The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-31
VOORHEES, ON DECK
He Will Take the Helm of
the Ship of State
Tomorrow.
YOUNGEST GOVERNOR IN YEARS
Efforts to Crowd Him Out Of Next
Falls Nomination Not
Likely to Succeed.
Especial to ..rhe Jersey City News."l

come tho Acting Governor OF New Jer-
sey tomorrow. Tonight the Secretary Oh
State will, in his official capacity. notify
the Legislature of the resignation OF Gov
ernor Griggs. A joint meeting OF the TWO
Houses will then be ordered, so that the
oath of office may be administered IN que
form to the President of the Senate as
Acting Governor. That official Will then
vacate the presiding officers chaIr ana
then take possession of the executive
Office. General Skirm will be CHOSEN as
President pro tempore of the Senate, ana
win conduct the proceedings OF hat poay
during the remainder of the session, un-
less an emergency may arise which shaH
require the presence or tn Acting Gov
ernor in the chair.
His. elevation TO the office of Governor
docs NOT deprive the President OF the
Senate of any ~prerogatives attached 10
The lesser Office. He may act in a dual ca
nacity. and his right to vote in the SEN
ate at any time and on any question:, II
is stated cannot be denied. 1t IS doubt
ful however if the Acting Governor VIII
des;ra to use the -prerogative. except IN
,na.cbmen cases or in other matters
Of ;mnortance. AS the Acting Governor
I'll, hava his time we'll occupied in at
VIII HAVE IS LILY :.
tending 70 the duties of his new ONCE II
&c NOT 1;klv that he will desire to par
ticinate in, any way.in the proceedings OF
tho Senate. unless as before stated an
anua,ov sbau arise. when his sparty
mo,,ld demand. his presence and his vote.
witbout his vote the Republicans lack a
+u,o-tbirds majority in the Senate, and no
convection in impeachment proceedings
can be had unless there are
votes cast in the affirmative.
T,era will be no fuss and feathers
over the Inauguration of the Acting GOV
no He will in a quiet way take
+be oath of Office and at once proceed
to the performance of the ouues y, .N
o@ce During his term, which will not
be quite a year, he will not De puiueno
Itch annointments to Office, Governor
Griggs having relieved MN OIL 60
Oh that responsibility. Unless by death
rasignation he will neither have
ridges nor Prosecutors of the Pleas to
nominate. h only appointment q 80
atsoosal are the following:-Chief OF the
Bureau of Labor and Statistics, HVe mem
49, IF the state Board of Arbitration
six Deputy Factory inspectors w o
member each of the state 6oaiu u
Health. the State Board OF PHARMACY anO
the state Board of Dentistry. II may pe
that Governor voorhees, feels pieaseu
over his escape from the bother "hich
the pleadings of oficeseekers wouio cause
him. In that respect there Will pc no en-
tangling alliance to mar his canoiodcy Nc
fore the next "Gubernatorlal cohsehlion
and he cannot be accused OF having ap-
nointed men to office merely for the pur-
nose of getting votes to further his pohti-
cal ambition.
Foster NJ. voorhees, is the youngest
man to occupy the Governors email III
New Jersey in over forty years. he was
only Al years of age last November
The ages of the following Governors
when they were ~inaugurated were as Iol-
lows:-Joel Parker first term), ~; MAI
bus L. Ward. 4S; Theodore F. Randolph,
e.: Joseph D. Bedle. IA; George r. NC
Clellan. 81; George c. Ludlow, 81; Leon
Albeit first term), As; Robert S. Green,
S.. George T. Werts. AZ; Jonn oe' We
by Chief Justice Magic. with whom ne
studied law twenty years ago.
The new Governor is brainy and agrees
nendent turn of mind. Always a good
party man, yet he has refused to support
measures of ultra-partisan character AS
an instance of his independence last year
he voted against the pet scheme of MAJOR
Carl Lentz to extend the terms of office
of the Mayors of Jersey City and New
ark, and to change the time for the hold
ing of the city elections in those places.
Perhaps the new Governor will prod
the Legislature to do some business. the
fourth week of the session opens tonight,
and it is expected that there will be more
animation than heretofore. There are
Dyer one hundred bills in possession of
the committees. and surely they can turn
put work enough to keep both Houses in
session Tuesday and Wednesday. And
yet, when one looks over the situation,
the impression might prevail that this
Legislature cannot find much to do in
the way of 1aw-making. There is no
popular demand for an increase in the
numbe of statutes, there is not much
public necessity for corrective legisla-
lion, and the corporations are opposed TO
any changes in the laws which concern
their interests. 1t is generally believed
that no harm at all would be done to the
public welfare should the Legislature ad-
journ finally after passing an appropria-
ton bill. Still that course will not be
taken for obvious reasons. The political
agitators have not come here to do MOTH
ing. They must ply their trade by stirring
up a ferment so that public attention
may be directed toward the shortcomings
of one party or the other.
On the other hand, with equal taxa
lion and embarrassing bills, and other
such implements of warfare, the Demo-
Gratis are intent upon placing the Repub-
11A IL u tAAA( " ~ k1A1 StAA4
not escape without mourning public CEN
sure. That is the Democratic plan of at
tack for the making of political capital,
and there must not be a cessation in hos
tilities until the final blow is struck. And
30 it goes, while one party tries to pluck
The feathers of the other, and in the
meantime no meritorious legislation is at
tempted. In view of this situation then
the public interests would not suffer if
the Legislature were to adjourn at once.
The talk of a Constitutional convention
20 revise New Jerseys fundamental law
mas led to some inquiries concerning the
men who framed the Constitution under
which the State has prospered for more
han half a century. OF the ifty-seven
wise and far-sighted members of the Con-
stitufional Commission of 1874 only one,
DR.. Robert Laird, of Manasquan, is living.
But there is still residing in this city a
septngenarian who as a lad of 16 years
attended all the sessions of the con-
sention. He is Captain John B. Faussett,
who was page to the Constitutional fra
ners. His experiences are of interest as
showing the difference between legislative
customs then and now.
captain. Faussett made his bow in the
political arena in the winter of 1843, when
gembly. He frequently was borrowed by
he Senate, which employed no page, and
Tor all his scurrying around for the law
makers he received but IS cents each day
when there was a session. In 1S43 the
sniy officers of Assembly were the Speak
; n, Clerk, Engrossing Clerk and Sergeant
at-ArmsN The latter was former Mayor
.Bucky' Napton of Trenton, who, with
FauSsett to aid him, swept the chambers,