The Penn's Grove record., 1901-03-01
The PENIS Grove Record
D MARCH l. 1901.
t25th Legislalure.
SPRING ELECTIONS ABOLISHED ~ crr1Es.

125th Legislature.
SPRING ELECTIONS ABOLISHED IN CITIES.
The Legislature rushed through the
Meeker bill this week which abolishes
all municipal elections in cities in the
spring and makes them come in the fall.
It makes the election for from President
down to pound keeper come in Novem-
Der. Those officials now in office includ-
ing Justices Of the Peace and Chosen
Freeholders, whose terms expire this
spring will hold over until next January
LIST, when their successors elected in Nov
ember will succeed them. Municipal
elections have always been held in the
spring since the organization OF local
government.
The law will affect Salem City where a
warm contest was expected this spring,
but it does not affect townships and Dor
oughs.
The bill was made a Republican caucus
measure Monday night by a vote Of 25 to
16 against strong opposition. Six Re
publican Assemblymen left the caucus
and voted with Democrats against the
bill which passed by a vote of SO to p.
Three Republicans, including Blohm, of
. Salem, did not vote either way. On
Wednesday the Senate jammed the bill
through as a caucus measure with amend
ments extending the terms OF CHOSEN
F%reehoIdcrs elected in cities. On IT'S re-
turn to the House Mr. Biohm voted Tor
the amendments so the Dill couIu pass
and go to the Governor VINO mas eN-
pressed his Willingness to let 1t become a
law, even If he does not sign IT. notWlth-
standing he regards 1t as pad poiIIcS'
The Government signed 1t on Thursday,
There was no debate on the bill IN the
House but in the Senate the argument Tor
the bill was made by the kepuhlicali
leader Chas, Reed, OF Somerset VINO sad;
Chimes have changed and methods OF
election have changed, said he, and
the present bill presents an advanced
plan that will become more popular the
better it is known. Modern conditions
have made it necessary to throw such eN-
%traordinary safeguards around the ballot
that frequent elections are no longer des-
irable, especially in large centres OF pop'l-
latlon. Municipal elections require the
same machinery, the same printing the
same officers and the same booths as ma
tional elections, and there is no sense IN
duplicating the cumbersome and eNpen-
siye process every year lie regarded
as fallacious the theory that YOU cannot
get a fair and Tree expression OF opinion
ii the spring and fall elections are com
bined.
Senator Martin, OF Sussex replied: lie
insisted that the bill was nothing more
than a scheme to compel ON men To
come out and vote tor some Repupilcah
candidates Tor whom they refuse to now
vote at the spring elections, He stated
that he had been gwen to understand
that several OF the senator had express
ed themselves as willing to vote Tor the
measure ii it was only made applicable
to cities. II it was a to save mon
ey, why was it not made to apply 10 the
townships end b%oroughs. They needed
economy as much as the cities,
POLITICIANS DEMAND II LAW
Senator Hudspeth said that 1t appeared
that the commuters, who have no inter
est in municipal elections, are being leg
islated for to the exclusion OF the major
ity Of the voters, Never before has leg
islation OF this character been proposed
that it had not been condemned by the
people, and this measure, he prophesied,
would be 10 exception. Ii the matter
had gone to the people 80 per cent. OF
the voters would have rejected it. Re
ferring to the progress argument adyan-
ced by the advocates Of this bill, the
speaker said that they were turning the
hands OF the clock backward, and that
the measure was retogression and not
progression. Certain politicians have
lap,opJal fills hill and tlprp upra mon
in the caucus who had felt the pulse of
40 ,,oorIo and who ref,,sed IN snbp,it IN
RI ,"1.N5
tle lui'uellVe Dcil'l'u ''e measure
Economy, he said, Is always h argu-
ment used in advocacy of an obnoxious
,,,oas,,ro and +bot vas tbo nr;rc;nal ono