The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-03-01
THE END
IN SIGHT
Anti.Sprine Measure RailrOaded
Through Legislature.
Governor Voorhees, Signed Meas
ure Yesterday - Butler Now q
Boroueh-BmI to Abolish Boards
of FrechoIders Introduced.

Despite all predictions to the con-
trary the Meeker Anti-spring election
bill was literally forced through both
Houses of the legislature this week
and sent to the Governor. AS it is
we'll known that the governor will
allow the act to become law without
his signature there can be no doubt
but that it will soon adorn the statute
books of the State.
By it's provisions Spring elections
are wiped out in every city of the
State. Only towns, townships and
boroughs are exempt.
The bill had stormy passage, due
partly to the rush with which it went
through and partly to the stiff opposi-
tion. 1t passed the House easily
enough and was sent to the Senate.
There the lynx eyed statesmen dis
covered the serious defect in that the
bill failed to provide for the exten-
sion of the terms of freeholders cleo
ted in cities. An amendment was
tackled on and after lengthy debate
the measure was passed by vote
of 16 to 8.
The debate on the anti-Spring Elec-
tion Bill in the Senate was the longest
and most interesting of any thus far
this session. 1t was opened by Sena-
tor McOarter, of Essex, who moved
that the Senate take up the bill on
second reading. The motion was
carried and Senator McCarter then
offered an amendment covering a
defect discovered in the bill so that
it would provide for the extension of
the terms of Freeholders expiring this
spring The amendment was adopted
and upon motion of Mr.. Reed the rules
were suspended and the bill placed
on third reading and final passage.
Senator Reed then spoke at consider
able length ON the measure. He opened
with a reference to the gradual evo-
Jersey from the original form of lin
ing up the advocates of any position
on one side of tho road and the op-
ponents of it on the other side, then
having somebody count up which side
had the majority. Time has changed
the election methods, he declared and
the present bill presented still more
advanced plan, which he believed
would become more popular as it was
better known. Continuing he declared
that modern conditions had made it
necessary to throw extraordinary safe
guards around the ballot, so that fre-
quent elections had become no more
desirable. This he asserted was espe-
cialiy true in the larger cities.
Municipal elections, Senator Reed
declared, required the same booths,
same printing and same officers as
state contests, therefore there was no
use in reduplicating the expensive
processes every year. He insisted
that the passage of the anti-Spring
Election law would save at least
$3.50, 900 yearly to the State beside
the saving in great upsetting in bust
ness attendant upon every election.
Regarding the assertion that the
consolidation of spring and fall elec-
tions would prevent free and fair
expression of the views of the voters
of the State upon municipal questions,
CapotOr Road doo1orad oD,pba ~ oo II II
that such an assertion was an insult
upon the intelligence of the voters.
On the contrary he argued the spring
election was not full expression of
the peoples voice, inasmuch as only a
few voted Mr.. Reed declared that
he had no apology to offer for the
measure The Republican party, he
asserted. was the party of progress
and the bill was in line with the
progressive ideas of the State.
Senator Martin, of Sussex, briefly
opposed the measure. He declared
that if passed at all it should extend
to all parts of the State and not alone
to cities. The reason the rural dis
tricts were left out, he said was sim
ply to secure the votes of certain
senators who would not support the
measure otherwise He believed the
consolidation of the two elections
would only go farther toward the
preparation of fraud
Senator Hudspeth, of Hudson, next
took the floor and made..a lengthy and
lmpassioned argument against the
bill. He took the ground that it was
solely partisan measure, designed
blythe Republicans to secure the large
vote in Hudson and Essex counties
cast by commuters, whose business
and interests were in New York and
whose homes only were in NewEJ Jersey.
He admitted that the vote at elections
were much larger in the fall, but de-
clared that it was due to the fact that
the commuters turned out to vote for
national issues. Suddenly he ex-
claimed:
Where do all the votes in the
fall in Hudson County as ONE from?''
g. we'll in Hudson County, nobody
can ever tellp' spoke out Senator
Reed facetiously. whereat the Senate