Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-10-15
FIRST NEW JERSEY LAWS.
Paper Read Before the Gloucester County
Historical Society by John G. Whitall


eral Assembly of the Province of New
Jersey, 1903 to 1776.
Having had an opportunity of exam
lining an old book containing, accord
ing to its title page, the Acts of the
General Assembly of the Province of
New Jersey from the surrender of the
government to Queen Anne on the
17th day of April in the year of our
Lord 1902, to the 14th day of January.
1776. Printed by Samuel Allison, Bur-
lington." perhaps note of some of the
laws enacted would be of interest
The first record is AT a General AS
sembiy held at Perth Amboy from the
10th day of November to the 18th day
of December. 1903, in the second year
of the reign of Queen Anne being the
first assembly of New Jersey after the
surrender of the governmen, to the
crown, the following law was passed
Session the First Edward. Lord
Cornburg, Governor Chap. / An Act
for regulating the purchasing of lands
from the Indians. Passed December
IS, 11U3''
The act prohibits the purchasing of
land from the Indians without first
procuring from the proprietors record
er the right to purchase, and declares
invalid any purchase made without
such right. This is the only act passed
at this session of the assembly.
At session Of the General Assembly
held at Burlington from November 13
to December II, 1904, the first act pass
ed was An act for suppressing immor-
atty" which differs from those of the
present day in that if the fines imposed
are not paid the culprits are to be COM
mitted to the stocks for certain terms,
and to be lashed upon the bare backs,
the greatest penalty requiring the Of
fender to be whipped at three several
courts and each time shall receive 80
lashes or stripes on the bare back, or
pay the sum of thirty pounds
The third act of the assembly was
''an act for raising a revenue of two
hundred pounos per annum for the
support of Her Majestys Government
of New Jersey" This act was disal-
lowed, and there seems to have been
great deal of friction between the as
sembly and the governor or the Crown.
as several acts of this assembly are
disallowed, among others "An act for
altering the present constitution, and
regulating the election of representa-
tives to serve in the general assembly,
IAN act for settling the militia" "an
act for laying out, regulating, clearing
and preserving common highways"
"an act for revising and continuing the
Courts of Quarter Sessions and Com
mon Pleas. and IAN act for regulating
negro, Indian and mulatto slaves" All
of these. acts being of a general char
acter, it is difficult to see why they
were disallowed. A foot note by the
editor says "after this session the
Third Assembly was elected and called
but several years passing in conten-
tion between the several branches of
the legislature, no more laws were en-
acted until John Lord Lovelace, Baron
of Henly. arrived with powers of gov
ernment, superseding Lord Cornburg's
commission
The next session of the assembly was
held at Perth Amboy, March to April,
1909, when 'an act regulating the quail
ifications of representatives to serve in
the General Assem- bly, was passed.
April 4. The qualifications of voter
were "One hundred acres of land in
his own right or be worth fifty
pounds" :" A representative shall have
one thousand acres of land in his own
right, or be worth 500 pounds Acts
were also passed for the relief of the
poor, for preventing swine running at
large, for destroying crows and black
birds, for settling the militia and for
the encouragement of the postofice
within the province"
At General Assembly held at Burl-
ington from May 10 to June 80. 1IU9.
was passed AN act for raising three
thousand pounds for her majesty's SER
vice in this present juncture." Also
one for enforcing the currency of
bills of credit for three thousand
pounds and IAN act for the encour-
agement of volunteers to go on the ex-
pedition to Canada" This was during
the war of England with France, and
the Bills of Credit" or currency, fig
ure largely in records of the assembly
at intervals, during the existence Of the
colony. They were at first used for
paying for subsistence for the English
troops, building barracks for their use
and for paying, equipping and main
tanning the volunteers and militia rails
ed by the province during the wars in
which England was then engaged.
They were authorized to be issued at
several different times, in amounts
from 10000 to 100000 pounds. The pen
atty for counterfeiting or altering these
bills was death, without benefit of
clergy" and the death penalty was pre-
scribed for altering or counterfeiting
bills Of the other provinces while the
penalty, by act of 1774, for counterfeit
ing any gold or silver coins or passing