The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-27
IN TRUSTS GRIP.
The Legislature Was the
Slave Of the Big Com
binations.
PLENTY OF CASH TO DISTRIBUTE
Appropriations Largest Ever
Made in Spite of Repub-
licans' vaunted Economy.
PLENTY OF CASH TO DISTRIBUTE

Especial to ''The Jersey City News."1
TRENTON, March 27, 1S99.-The Legiss
lature, which adjourned sine die last
Friday was in many respects a most re-
markable body. Tt made a record for
conservatism. No really important acts
were passed. Nearly all attempts at
partisan legislation were frowned upon,
and as a consequence only two acts, re-
lating to ward district lines in Trenton
and New Brunswick, these being political,
Were placed on the statute book. Senator
Hutchinson's bill, giving the control of
the State Prison offices to the Republican
party, never saw daylight It was
smothered in committee of which Sena-
tor Pitney was chairman. The impor-
tunities made by Colonel Dickinson, of
Jersey City, and Major Lentz, of Newark,
for legislation to give them control of the
Police and Fire Departments of those
cities were brushed aside which Is be-
cause the policy of the Republican Lead
ers was averse to interference in local
affairs. The Republicans regard this as
a great record for on-partisanship and
are confident that it has strengthened
the party before the people
AS to other legislation, perhaps the
record that has been made n not so sat
isfactory. Anyhow, the DeS Serats make
that allegation. 1t is charged that the
Legislature from beginning to end has
been entirely under the control of trusts
and corporations. Not even one bill in
imical to those interests has become
law. Several antitrust measures were in
troduced, but because they had a Demo7
cratic sponsorship they were never per
mitted to come up for discussion. AS to-
whether they were right or wrong was a
question which should have been settledH
in open session and not strangled by the
committees having them in charge. The
republican majority undoubtedly was
guilty or eowardice in the method it pur-
sued with regard to that class of bills.
By ruling of the President of the
Senate 1t was declared that no Senator
had right to move for the discharge of
q COMMITTEES from the further consid-
as autocratic in the extreme, and Presi-
dent Reed. fortified himself by saying
dent from time immemorial in the New
Jersey Senate. In the House motions
We're always permitted to force COM
mittees to report bills. but these motions
We're quickly defeated by strictly par
tlsan vote. That the committees of the
Legislature should have such drastic
reason.
A three million dollar Legislature" is
the name given to it. This has reference
to the large appropriations that have been
made-the largest in the history or the
State.
During the session $40 bills were in
the House. OF these 231 have become
laws, and the Governor has So yer to
remarkable record in the manner In
which he has disposed of the legislation
OF the session. During the past week he
remained in his office day and night, con-
sidering bills which were presented TO
him. He made it a practice during the
the session to. read each bill as soon as it
remarked u an4r fnc n
thus he became familiar with the course
of legislation, and was ready to act at
9nsf1v bas bsan t6at 6a ms bfnr AZ ~
lature adjourned he had disposed of all
the bills brought before him, with the
exception of S5. Last year. at the close
were dumped in the Executive office, and
several weeks were required to dispose
expressed over the Governors indus
try, because it has been his main char
acteristic during his public career.
Perhaps the most popular Speaker that
ever presided over the House of Assembly
is Mr.. Watkins. The Democratic minor
ity was lavish in its praise of his ability,
with the Republican majority in doing
him honors. 1t was a rare sight to see
two men in tears while one was address,
ing the other. That was the case when
Mr.. Murphy, the Democratic leader, was
making the presentation speech to the
have already started him out as a candi-
date for Governor
The important acts of the session are
easily enumerated The Railway Refor-
matory gets $3.50 600 the volunteer soldiers
of the late war 900 and the public
roads $15300 A State Board of Children's
Guardians is created and the building and
loan associations will hereafter be under
a State supervision. The Park License bill
has become a law, the Hackensack mea-
dows are to be reclaimed and Sssto
Commission of Sewerage has been Great
started off with S25 600 The Compensation
of the special Judges Of the Court of Er-
rorS has been reduced and the kissing OF
the Bible is done away with in the taking
of dispositions and the giving of testi-
mony. The Northern Railroad has been
merged with the Erie the Township Re-
vision act will be placed on the statute
book and $1,000 worth of medals will be
purchased for the volunteer soldiers. Asg
bury Park will get a District Court and
Trenton is allowed to construct a tunnel
under Cadwallader Park and also to build
a high school. And hereafter there must
iul money, thus doing away with the per-
nicious store-order system.
Among the bills that fell by the way
side were the following: For per cent,
interest, for a pure beer standard. for
track elevation in Newark, for a repeal OF
the Dunn act relative to the admission OF
lawyers, increasing the compensation OF
the Mercer county Freeholders, reducing
the number of Freeholders in Hudson
county to seven and all the measures for
so-called equal taxation, against trusts
and combinations and for general reform
IN many existing laws, which were iptro@
=.