The Penn's Grove record., 1904-04-01
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Jersey Legislature Adjourns
After Eventful Session.
IMPORTANT MEASURES PASSED

Chief Among Them the Tenement
House and Child Labor B~iIls-Equal
Taxation Question Goes Over "A
SpeciaI Session Likely.
Especial Correspondence
Trenton, March 31.-The n hundred
and twenty-eighth session of the New
Jersey legislature has been brought to
a close after a term of the average
length and with about the usual num-
Der of new laws enacted.
AS a result Of a conference held Tues
day in the governors Office there Is
likely to be a special session OF n
legislature in about a month to con-
slider the Morris canal project and take
action on the pigeon bill.
Among the most important measures
passed by the legislature were the ten.
ement house and the child labor bills.
The lawmakers seem to have been
fortunate in the child labor bill at
least, for it seems to be accepted in all
parts of the state as a beneficial law,
especially to future generations.
1t is understood to have met the ap-
proval of labor leaders as well as man.
~ufacturers, who were better pleased
with it in it's amended form, which cut
out the provision prohibiting children
under sixteen years of age from work
ing at night. This provision was nos
strenuously objected to by the glass
manufacturers of south Jersey, many
Of whom threatened to quit the state
II the clause was allowed to remain In
the bill. Manufacturers from Passaic
county also were more favorable to
the measure with this provision out
of it.
The Equal Taxation Fight.
The session was relieved from a
great degree of dullness by the row
over the equal taxation measures,
These bills, emanating from Hudson
county, proposed to tax railroad and
canal property at local rates and would
mean the expenditure of millions by
railroad and canal companies in taxes.
The majority members were conserva'
tive on the subject, and when the bills
were not reported promptly the minor
ity members charged their Republican
colleagues with suppressing them.
while, on the other hand, the majority
alleged that the minority's sole object
in agitating for the bills was the hope
of making political capital for the next
election. Then when Mayor Fagan's
letter to the governor charging the leg
islature with holding up these bills and
other matters of benefit to Jersey City
was published the lid was off, so tc
speak. The governor refused to talk
about the matter, and Secretary OF
State Dickinson sided strongly with
Mayor Pagan, but Republican Leader
Colby of Essex and Messrs. Hillery OF
Morris and Dufield of Essex denied
the charges of corruption of the legis-
lature made by Pagan, challenged him
to prove them, repudiated his Repub'
licanism and denounced him as a tool
in the hands of the opposite political
party.
Democratic Leader Hamill of Hud,
son and Assemblyman SWackhame1
of Somerset and Assemblyman Field.
er Of Hudson were the stanchest sup
porters of the equal taxation bills. The
majority members after a conference
on the subject decided to introduce in
the house a joint concurrent resolution
placing the whole matter in the hands
of a commission to investigate and re
port on it. This resolution was adopted
In both houses.
Commission Appointed.
The commission that has been nam
ed by the governor to investigate the
matter of equal taxation follows:
Chief Justice William s. Gummere,
Justice Charles B. Harrison, Hon. Will
liam M. Johnson of Hackettstown,
Chandler Riker of Newark and Charles
G. Black of Jersey City.
A note of discord between the SEN
ators and the governor occurred dur
ing the last hours of the session, when
the senate refused, in executive ses-
sion, to confirm the anne suggested
by Governor Murphy as members Of
the board of prison inspectors, with
the exception Of William H. Carter,
who, being an ex-senator, was con-
frmed by virtue Of this fact. Those
nominated were William Fl. Garter, J..
e. Mitchell, James H. Davenport, Will
liam P. Berry, Jacob Shurts and Ber-
hard Feeney.
Senator Welsh of Morris objected to
the suspension of the rules for the rati-
hcation of the nominations, declar-
ing that Governor Murphy had prom
ised him that he would appoint S. A.
Crook of Rockaway as a prison in
spector. Several senators who commu-
nicated with Governor Murphy return
ed and said that the governor had
stated he had not promised to appoint
Mr.. Crook because of the difficulty of
making one of two appointments from
Morris county. The appointment he
had decided upon was that of John
Copstick as a member of the state
sewerage commission.
Nominations Confirmed.
The following nominations were made
by the governor and confirmed by the
senate late in the week:
Board of arbitration, William Cara
brant, j. Hill Browning, Henry r. Baker,
Samuel Berry and Thomas H. Joiner.
Riparian commissioners, William Cloke,
Robert Williams, M. F. Mclaughlin and
John r. Reynolds.
State sewerage commission, James E.
Fleming and John Copstick.
Managers of New Jersey State hospital
at Morris Plains, James G. Morgan, John
c. Eisele, P. j. Ryan, Richard A. Nc
Curdy and James M. Buckley.
Circuit court Judge, Wilbur A. Heisley
Monmouth county,
Judge of court of common pleas of Mon
mouth county, John E. Foster.
Prosecutor of the pleas of Monmouth
county, Henry M. Nevius.
Managers of the New Jersey Sanitarium
For T~uberculous Diseases, Frank L. Shep-
pard and A. L.. Beavers.
Member of Passaic valley investigation
commission, William Mckenzie.
Members of board of managers of geo.
logical survey, third district, M. D. Valen-
tine; eighth district, Joseph L. Mum,
members at large, Alfred A. Woodruff