The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-04-05
More Politicians Put Into
Places Which Were Long
Held by Experts -Griggs
Began the Evil.

From the Evening POST of Yesterday
There is indication of change in the
policy and administrative methods of New
Jersey in regard to corporations This
yfves alarm to those who agree with the
President of the United States that
Trusts fwidely believed, as ne says. to be
'tin certain features and tendencies hurt
fui to the general welfareD should be
rigfdly supervised and controlled. For
years New Jersey has had definite poll
ley regarding corporations AS Governor
Murphy said yesterday to a reporter Of
the Evening Post, "she has had defin-
tie policy supported by public opinion;
she protected property rights against as
sausts from socialism and. anarchy most
carefully, and corporations came to have
faith in her" Now, however. just as she
is adjusting herself to the requirements
of these new combinations, which may be
in certain tendencies hurtful to the gem
eral welfare. it is feared that she is be-
coming less conservative than when the
need was not so tremendously pressing.
In a word, it is asked:-"Is New Jersey,
whose laws, policy. and administrative
methods form about the only curb upon
Trllsts-is she going to allow these Trusts
to master her?''
Since 1916 she had the same laws prac-
tiealIy unchanged They may not have
been ideal, but they were stable they
were fixed They were not subjected 10
continual tinkering, as in other States,
and capital knew precisely what to ex-
pect, year after year; there was settled
policy and conservative methods of ad-
;rsnistration. Il was this policy and these
.,,5 =
selves that attracted capital Other
States, hve or six at least, copied her
laws. made the same statutes, but they
could net much to their surprise, take
New Jewsey's Incorporating business
away from her. They had shiffy meth
DDS; they would favor corporations one
year and knock them the next; ana the
corporations preferred q happy near
were willing to submit to little less ID
vor If that would save them a little
knocking Thus. New Jersey held her
own. and it was to her the great new in
dustrial and financial aggregations'' went,
bringing their vast taxable possibilities
In the seminary of economics at H9r-
ward the other cay J. B. Dill explained
the failure of the other States to win
away Jerseys Incorporating business
By describing The permanency Of her
policy, and by pointing out that her
Constitution prohibited special charters,
special legislation and protected the cor
porate dollar from any other or further
rax than fhe Individual dollar" He gave
another reason why New Jersey was pre-
ferred above other Se4tes: 1t was because
OF "the buEiness-fi1e administration of
her executive osfiees-as instanced by the
fact that one Secretary Of State remained
as head Of that important Department for
twenty-seven years She intelligence, in
tegrity and high character OF both bench
and bar; these conditions mad giyen the
public conadeaee in the stability and in
The administration OF her laws and had
brought capital. business, trade. and
commerce within her borders, with the
legitimate return by way Of tax income.
But 1t appears that tnese conditions, 50
long unaHered, are now disappearing.
THE FIRST CHANGES.
PerhaTs they began to go in Gov.
Griggss time; certainly they were dis
tinctiy modified under Gov. Voorhees,,
when novel corporation laws were enact
ed and under the new Governor. Franklin
Murphy the swing Of the pendulum is
still in that direction, with no tendency
TO return to the old. Gov. Murphy de-
clares that this is not so that New Jer-
sev knows the value OF her former policy
ma il maintaining it, and Is sim