The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-25
SIGNS OF DISSOLUTION.
Lobbyists Hover About the
Legislatures Like Vul.
lures About a Dy-
ing Man.
EoNTcLAIR TROLLEY BILL
Mr.. Benny's Hard Fight Against
the Telephone Pole Bill
Flood Of Bills Passed.
EoNTCLAIR TROLLEY BILL

l|pCtA4l y IHf JCiStJ Sity ~
TRENTON, March Is, lssS.-There were
unfailing signs of final adjournment yes
terday afternoon in both Houses The
| lobby was unusually large and active.
| Several measures OF Importance to vari-
GUS corporations are trembling in the bal
ance and their uncertain fate caused
much anxious hustling. The Assembly
| Chamber was filled with the subdued
hum OF conversation. which, with the
sound of hurrying feet, often made it inn
possible to hear what those who had the
floor were saying.
The Speaker was besieged by men in
| terested in bills and by members, all
anxious that their pet measures be pass
| ed before final adjournment puts them to
sleep forever. There were very few men
in the throng who were there merely as
lookers-on and had no business.
There was a strong delegation present
from Hudson county, consisting of Rob-
ert Davis, Surrogate Lillis. ex-Assembly-
man James Clark. Frank Hague, ]. Her
bert Potts and Frank Higgins. Most of
these Hudson men came down to See
what they could do toward passing the
bill which seeks to save Clifford from the
gallows. They were most successful.
Early in the afternoon session the bill
came up. Mr.. Benny ave a brief ac-
count of the verdict and read afiidavits
of several of the jurors, setting forth
that they thought capital punishment al
together too severe and that before go
ing into court they agreed to send a Pc
tition to the Court of Pardons asking that
his sentence be committed to imprison-
ment for life. No one opposed the meas
ure and it passed without a dissenting
vote.
For the past two days there has been
hard work lone to secure the
passage of the bill which takes
away from Montclair the right to
| determine whether she wants a trolley
road running through her streets. Mr..
Dawson. the introducer of the measure,
advocated it when it came up on final
passage at the afternoon session. He
| contended that it was not in the interest
of any trolley company, which eonten-
ton, he claimed, was proven by the fact
that the Committee on Railroads and
Canals had reported it adversely. The
bill was demanded by a large number of
the people of Essex county, those in
| Montclair who wanted to reach the
ty seat by trolley.
Mr.. Powers said that the people of
Montelair could enjoy the trolley just as
soon as hey and the traction company
/ could come to an amicable agreement.
The bone of contention was a six-cent
fare demanded by the company.
The bill was further advocated by Mr..
Benny, who said hat the road in dis
pute belonged to the county and the Free
holders should be allowed to dispose of
its franchise and not the municipal au-
therities.
Mr.. Porter also spoke against the meas
ure and so did Mr.. Schmidt, but their
| eloquence was Of no avail and the
bill passed by a vote of 81 to 10. Several
members shirked, but just enough votes
| to pass it were secured.
The electric light pole bill over which
MI. Benny waxed so warm Wednesday
1 and made accusations of bad faith against
Senator DAILY and Former Assemblyman
John E. Macarthur, came up again in the
| House. The friends of the measure
learned last night that some one had
given the measure a soporific in the Sem
ate and there was grave danger of Sleep
ing itself to death. This was said to be
due to the charges of bad faith made
by Mr.. Benny on account of which the
Senators had intimated that they would
/ not vote for the measure unless it went
back to the House, and Mr.. Benny was
given an opportunity to move its recon-
| sideration. So the friends of the meas
ure made up their minds to place no
obstacle in Mr.. Benny's way when he
should move to take from the table his
motion to call back from the Senate. But
| the astute young man from Hudson was
not long in acquainting himself with the
situation, and he made no move to press
his motion now on the table. The com
pany's men became tired of waiting for
him to move and had the motion made
| by one of its W men.
Mr.. Crispen made the motion and Mr..
Benny, in speaking on It, said that 1t
did not require much more to be said
upon the measure. He had ventilated its
| i~niquity until every member of the House
| was acquainted with its true inwardness
ssThe supporters Of his vile bill,' he
said, Thought they had put me in a
4 hole yesterday, but they find today that
I am on top and they are in the hole,
with a likelihood of the hole caving in
on top of them. Defeated in their pur-
pose to put the bill through, they now
20 to the member from Salem (Mr. Girls
pen) and beg him to get them out of the
| hole. The scandal should stop here-the
| Juggling of the lobbyists oul cease. !
understand the friends of the measure
have been given TO understand that the
! Senate will refuse to touch it in its pres
ent shape. for any one who touches
the bill will get their hands dirty. They
hope to get the bill back here and give
the member a chance to once more
stultify itself by voting in their favor.