The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-16
RAIL WAY ORDERS
Washington Street Gap
Nuisance Perpetuated By
the Legislature.
sENATEAND HOUSE FRICTION
Doings at Trenton To-day
National Guard Funds
McDermott- Pitney Tilt.
especial to .The Jersey city News. 4

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News.'1
TRENTON, March 16, 1S99.-After a
calm and peaceful sleep of fifteen or more
years the old fight for viaduct of some
kind across the Washington street, Jer-
sey City, Gap, has raised its head again
in the Legislature. 1t is true that the
head did not get up very far, for the
railroad companies, which were the most
active opponents to this enterprise, have
never relaxed the price of liberty, and
as soon as the head appeared above the
surface they hit it whack which kept
it quiet for a long time. Whether 1t is
dead or only stunned, this time, remains
to ba seen.
On March 6, Mr.. Hall of Hudson intro
duced bill providing for the incorpora-
ton Of companies for the construction Of
tunnels, and giving them power to buiid;
construct and operate tunnels under any
street, road, lane, alley or highway in any
municipality of this State. 1t went on
Whenever such street, road, lane, al
ley or other highway terminates at or
near a navigable stream, may continue
such tunnel to and under such stream
to the opposite side thereof or to con-
meet with a similar tunnel already con-
structed or hereinafter to be con-
structed from such other side of such
stream; to lease or purchase any such
tunnel now constructed or in course
of construction or which may hereaf-
ter be constructed; to operate or lease
any such tunnel constructed, leased or
purchased by it, in which tunnels so
constructed. leased or purchased, sucn
corporations may construct and main-
tain passage ways for pedestrians,
roadways for vehicles and animals.
tracks for cars, and facilities for other
purposes and charge tolls for the pas
nels by passengers on foot or in ears,
ears, wagons or other vehicles, by
whatever power, moved or propeided;
maintaining therein of any electric
light, heat or power wires or telephone
or telegraph wires.
This bill was introduced in the inter-
est of some capitalists who control a
patent process of building tunnels. It is
understood that one of the routes which
they proposed to tunnel was under the
Washington street gap, so that there
could be direct communication between
the Central Railroad SYSTEMS station and
the lower part of Jersey City. The bill
was Immediately pounced upon by the
railroad and was held up by their orders.
1t will not be passed this year, but it's
promoters will try it again next year.
There has been some i'll feeling between
the Senate and House over the tendency
of the Senate to pass only their own
bills and let the House measures re-
main on the calendar at the great risk
of their death. Yesterday message came
from the Senate stating that that body
had passed several Senate bills and not
a single House bill.
Mr. Carroll Immediately moved that the
consideration of the Senate message be
postponed until next Tuesday. The rous-
ing aye vote which Mr.. Carroll's motion
received showed the temper of the House.
The Speaker, however, declared the mo-
ton lost, as such an affront to the up
per chamber could not be tolerated. The
Senate, however, being wise in its day
and generation, read the handwriting on
the wall, and when the Secretary of the
Senate came to the House this morning
his message showed that the Senate had
passed eleven House bills to one Senate
measure The announcement was re-
ceiyed with applause.
The Governor yesterday signed an even
dozen new laws. Among them were Mr..
Stokes, measure authorizing the expendi-
ture of S17,500 for a new building for
the Industrial School for Girls, and Mr..
McKee's bill appropriating $500 for a
monument to the Jerseymen who We're
killed in the destruction of the U. 5. ).
Maine in the Havana harbor.
The House this morning passed Mr..
Murphy's bill providing that Police JUS
tices in Jersey City and Newark shall be
elected by the people, appropriating $1,000
for additional clerk hire in the Quarter
master Generals office; the Trenton ward
line BILL and the bill appropriating $4,000
for furnishing Newark's Armory
The Appropriations Committee has de-
cided to include in it's item for the Ma
.tional Guard the s13oOo0 necessary to meet
the expenses incurred by the State in
equipping the volunteers last summer. In
order to collect this sum from the Federal
Government. the State has to present
vouchers showing that the money has ac-
tually been paid. The appropriation for
the Guard is to be based upon the pro-
posed reorganization counting upon 5000
men. The Battalions of the East and
West, Naval Reserve. are to be taken
care Of The committee has about de-
cided to grant all the requests for extra
appropriations made by the State Board
of Education.
There was a tilt in the Senate this
morning between Mr.. McDermott and Mr..
Pitney, The Hudson Senator moved to
relieve the Committee on Revision of
Laws, of which Mr.. Pitney is chairman,
from further consideration of the House
bill regulating the method of making con-
tracts for work or material or the pur-
chase of personal property in first class
cities.
President Reed ruled the motion out of
order and Mr. McDermott appealed. He
scored the committee for keeping the bill
and was discussing the measure when Mr..
Pitney claimed he was out of order.
Mr.. McDermott insisted he was in or
der and went right on.
For some time the tilt between Messrs.
Pitney and McD%rmott was exceedingly
lively and then the appeal from the chair
having been Withdrawn the President de-
elared the episode closed.
The five per cent. bill then came up on
second reading and gave rise to a long
discussion The trouble began with an
amendment by Mr.. Jokes to make the
rate four per cent which was defeated.
Joseph S. Gaskill. the Pennsylvania
Railroad Attorney was renominated by