The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-21
VOTES PLEDGED TO REED
Somerset Mans Support For
the Presidency Of the
Senate.
NO INAUGURATION PLANS YET.
Acting Governor Watkins
Wants to Know What to
Do When the House
Organizes.
fsnectarto ..Tbe Jersey city News..l

Especial to s.The Jersey City News."]
TRENTON, Dec. p, 1S9S.-There were
less than a dozen member of the coming
Legislature at the State Capitol yester-
day. Essex County's delegation was not
represented. Senator-elect Pitney Of Nor
ris County was on hand, having come TO
sTrenton to attend to some court business.
He had a short talk with Senator Reel,
of Somerset, and Senator-elect Hutchn-
son, of Mercer, the only other members
of the Upper, House present. The tax
was purely informal. Nothing was SAD
regarding the Presidency. So far Sena-
tor Pitney has not committed himself as
to a preference for a presiding officer.
There seems to be no question now as
to Senator Reeds landing the Presidency.
He has seven of the Republican votes
pledged to him, and it is very probable
that he will get ten votes in the caucus
Eight is the number requisite to a choice.
The Senators who have assured Sem
ator Reed of their support are Francis,
of Monmouth; Johnson, of Camden; STAN
ger, of Gloucester: Miller, Of Salem;
Hand. of Cape May. and Hutchinson, OF
Mercer.
These, with his own vote, make seven.
While Senator-elect Evans, Of Atlantic,
has not pledged himself, it is understood
that he is favorable to Reed. The lat
ter's friends claim that Senator ketcnam
viii support Reed in preference to John-
son of Bergen, and that Pitney will oe for
Reed. This practically assures Reed Ct
ten votes, as against four for Senator
johnson.
All the Senator's are friendly to Heed
with the possible exception of Smith Of
Ocean. The latter is opposed to the SOM
erset man because Of Reeds championing
the bill providing that where n county
Is satisfied thai another county is not pay
ing a fair share of school AK, an appeal
may be taken to the State Board OF Tax
alton.
This bill was aimed at Ocean county,
the Somerset authorities claiming that the
assessments, at Lakewood especially,
were unfair. 1t was under this law That
Somerset last summer made the complaint
against Ocean, but the State Boar1 OF
Taxation, with the exception of Major
Lentz, upheld Ocean county. For this
reason, Senator Smith is against senator
Reed.
So far no preparations ave been
made for the inauguration of Governor
elect Voorhees,. although the event is but
a few weeks off. The local Republican
headers nave done absolutely nothing to-
ward arranging for the inauguration.
Heretofore the Mercer County leaders,
in either party, have always taken the
initiative, and made elaborate prepara-
tions for the induction of Governors. but
this year nothing whatever has been done
The outlook now is that no move what
ever will be made in the matter until
the opening Of the Legislature, when a
.speciaI committee will be named to make
arrangements for the Inauguration.
This will give the committee only five
days to arrange for the pro-
gramme, and it will necessarily be very
The few Assemblymen present today
discussed the division of the pluns iast
clerkship for Powell, win give one of the
doorkeepers now accredited TO Essex to
Cumberland County, which lost the clerk
snip through the division of its own dele
cation. This plan has beer. agreed upon
by the ~Assemblymen. and will go throngh,,
Acting Governor Watkins has submitted
to the Attorney General the question as
to what he shall do at the opening OF the
Legislature. The Acting. Governor IS IN
a quandary as to whether he should be
present at the opening of the House ard
take his place as Speaker, or whether ne
should remain in the Executive depart
ment and allow a Speaker pro tenn. 70 pe
named for the opening week. II Is not
likely that Attorney-General Grey will
give a decision in the matter until after
the Supreme Court has announced It's
conclusion as to whether or not MIR. Wat
kinS is Acting Governor.
Custodian John H. Bonnell has received
a letter stating that Thomas II. Jones, Of
Essex, who is slated for Clerk Of the
House. is very i'll at his home, and the
question is being discussed as to what
course the House ought to pursue in case
Mr. TpnnC SbpIlld nOf rarOV6r in time to
take hold of his duties at the opening of
the session. 1t is probable that If he II
not able to be on hand a substitute viii