Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-02-06
THE LEGISLATURE.

get down to actual work within the
next week or two than has character
lied their actions for the past few
weeks, it may be that the present ses-
sion of the legislature will extend into
the middle or latter part of April and
will be the longest held in several
years. As it is, the session will be at
least two weeks longer than last year.
which consumed eleven weeks, a fort
nights delay having been occasioned
by the Inauguration of Governor Muir
ply and the senatorial contest.
The Republican caucus on Tuesday
in one ballot selected ex-Mayor Frank
o. Briggs of Mercer as the party choice
for state treasurer over Senator
Charles A. Reed of Somerset. The vote
was 80 to 81
With this problem out of the way, it
is to be expected that the fifth week
of the session, which begins next Mon
day night, will be productive of some
results in a legislative way. So far 116
bills have been introduced in the two
houses, the assembly bills numbering
sixty-nine. The committees have been
unusually slow in getting together, and,
with the exception of a few of the I'M
Important ones, none of the bills has
been reported and none of them has
reached a third reading.
Regarding the Amendments.
The most important feature of this
week, aside from the selection by the
Republican caucus of state treasurer
to succeed the late George B. Swain of
Essex, whose place is being temporal
rily filed by Franklin O. Briggs of
this city, the ad interim appointee of
Governor Voorhees,. was the presenta-
ton to the senate by the governor of
Attorney General Grey'S opinion rela-
tive to the alleged illegal advertising
of the proposed constitutional amend
ments, in which the attorney general
states that the fact that the publica-
ton of the amendments was not for
the full three months required by law
nullifies the effect of the advertising
and that the amendments will now
have to be submitted at this legisla-
ture and held over for another year be-
fore they can be voted upon by the
people 1t is thought by some that
this means the death of the amend
ments and that they will not again be
heard from.
The governor sent to the senate on
Monday night the nominations of Ma
than +. Barrett of New York and
Abram De Ronde of Bergen county as
members of the Palisades interstate
park commission. These gentlemen
were members of last years commits
sion, and they are reappointed. There
is still much speculation as to who
will be the governors choice for the
important offices to be filled by him
during the session. 1t is almost fore
gone conclusion that Senator Thomas
N. McCarter of Newark will be named
to succeed Attorney General Grey of
Camden. Assemblyman John Mont
gomery of Middlesex is an active can
didate for the position of state road
commissioner, now held by Henry 1.
Budd, who has served two terms and
half in that office. Governor Muir
ply is said to be rather favorable to
the appointment of Samuel S. Moore
of Elizabeth to another term as state
prison keeper, although there are no
less than half dozen candidates for
the place, the foremost of whom are
former Assemblyman Jonathan Goble
of Ocean, who is at present deputy
at the prison and former Senator Car
fer of Burlington. The office of secre
tary of state. now held by George
Wurts of Paterson, is another concern
4 Il 10
Iation. The present incumbent is a
candidate for another term, and Colo
mel Samuel d. Dickinson of Jersey
City is prominently mentioned in con-
nection with the berth. The latter is
a warm personal friend of Governor
Murphy, and there is every indication
that he will land the plum.
To Increase Road Appropriation.
An important bill was introduced by
Senator Johnson of Camden this week
which increases the states appropria-
ton for the building of stone roads
from $4,000 to $250,000 The friends
of this bill hold that there is no better
way in which to eXpend the states
surplus than in constructing good
roads and in thus practically cement
ing the state together with series OF
well paved highways The appropria-
ton of S150,000 last year was secured
only after the hardest fight, and even
the appropriation of 100000 granted
three years ago was bitterly opposed
by those who contended that there
were better and more urgent uses for
the states money. 1t is expected that
Senator Johnson's bill will meet with
some opposition, but the introducer
and the friends of the measure mean
to leave no stone unturned to secure
it's passage. There are now some coun-
ties which have been compelled to Dor
row money to pay for roads just com
Melted or in course of construction.
Over $4,000 of an appropriation by the
state would be required to meet the
present demands.
Interest on States Money.
A bill presented by Senator McCartel
provides that the state treasurer shall
hereafter deposit state moneys in such
banks as will allow a reasonable and
fair rate of interest on all balances to
the credit of the treasurer. The gov
elnor is to approve any choice OF de-
pository made by the treasurer, and no
liability is to attach to the treasurer
or his bondsmen by reason of loss of
public funds in an institution so desig-
mated when such loss shall be OCCASION
ed by negligence, dishonesty or mis-
management by officers, directors,
agents or employees of the bank. This
bill is in line with the suggestion made
by Governor Murphy in his inaugural
address, in which he called attention
to the fact that the state had never re
ceived any interest on its money de
posted in banks.
If bill introduced by Assemblyman
Whitford of Middlesex county is pass
ed, which is not at all likely, there Will
be established in New Jersey a state
university on the same basis as the
leading colleges, an appropriation of
S1.3OO.OO0 being asked for. The bill
provides that the university shall be
under the control of the state board of
education and that it shall be located
anywhere in the state outside of Tren-