The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-03-16
Especial Correspondence.


Especial Correspondence.
Trenton, March 15 This has been
somewhat of All upset week III the
Legislature. The missing of the Mon
day night and the Tuesday sessions
because of the township elections, has
punched all the work of the week into
two days and much that should have
been done, has been left undone and
the net result was Legislature topsy
turvy. Little was accomplished on
Wednesday because there were SO
many committee hearings scheduled
and that caused short sessions and
members to be out of their seats.
If the Legislature is to adjourn sine
die on Friday of next week, then there
will have to be some miracles worked
for it is really physical impossibil
ity. A peep at the bill basket of the
executive department at the beginning
of the session on Wednesday morning
revealed the fact that only 36 bills
had reached the Governor and of that
number he signed 23 of them.
NOT A RECORD BREAKER.
Up to the time that this letter was
written there was signed by the Gov
ernor rs bills. The Legislature of 1895
did quick work on March ID, of that
year 1853 chapters of laws had been
added to the statute books, while in
1898, the records show that by March
Is, the Governor had signed 176 bills.
In 1892 on March 15, SO bills had been
signed and in 1891 on March 16, 96
laws had been enacted.
In all likelihood it will be twelve
week session and they are exceptional.
The session last year was only eleven
weeks, and 219 laws were enacted.
All the sessions of the past four years
have been eleven weeks excepting
1897 when it was twelve weeks. In
1899 and 1898 the business was all
transacted in nine weeks and even
then, both sessions produced about
three hundred new laws. This session
will give the average which will be a
few over two hundred.
The Joint Committee on Appropri-
ations state that it will not be the fault
of its lack of work, if the Legislature
does not shut up shop" next week.
They began sessions promptly at two
O'Clock Monday afternoon and have
been figuring every day since then.
The Governor came to his desk early
ON Monday and began examining a
few bills delivered to him late last
week.
The Governor has completed all his
appointments of the year and he now
enjoys blissful rest when he retires.
There has been radical change made
in the State, because, the last of the
Democratic judges and prosecutors
have gone and now all the machinery
as far as it is wise to make it is in
the hands of the Republicans. All
the county judges are Republican, so
are the prosecutors. Six years ago
with one exception they were all Dem
ocrats All the heads of the depart
ments are now Republican, while six
years ago they were, with two eXcep-
tions all Democrats. 1t is remark
able change in a short time, but it is
a significant one. The Governors APP
pointments next year will be unusual
ly large, and will bring to him lots
of trouble, for it will not be the Re-
publican against the Democratic in
eumbents but the Republicans against
Republicans and they are the meanest
kind of contests to have in a year
when it is necessary to elect Repub-
lican Governor.
State Chairman Murphy has issued
the call for the Republican State Con-
vention for April 10. Morris County
is to have 30 delegates in the conven-
tion. 1t looks now very much as if
the "big four" to the National Con
vention from New Jersey will be the
two United States Senators, State
Chairman Franklin Murphy and Bar
ker Gummere. Some of the papers
suggest Senator Pitney as an alternate
for United States Senator John Kean
and others think he will be district
delegate but the Senator is just keep
ing his ear to the ground and keeping
his own counsel at the same time.
On Wednesday afternoon Assembly
man Welsh made neat speech ex-
planning the merits of his bill, 214,
which he introduced on February 27,
which provides for the electing of
Freeholders by plurality of votes and
not majority. The bill cures a sta
tute now on the statutes Mr. Welsh
does not often make a speech, but
when he does talk, he says it briefly
and pointedly but he passed the bill.
Assemblyman Garrison introduced
a bill which fixes the responsibility
of corporations. 1t is supplement to
an act entitled Gan Act to Regulate
the Practice of the Courts of Law
1t authorizes service of copy of
the declaration on the same officers
of corporation as the summons may
be served, which practically puts cor
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