The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-08
LARGER CAPITOL.
More Room is Greatly
Needed at the State
House.
DEPARTMENTS OYERCROWDED
Republican Factions Fighting
in Somerset Improve Demo-
cratic Chances.
Tspeclal to ..rhe Jersey city News."l

House COmnllSSlOu has uiSSuSSSo PhonS
for the rebuilding of the rear of the
State House, but the work will not be
done until next summer. The commits
sion was empowered to consider and pre-
pare plans for a new State chamber and
new offices for crowded State depart
ments. The commission nj report
back to the Legislature the plans and
the cost of the work. This is considered
a slow way of making improvements, but
it places the responsibility of the expen-
diture with the legislators.
They must authorize the expenditure
after celebrating on the plans.
A new Senate chamber is needed. The
present one is entirely too small and
badly lighted and ventilated. 1t is pro-
posed now to build a new chamber ex-
tending over the site of the present
Quartermaster Generals office to the
water power This will give natural
light and ventilation and will not DIS
turb the present landscape garden. Inc
old Senate chamber will be utlilZed Ior
committee purposes, particularly for
committee hearing, where arguments can
be made without disturbing the session
of either branch of the Legislature.
The rooms around the Senate
and those that will be quilt above Will
be utilized for offices. AT the present
time the quarters in the State House
are very much cramped. The State COM
missioner of Roads occupies one OF the
committee rooms of the House OF As,
sembly. The Dairy Commissioner and
the Agricultural Department are packed
away over the Senate offices. The state
Geologist has an SX10 box in connection
with the museum. And the FACTORY IN
spector takes any quarters that he can
get from time to time The school
museum is badly crowded. Some of the
exhibits are scattered over the upper
halls. It is only a matter of a few more
years now when the Secretary of State
will need more room. AT the present
time it is impossible to have all the cfer-
zeal force working at the same time, be-
cause these are so closely packed there
would not be any room for the numer-
Gus customers that are buying corpora
ton charters.
Senator Edward C. Stokes of Cumber-
a county. has for some time been act
ing as deputy clerk of the Supreme
the private secretary of Mr.. Riker, the
clerk. He has given up the work be-
cause he has Just been made the presi-
for he did not care to oyerwork himself
as the duties as president would demand
all of his time He will continue to live
in Millville, committing to Trenton. He
will continue to take an active part in the
politics of Cumberland county and In
State politics.
Charles N. Codding, a former Assem-
blyman from Union county has been
named as the deputy clerk, and a COM
missioned issued to him as the successor
of Alfred Lawshe, who held the office for
many years, under Benjamin F. Lee.
Mr.. Codding is the chairman of the Union
County Republican Committee, and a
warm personal friend of Governor Voor-
hees, who made the appointment.
Sergeant-at-Arms Atchley of the Sen
ate, is a candidate for the Republican
nomination for Sheriff in Mercer county.
He will have as his opponent Charles
McDermott of Princeton. The leaders Of
the county have nearly all declared fol-
Atchley.
which he viii get. Senator Elijah c.
Hutchinson will seek a denomination at
the proper time.
In Burlington both A~ssemblymen Hor-
ner and Wright will be given a renomina-
ton, and both will seek the Senatorial
honors nex year.
Thomas N. Carter, Jr., of Newark, is
tor Ketcham. The State leaders believe
that Essex will go Republican by a very
large plurality this year. Nearly all of
the eleven Assemblymen are to be sent
back.
Senators Asa Francis in Monmouth,
Hand in Cape May, Miller in Salem,
Stranger in Gloucester and Johnson in
Camden, will be renOminated by the Re
publicans.
Assemblyman George Squire of Union,
Will seek reelection and become an ac-
tive candidate for Speaker. Assemblyman
Wood of Mercer is. recommended for the
place by a number of the Assemblymen,
II he don't make Speaker, he will come
very near being leader. senator William
M. Johnson, of Bergen county, will be the
next president of the Senate.
Editor Barber will be the secretary, but
mere VIII bs a general shake up Of all
looks favorable for the nomination of
John H. Bonnell, the present custodian,
to be the Sheriff of Essex county. Some
men are so confident that this will hap
pen that they nave begun plotting for the
place and there are now half a dozen men
with their eyes on the berth. The posi-
position. He is the autocrat of the State
House and has executive directions of the
State House force. He is appointed by
the Governor and the salary is $3.50.
Although election is six months off, yet
Somerset County seems to be in a turmoil
over the nomination for State Senator.
There are so many candidates on the Re-
publican side that 1t is impossible now to
predict who will be named. The most
prominent among them are the present
incumbent. Charles A. Reed. who was
huysen and Matthew Suydam. Should the
contest become too hot, which is proba-
Die, former Senator Thompson is men
toned as a good compromise candidate.
The Democrats are not idle by any means.
They, too, have quite a list of candidates
from which they expect to select a win
ner- Those in the foreground are former
Speaker James J. Bergen, Nelson Dun
gan, the present Prosecutor of the Pleas,
and Nelson M. French.
cally. Sometimes 1t goes Republican and
at other times Democratic. AT elections
for the Legislature, however, the Re
publicanS seem to have better luck than
the Democrats, particularly in recent
years. The reason for this is that Ma
tiona1 issues prevailed at hose elections,
and many Democrats have been Young
the Republican ticket in order to uphold
the gold standard. 1t takes a very popu-
lar man, no matter what his politics may
be, to carry Somerset. Mr.. Thompson has
three times been chosen Senator, and that
fact is a marked evidence of his persona
popularity. Mr.. Reed demonstrated his
popularity three years ago by defeating
one of the best Democrats in the county.
For some reason or other he and Mr..
Thompson had a falling out, and UNI
~friendliness between them has existed to
the present day. Each leads a faction of
his party, and there is war to the knife.
Unless these leaders agree upon a candi-
date for Senator this time there will be
a poor chance for the election of a Re
publican.
Many people believe that Mr.. Freling-
huysen is the strongest man mentioned on
the Republican side. The lame alone sug-
gests strength in New Jersey. His fatner.
the late Frederick T. Frelinghpysen, was
a great lawyer and brilliant orator. he
was a United States Senator, a MEMBER
of President Arthur's Cabinet and served
as Attorney General OF New Jersey. Mr..
Frelinghuysen's friends assert that ne
does not belong to m faction OF ms
party, and that he is popular with polh.