New-York tribune., 1901-03-25
NEWJERSEY POLITICAL NOTES.

II is unfortunate that the legislature adjourned
without doing anything 10 solve the Passaic pollu
ticn problem. Those who opposed the proposed
trunk sewer plan had other remedy to propose
They represented Passaic County. especially Pater
son. whore the people seem 10 think that they have
Pt ne rght 10 pour their sewage INTO the tassaIe
down the stream. The objectors had no alternative
Known @ as the b of Phe
expense entailed cn Passaic County.
The initial for the failure of the legislat
pass the McCarter bill the bIunder OF
those engineering 1t in not complying with the law
TO advertise in advance the intention to introduce
such legislation. When this omission discov-
Voorhees, tried 10 find way out by sending to the
Of a law providing that one notice in a Trenton
newspaper should suffice instead OF repeat ed notices
in newspapers throughout the district affected
Undoubtedly the Governor believed that the
raordinary circumstances justified him in taking
this step. but there is for honest differ
of opinion TO the wisdom of establishing
such a precedent. The State constitution plainly
provides that no private special or local bill shall
be passed unless public notice of the intention to
apply therefor. and OF the general object thereof
shall have been previously given. To the legis-
lature committed the power TO determine the
time and mode Of giving notice. but Il doesn't re-
qulre constitutional lawyer 10 see that n notice
in e1tSn es
have hagranty Violated the spirit Of the constitu-
tional mandate.
However that may be, the Governors relieving
bill did pass. and the legislature adjourned
leaving the Passaic sewerage problem just where
ii the beginning. Senator McCarter
angry the failure of the bill in question. carry
ing with ii, IL did all hope of protection against
In so charging m @ ba h his
fellow legisla tors Mr. McCarter is accused OF using
language which. according TO The Jersey City
Journal" could only he printed In italics, dots
and dashes." Indignant the Essex Senator was. no
doubt, would have been any in his position,
but it is not likely that he used the language at
Anement. and while his feelings probably
expressed IN strong language, 1t Is not conceivable
that he utilized the vocabulary OF guttersnipes.
through any laundering. the Legislature should have
done nothing to stop the clanorous evil of pollu-
tion This evil is growing worse every year and il
is a permanent menace the health and pros-
perty of every hamlet and town on both hanks of
the Passaic River from Passaic down To fail in
the legislature. a lamentabie confession of impo-
tency.
The bill for the appointment OF two additional
vice-chancellors has become a law II is statad
that of them will be named at once and the
other next year. Inasmuch there il a vast
of work accumulated in this court why
would it be better to have the two appointed al
once? There are a good many lawyers and other
favor the abolition of the chancery court alto
gether, and there many good arguments in
other States. and seem set along better and with
less delay.-tPaterson Call
Some Democratic newspapers have persistentIy
circulated the story that of the vice-chancel-
lorships is TO be held open for Governor VOORHEES,
until next January That yarn is an insult TO the
Governor he IS altogether above being party TO
any such bargain and there is for trynu.
to keen alive the base!ess libel