The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-06
TO co OR
NOT TO co /?
Legislature May Snuff Itself
Out This Present
Week.
PLENTY OF WORK TO DO
National Guard Reorganiza-
ton and Passaic Pollution
VOORHEES, and the
Office Grabbers.
PLENTY OF WORK TO Do
Especial to 1.-THE Jersey city News."1

WnSJn6r the Legislature Will
this week or not. The House adopted a
resolution last Wednesday. fixing next
Friday as the day of adjournment, put
no one believes that this can be ac-
complished. Adjournment will not be
made Until about the last week OF
March.
The coming week will be productive
of some results on important bills that
are now pending. The Washington PARK
double bar bill is now on the House
schedule and may come up on second
reading tomorrow night and be passed.
There is little or no opposition against
it. All three of the bills, which are
designed to correct certain abuses that
are alleged to exist in connection with
corporation stores in South jersey, are
also ready for discussion in the House.
The rumor come from Newark that
John H. Bonnell, now the CUSTODIAN OF
the State House, is to the Republican
candidate for Sheriff with very good pros
poets of being elected.
Governor Voorhees, Is anxious to get
the National Guard r~eorganized pelore
summer. He has named as a speclal
Military Commission Generals Spencer,
Sewell and Wanser. They are to sun
nit separate reports to the Governor,
and from the three reports a reorganlza-
ton is to be planned.
The APPROXIMATION Committee will sit
nearly all the week and prepare he
appropriation bill. The deficiency bill
will call for about $50, 600. The Home
for Soldiers. Sailors and Their Wives, at
Vineland, is to get 5000.
The bill which Senator Hutchinson in
troduced last week, to secure control OF
the State Prison patronage for his party
has caused much discussion in political
circles. 1t is greatly favored by the
Republicans of Mercer County, while
of course it is roundly criticized and de-
nounced by the Democrats and numer-
Gus independent voters. The Repub-
leans outside of Mercer do not seem to
care about such legislation, because
they feel that should a change be made
in the appointing power of the prison,
they would not be the be~nefic.aries to
any appreciable extent. AS loyal party
men h say they would like to see
every office filled by a Republican, with
very few exceptions. But that is not
WISE VI pIdCllCdDiC, III NAC"
the Governor has already taken in such
matters. and the promises made by the
Republican party, that all the State in
stitutions should continue under the
management of bipartisan boards
Senator Hutchinson is very candid in
the expression of his opinion that ito the
victor belongs the spoils." He says, how
ever, that his party does not desire to
NEEDLE with the present management of
the educational and charitable institu-
tions. All it wants is the control of the
State Prison. One reason he gives for
the introduction of his bill is that were
the Democrats in power. they would do
the same thing. That being admitted,
then the Senator was asked .if two
wrongs make a right?' to which he would
offer no reply.
The only chance for the passage of the
bill is for the Republicans to make it a
caucus measure. The fact is conceded
that there is a majority of the Re9ubli-
cans of each House in favor of the bill,
and also that those who oppose 1t form
a very respectable minority. The only
way to coerce this minority into voting for
it is to call a caucus and make its decision
binding upon every Republican Senator
and A~ssemblyman.
Governor voorhees, is not in favor of
| such legislation. He said so in his in
| augural address. It is stated that the
bill was introduced without his know
ledge. That is considered a slight on the
| Governor, and his friends say they will
| resent it. A report is in circulation that
| the Republican leaders are divide on the
- $3.50. 49, h,11 n ~
the other being strongly opposed to it.
When the bill come up for action in the
Senate there will be a red-hot partisan
debate. Without caucus action the gen
eral opinion is that the bill would not go
through either House.
Partisanship is oftentimes the bane of
| political parties. The Democrats suf-
| fered from it and finally lost power most
Iy through it's noxious influence. The
Republicans several years ago were driven
from Office for the same reason. Now
that they nave regained control of State
affairs they should eschew peanut polit 'cs
and feel satisfied with having secured
control of all the important State posi-
lions, county judgeships and Prosecutors
of the Pleas.
The Republican leadership of the House
is not as astute as it should be, as was
illustrated last week, when the Demo-
Gratis rather unexpectedly scored a point
or two. Mr.. Albeit had his resolution
calling for the election of United States
Senator's, by a direct vote of the people,
passed, with the help of Republican votes,
and Mr.. Carroll was permitted to amend
the resolution offered by Leader Mckee
providing for a final adjournment. The
Republican majority had not intended
that such Democratic dictation should
prevail, but then the Republican leader
ship was found mapping while the Dem
ocrats were wideawake.
Messrs. Albeit n Quad are having
fun every week calling up their resolu-
of their bills by the committees having
them in charge. 1t seems silly to waste
so much time in this way, and the Re
publican majority would make a better
impression by permitting the bills tc
reach the calendar, and then they could
be disposed of finally, thus ending the
child's play. The questions involved re-
late to corporation taxes and compan
store orders. 1t is said that the Repub-
licans do not care to be placed on record
on those matters. That may be true, but
then it is very evident that they are go
ing on record whenever they vote to sus-
tain the committees on their ~non-action
Just the same as if on q roll call of the
House they voted to kill the bills. The