The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-09-24
WHO BLUNDERED?
Errors in Notice Of Consti-
tutional Amendments
Fatal.
MUST BEGIN ANEW
Whole Paragraph Omitted
and Dates in Biennias
Session Clause All
Wrong.
MUST BEGIN ANEW


that through the blunder of some one III
the office of Secretary of State Wurts at
Trenton, the constitutional amendments
passed by the last Legislature have been
set back an entire year.
The error discovered relates to the time
for which the advertisements must appear
in the public prints. Secretary of state
Wurts declares that they appeared W1thin
the time required by the constitution and
that the discovery amounts to nothing
1.-The Jersey City News" however, mas
discovered that three weeks after the nrst
insertion some one in the Secretary o.
States office found gross errors IN the
first copy sent out as to dates and the
omission of an entire paragraph. These
mistakes were rectified in new notice,
which appeared for the first time on Au-
gust 80. which is not within the time for
publication required by the constitution,
or that period which the Secretary oil
State deems sufficient.
According to the fundamental law OF
New Jersey any specific amendment or
amendments to the constitution may be
proposed in the senate or general assem-
bly. and if the same shall be agreed to
by majority of the members elected
to each of the two houses, such proposed
6menumt1L OF dIatHu1uCHtS oLdli bO VII
tered on their journals, with the yeas and
nays taken thereon, and referred to the
legislature then next to be chosen, and
shall be published for three months pre-
vious to making such choice, in at least
one newspaper of each county.
The amendments which the last Legis-
lature adopted were sent to '"rhe Jersey
City News and the leading newspapers
in each of the ether counties so that the
first insertion appeared August g. The
election for the members of the Legisla-
ture, which will next pass upon them will
be held on Tuesday, November 5, which,
as anyone can plainly see is not three
months previous to the election In order
to be three full calendar months prev
ious to making such choice as provided in
the constitution, their publication should
have begun August 4. August A. how
ever, was Sunday, and in order to be fully
within the constitutional requirements it
is claimed the publication should have be-
gun on August 8. Some people were IN
clined to look upon the situation as one
of little consequence and not worthy OF
serious consideration. The idea that it
was done intentionally for the purpose OF
vitfating the amendments in hopes THAI
before the constitutional time for their
submission to the people a Legislature
might be elected hostile to the amend
ments and defeat them, is scoffed at Tne
amendments. with the exception of the
one providing for biennial sessions, are
greatly needed, and have met with conf
paratively little, If any, adverse criticism.
Nevertheless Secretary of State Wurts
has considered the situation of enough
Importance to warrant him in considering
1t seriously In the Paterson Press" OF
last evening, a newspaper which he owns
and whose editorial policy he directs, ap-
peared this explanatory EDITORIAL
The constitution says that any spe-
cific amendment shall, after being ap-
proved of by the legislature, be pub
iished for three months previous to
next election and then come again be-
fore the legislature for approval, after
which it must be submitted to the vot-
ers at the next succeeding election.
The election this year falls on Tues
day, November 5, and it is claimed that
in order to comply with the constitu-
tion the proposed amendments snouid
were not advertised till Aug. 8. This
contention is probably not correct.
The publication of these proposed
amendments was begun in time to al
low them to be advertised in the pa
pers designated, once. week for thir-
teen consecutive weeks prior to the
election, and this is believed to be
sufficient compliance with the consti-
tutional provision 1t might indeed be
held that the language of the consti-
tuition would require that publications
of this kind would have to be made
every. day for the entire period Of three
has never been done in any similar
case The number of insertions and
the period of time allotted for this pub
lication is as already stated, believed
to be legally sufficient.
This is not the only error which has
crept into the advertisement through
some ones blundering AS stated above,
the advertisements first appeared on Au-
gust g. Some three weeks afterward
some one, evidently in the Secretary of
States office, discovered that fatal
errors had gotten into the no.
tices as printed and sent out amended
COPY These gross errors can be readily
seen by glance at the following deadly
parallel The first was published August
9 and the second on August 30.
rrserf Aqgdnp IN lieu of Article VII; VII.
Paragraph l. new CIVIL oFFIGERS.
bsraeraph as fol- SECTION II.
,l,e,.-- Pa Insert in lieu of
T,dses of the Paragraph /, new
fSourt of Errors and paragraph as fol-
Appesaie, sisrsrus sns'i9S Court. l. Judges of the
the th ShenceIIor. the Court of Errors and
kne W. ThanceIIors and Appeals, Justices of
M Mvtce I,r5gss n the the Supreme Court,
tne9t tne rse,,r+ and of the Chancellor, the
Nircult - D1u' of Gam Vice Chancellors and
ahe 1vaa 11aa shall he the Judges of the
mon Iiea Itad Nv the Circuit Court and of
nonlindlso ~ an the Court of Com
GoverIot hirn with mon Pleas shall be
pointer py and con- nominated by the
the auvlcs ai Sanate Governor and ap-
Eent Of an LIE ofthe pointed by him with
Ine Jues E,..s 81 end the advice and con-
Courl u aa,,t +lase sent of the Senate.
Appeais, eAsspI ~. tba All persons now
first appoialeu, S,,. holding any office in
Justices o. .ne -,a this paragraph nam
preme oouls,z the ed except the Judges
ChancelioI anu ,,siI 81, of the Court of Err
Vice Chancetse3ls e s3 IT,. sn fnr rors and Appeals as
hold tnelr onicsS ,1e1, lo heretofore existing,
the term OF Sess 81 shall continue in the
years, ana shaA exercise of the du-
stated times leSsiso ties of their respec-
for their seIsic5S, as'ls,at : tive offices and ac-
An Old and wsll Tried Remedy.
urs. winslow's Soothing Syrup for chil- 81