Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-03-02
MANY BILLS,FEN LAWS
Only Three Measures Have Been
Passed and Signed.
THE SITUATION AT TRENTON.

THE SITUATION AT TRENTON.
Rush at the End InevitabIe-Senator
Ketcham's Soldier Bill Passes the
Senate-This Provides SO a Month
For Married Men and 81 Month
For Single Men-The First Political
Measure BoBs Up.
Especial Correspondence
Trenton. March with today eight
weeks of the legislative session have
been spent, and the present week is the
first of the eight that both houses set
tied down determinedly to business
Upward of 200 bills have been intro
duced in the assembly since Jan. 10,
and up to this morning IA have been
offered in the senate. 1t is easy to see
the pace at which the legislature has
been travelling when it is known that
out of this large number of new meas
ures only three have so far reached the
governors hands. But now that the
legislative wheels are fairly in motion
they will move rapidly, and, with the
prospect of final adjournment not far
distant. a tremendous amount of bust
ness will be soon dispatched. Governor
voorhees, is fearful that in spite Of his
warning the legislature will leave pile
of bills in his hands when final adjourn
ment comes He told the members that
he did not want the responsibility for
practically the whole legislation of the
winter. He wished the bills to be sent
to him gradually, so that he might ex-
anime them with care and in the event
of discovering defects of any character
return them to the appropriate house
for correction or defeat 1t has been
suggested, since there is no way to
avoid the usual hurry of the closing
DAYS, that the legislature should on
completing its regular business take a
recess for about two weeks and then
return for the sole purpose of acting on
vetoed bills If there should be any. In
that way the governor would be re-
lieved of some of the responsibility for
the final disposition of debatable ques-
tons.
Politics mt the Prison.
The first avowedly partisan bill Of the
session made its appearance this week.
being a measure introduced by Senator
Hutchinson of Mercer to abolish the
nonpartisan board of inspectors at the
state prison. He proposes to have Gov
ernor Voorhees, appoint five inspectors.
three Republicans and two Democrats,
who shall enjoy five year terms Thirty
days after the boards first meeting the
terms of all the present deputies and
other subordinate officers shall expire,
and the board shall fill their places The
force is now pretty evenly divided be-
tween Republicans and Democrats. but
under the new act there would be a
clean sweep of Democrats. Senator
Hutchinson admits the purpose of his
bill and accepts the full responsibility
for it, though it is believed that num-
Der of active Republican workers in and
about Trenton are at the bottom of the
movement Considerable doubt is ex-
pressed as to the fate of the bill, as it is
party workers from Jersey City and
Newark have been laboring for weeks,
but in vain, with Governor Voorhees,
trying to get his approval of political
measures affecting those cities. The
Mercer Republicans are circulating a
story to the effect that they unearthed
a plot among the Democratic prison
deputies in the interest of Elvin w.
Crane, the Democratic candidate for
governor last autumn.
Governor Voorhees, is gradually get
ting through with his list of appoint
ments. Yesterday he sent to the senate
the names of John Taylor and G. D. w.
vroorr1. both or Trenton, for managers
of the State Hospital For the Insane at
Trenton. Mr.. Taylor was confirmed at
once, being an ex-senator while Mr..
vroom's name was referred. Another
batch of appointments from the execu-
tive chamber contained the following,
which were referred
Elwood C. Harris to be judge of the
First district court Newark, vice Thorn
as N. McCarter, resigned.
To be members of the board of medi-
cal examiners, E. L. B. Godfrey. Cam
den; Charles A. Graves, Newark; Davis
p Borden, Paterson, all reappointed.
To be members of the board of man.
ayers of state insane asylum at Morris
Plains, George Richards, Romeo f.
Chabert, James M Buckley, Patrick
Farrelly and John C. Eiseie, all rec p
pointed.
Pay For the Soldiers.
The senate has disposed of the vexa-
tious problem of paying the members
of the New Jersey regiments and the
naval reserve who enlisted for the
Spanish war. Senator Ketcham's bill,
emanating from the state military and
finance officers, was passed It allows
Sc month to married men and 81 a
month to single men, being the same
allowance as was given after the civil
war. The total expense will be about
s1S5,000. Other bills on the same sub
ject would have cost the state $500, 900
and s75o.0O0 respectively. There was
some debate preliminary to action, SEN
ators Ketcham and w M. johnson de-
Tending the bill in the interest of the
taxpayers. Senators McDermott and
Van Cleef claimed that it violated the
promises held out by the Republicans
to the soldiers last fall. The senate also
passed the measure voting IS 600 for
badges for the survivors of the war.
Before the passage of the bills the
senate committee on militia gave an
other hearing to the soldiers committee
which has been urging the passage of
the $750,00O bill. The delegation of SOL
diers was made up as follows: Privates
Van Sickle, Knebler, Mclaughlin, Ros-
sitter and Hoch of the First regiment
and T. ]. Bowling, William T. Hughes,
Robert G. Bremner and P. ]. Whelan of
the Second regiment
The soldiers will now turn their bat
teries on the assembly. in the hope of
getting more favorable consideration in
the shape of an amendment to the
Ketcham bill.
other Interesting Measures.
The bill creating a state board of
guardians for dependent children is
still bone of contention in the house
There was a further committee hearing
on it yesterday. Mrs. Emily William
son appeared as usual, in its favor.
Mrs. Benson and Miss Carlin of Jersey
City opposed. The great opposition is
from the children's homes now existing
in the state, which fear that they will
be driven out of business, the idea of
the new board being to place all orphan
children in private homes as rapidly as
possible. To offset the effect of the