, 1899-02-17
SOLONS and THE STORM
The Blizzard Interferes With
New Jersey Lawmaking.
MANY GAME BILLS INTRODUCED.

Propesitisn to Enact Uniform stat
utes Bearing on Hunting and Fish.
inE-ADpeiAtments to b Made-The
Pay 81 Volunteer Soldiers.
Especial Correspondence
Trenton. Feb. W.-It looked for awhile
~ II this legislature might duplicate
the experience Of the session of 1888.
h bliszard Of hat year caused an in
terrsSnum of . whole week. The storm
came on, az may be remembered. dur-
ing Sunday night, beginning the second
week In March. AND when Senator Rue
Of Mercer a the Trenton assembly
men YER 70 the statshouse Monday
evening they found themselves alone.
Adjournment tssh place till Tuesday,
when tive or three other members put
In an Appearance. So II continued from
day TO day till Friday. when nine sem
ators and 20 assemblymsn were In their
seats. This was still two short Of a
quorum In each house. and those pres
emf threw up the PONCE and adjourned
till the Monday following.
The blixsayd Of this year found the
Legislators enjoying Lincoin's birthday
At their homes. 90 there was no Mon
day session slated. but yesterday
(Tussday) morning when the hour for
osnvening ssrivsd only the Mercer sem
Atef. Mr.. Hutchinson, was at his place
In the senate. The Mercer assembly
men were alone In attendance In the
assembly. Adjournment was had till
afternoon.
BY afternoon Governor voorhees, and
| Senator Cross Of Union IA reached
Trenton, and 10 or IL assemblymen
were In their places. Each had a tale
of strange adventure to tell. There was
= long walt In the hope Of a quorum ar
| irving. but II was finally decided to ad-
jeurn over to today. At this writing
the quorum has not materialissd. but It
10 thought that there will be enough
members here during the day to hold
a session. The main line Of the Penn
~syivania railroad is In operation, but
the side roads. on which some Of the
members live. are still locked.
TAis Tears Game Bills.
A feature of every legislative session
Is the number of game bills introduced.
Year after year attempts are made to es-
tablish some sort of uniformity and per-
manence in the statutes bearing on fish,
Ing and cunning. but the task seems to
be q herculean one, IL not an absolute
impossibility. This situation of affairs
IL duo largely to the conflicting wishes
Of north Jersey and south Jersey sports
men. II the open season for game is
made early. II doesn't suit conditions In
the southern part OF the state, and IL II
Is made late the northern gunners COM
plain that the game will have left their
end OF the state before the spf9t begins.
| ThsH Aestab-
Iished. the arrangement Is unsatlsfac-
tory to central New Jersey. Hence the
constant tinkering with the laws. Then.
too, the interests of the sportsmen and
OF the farmers often conflict, n this
makes fresh trouble. The state fish and
game commissioners have devoted days
and nights TO the solution of the vexa-
tious problem without satisfactory re-
suit up to date.
The Essex County club, which con-
| tains many sportsmen. Is trying to Sc
cure some amendments this winter. One
| thing asked Is fuller protection for the
white bass, white perch and channel
catfish. species recently introduced In
the state. Prohibitofy legislation is also
sought against hat Is known as the
Lake Hopatcong spinner. a contriyance
which fairly bristlos with hooks. and
also against the taking with nets Of
striped bass, a fish that affords lots Of
sport with rod and line.
Senator Stokes, who Is spokesman for
the south Jersey sportsmen, wants ring
necked p~heasants protected for three
years and deer for five years, imposing
severe penalties on any one Who guns
for either during the prohibited time.
A somewhat similar bill was defeated
last year through Governor Voorhees,
Intervention. The Objectionable feature,
which was that it included owners Of
preserves. has been stricken out In the
present draft. Senator Hutchinson has
a bill pending which makes an open sea-
son for woodcock, partridges, quail and
rabbits from Nov. / to Dec. 10 yearly
AND adds September to the open season
for squirrels. He is DESTROYS of stopping
all cunning In October and claims that
he speaks for a large contingent of
sportEmen. A north Jersey sportsman
is quoted as saying:
THE bll will suit the people in the
central portion OF the state. but in the
northern part there will be opposition
to the ~woedcock season as suggested on
the ground that woodeock generally
leave these parts during the last full
moon In October. II will be argued that,
according to Senator Hutchinson's bill,
the people up here will be compelled to
take care of the birds all during the
summer for the benefit of the south
Jersey gunners. who can kill them in
November. 1t Is seldom that woodcock
get farther south than the southern
part OF the state before the middle of
November. The bill will also meet with
opposition from the southern part of
the state. where the gunners prefer a
season opening on the 18th of November
and closing about the middle of Janu-
airy. Down there the people argue that
rabbits are not fit for the table until
December"
Assemblyman Steelman of Cumber-
land county presented q bill the other