
other municipal corporation OF this state;
shall, between the 10th day OF May ana
the goth day of August take a
true account and make out an exact list
of each and every the bachelors residing
in said township or other municipality,
and every male resident of such oWnshlp
shall on application of the assessor forth
with render a true and full account OF his
name, which the said assessor shall set
down in writing.
sessed in the manner prescribed n form
prescribed by an act Of the Legislature
approved April IA, 1916, entitled an act
concerning taxes.
III. And in order that every said bacle-
lor may be duly assessed the said asses
scr shall assess upon every such bachelor
the sum of 81, whether the said bachelor
lives with his parents or not.
The bill has little chance of becoming a
law. The Speaker is a bachelor. Leader
and the Acting Governor are bachelors
and all oppose the measure.
Mr. Marnell will introduce this after
noon a new bill TO save the Palisades. 1t
provides that every person or corporation
who shall, within a distance of 2,000 feet
from any navigable river forming the
boundary lines of this State. explode or
cause to be exploded for the purpose of
blasting, breaking or loosenins rock. amy
blasting powder, dualin, dynamite, forcite,
giant powder, nitro-glycerine or any
powder or materials of which nitro
glycerine is an essential ingredient or
forms a compound part, or any other high
explosive, shall be guilty of a misde-
1neanor and on conviction thereof shall
be punished by Imprisonment not exceed
ing one year or by a fine not exceeding
$1,000. or both.
When the contents of the bill first be-
came known there was much consterna-
ton among the members from the western
section of the State. All along the Della
ware River, from Trenton to the State
line, there are q~uarries which give en-
Mercer county'S penitentiary has a quarry
within the prescribed limit and her mem
5ers We're up in arms at once.
Dick Reading almost dropped to the
floor when he saw the bill. He has $4,000
invested in all of the Delaware River
quarries, and he saw visions of this ac-
emulation of years of honest toll rapidly
vanishing out of sight. The excitement
was soon allayed when Farmer Lawshe,
the solid man from Hunterdon. pointed
out thai the bill designated "Navigable
streams and the Delaware was
navigable above Trenton wher the
quarrieS are located.
Some one raised the question that as
the Delaware was ~navigable for many
miles it might be called a n~avigabie
stream. Nevertheless there will be strong
opposition to the bill and it will have a
tersted in the Palisade quarries said that
the bill would prevnt the cities of Hobo
ken, Jersey City and Bayonne from blast
ing for sewers or buildings.
Mr.. Eugene Cole of Cap May, the ener-
getic little schoolimaster. who, since he
was in the Assembly before. has stopped
teaching school and is now practicing law.
introduced in the House a set of Cuban
resolutions in the usual buncembe style.
They will be discussed on Monday night,
when the American Eagle will scream
until its shrill notes frighten the youthful
King of Spain out of three or four years
growth.
of Bergen county to citizenship was
passed EckersonN1eft State Prison four
teen years ago after having served a term
of twenty years for manslaughter. He
has been an exemplary resident OF Ber-
gen county ever since and wants ms
citizenship restored so that he can hold
In the Senate Mr.. Johnson introduced
a bill to correct the act last winter
increasing the amount of money which
Jersey City receives for railroad taxes.
The Attorney General decided that the
city could not collect the money until
next year. Mr.. Johnson's bill makes this
years money available.
bill against trading stamps came up
in the Senate. 1t Furnishes with a fine of
S1,00U, or six months imprisonment or both,
any one who gives the stamps to pur-
chasers. It is favored by Mr.. Frances.
rich" concerns will begin work on Friday
in Newark