The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1904-03-16

TEACHERS AT
TRENTON
Retirement Fund and Tenn
ure of Office Bills Keep
Them Busy Lobby
ing.
FORMER MEASURE PROVE EXCITING
It Passes the House With the
Proviso That the State
Pay Expenses and
Is Then Recon-
sidered.
FORMER MEASURE PROVE EXCITING
lspeeial . .rhe Jersey city News.'l

|
TRENTON, March .16, 1904-The
proceedings in the House were some
what enlivened yesterday afternoon
when an attempt was made to pass
House bill ON. 81, which provides that
the State not only continue to care for
and manage the teachers retirement
| fund, but to do so at the States ex-
pense and not, as heretofore, at the ex-
! pense of the fund.
| Leng before the hour for the opening
of the session the corridors were thronged
with teachers lobbying in the interests
of the bill, some of them, while abe
others came ip the interests of the bill
before the Senate relating to their ten
ure of office And when the House was
| called to order the ladies filed half of
the visitors gallery and We're interested
spectators during the scenes which fol-
| lowed
Mr.. Swackhamer led off with speech
| advocating the passage of the bin and
received applause for his efforts. He
was followed by Mr. Elvins, of Atlantic
County, who opposed the bill, as he.said
because the measure was not business
one and contrary to good judgment.
Mr.. Scovel, of Camden, came to the
rescue and after paying many compli-
ments to the teachers, appealed to the
sentimental side of the question, and he
in turn was greeted with applause from
| the House and the teachers in the gal
lery.
| Mr. Hillery of Morris county made an
| impassioned plea for the defeat of the
bill. He said it was radical departure
| from custom and wise legislation, with
| out precedent OF reason, and as illogical
| as it would be for the laborers to come
| 10 the legislature and demand that the
state care for their funds at tn states
expense.
To this view Mr.. Hamill, the minority
| leader, took exceptions, and made the
most eloquent address that has been
| heard in the assembly halls this season.
| He showed that, there was a precedent
| for the act; fhat the department of bank
| ing and insurance cared for the fund of
| the Firemen's Relief association, which
was paid to the department by the for
eign insurance companies doing business
| in this state.
He argued that as the state enacted
the laws regulating the school boards
| and fixing the salaries of county super
intendents, the bill for increasing their
salaries having just been~passed, he saw
no reason why the state should not care
| for this fund instead of taking the money
| from the teachers to do what the law
prescribed were the simple duties of the
state treasurer.
Mr. ielder, of Hudson, and a few
others spoke in favor of the bill and see
ing that the Republicans were divided
on the question Mr.. Swackhamer moved
its passage and it was passed by vote
of 30 to 21, despite the efforts of Leader
Colby to stem the It'd.
This having been done, and wishing
to sscinch'' the matter while there was a
working majority present in it's favor.
a motion was made to reconsider, by the
voting down of which it would have been
| beyond future tampering.
In the meantime some of the mem
bers who had placed themselves on rec
ord for the bill, and not wanting to
thwart Mr.. Colby, absented themselves
from the chamber. and when the vote
was counted there was tie. Tie SER
geant-at-arms was given list of the abA
sentees and sent out after them, but
| before any arrived Mr.. Colby and other
opponents of the bin worked over Mr..
Hulse and got him to change his vote
mo- to aye" and the day wos won and
the bill was placed back before the house
once more.
On motion of Mr. Colby the bill was
made til special order of the day for
tomorrow afternoon when both sides
will have another opportunity to marshal
their forces.