Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-03-30
JERSEY LEGISLATURE.
Ready For Adjournment After
a Record Breaking Week.
CANAL ABANDONMENT AGREED ON
House Accepts DuftieId Substitute
After Prolonged and Exciting De-
bate-A1l Amendments Voted Down.
other Questions Decided.
Especial correspondence

Especial Correspondence
Trenton. March 29-After record
breaking week of legislation by both
houses the One Hundred and Twenty
ninth legislature is eady for sine die
adjournment, and if nothing interferes
with the programme decided upon the
solons will close up their desks and re-
tire from the capitol late tomorrow
(Thursday) afternoon. The resolution
fixing the sine die adjournment sets
the hour at 3 o'clock III the afternoon,
but the usual custom is to stop the
clock shortly before the hour fixed and
transact ali the remaining business.
This custom will undoubtedly be fol-
lowed this year.
Tonights session will probably be the
busiest one of the term, although the
usual horse play will likely crop out.
A part of tomorrow afternoon will be
devoted to making presentations to the
president of the senate, the speaker of
the house and the sergeants at arms of
business has been transacted the mem
bers of the assembly will file into the
senate chamber, which has been face
tiously called .sthe pocket on account
of its size, and there the president Of
the senate will let fall the gayel and
declare that "the hour of 3 o'clock hay-
ing now arrived. the one hundred and
twenty-ninth session of the legislature
stands adjourned without day"
Longest Session In Years.
The longest session known in years in
the house occurred Monday night
when nearly five hours were devoted to
the consideration of the substitute bill
presented by Majority Leader Duffield
for the abandonment Of the Morris ca
nal. A great number of objections were
raised to the bill, and a determined eff
fort was made to defeat it or SO load
it down with amendments that it would
not be acceptable to the Lehigh Valley
Railroad company, which company
leases the canal. The opponents of the
bin failed, however, to muster enough
strength to defeat or amend the meas
ure, and it was passed as introduced
by vote Of ~ to 16.
At the request of Minority Leader
Hamill of Hudson the bill was read
through by Clerk Parker. The first
Amendment was offered by Mr.. Hamill,
who proposed that the canal commits
sioners who are to be appointed by the
~.
state in the Jersey City canal basin by
legal proceedings instituted by the at
torney general. Mr. Duffield opposed
the amendment, saying the attorney
general had already given the house an
opinion, in which he held that the bin
fully protected the interests of the
state.
Mr.. Robbins Of Burlington then offer
ed an amendment along the same line,
which was accepted by Mr.. Hamill as
substitute for his amendment. The
substitute amendment provided that
there should be no sale of canal prop
erty where the states interests are dis
puted by the Morris Canal and Bank
ing company or the Lehigh Valley Rail
road company until final adjudication
by the courts The amendment was
opposed by Mr. Dufield, who declared
it was unnecessary. 1t was favored by
Messrs. Hamill Robbins and Elyins OF
Atlantic.
During the debate Mr.. Hamill asked
Mr.. Dufiield If the Newark board OF
trade had not proposed similar
amendment as that of Mr.. Robbins and
if it had not been eliminated by the Le-
high roads counsel.
Nor shouted Mr.. Dufield across
the chamber
Il am reliably informed to the con-
trary," declared Mr. Hamill.
Amendment Defeated.
The amendment was lost after some
lobbying for votes by 20 to %. On
each amendment which followed there
was a long drawn out debate. One
amendment offered by Mr.. Elyins pro-
vided that in case there should be a
surplus from the sale of the canal this
surplus should revert to the state. The
amendment was lost by a vote of 33 to
49, Another amendment by Mr.. Elvins
provided that the money to be paid ia
the stockholders in seven years should
be compounded at the rate of per
cent instead of A per cent The amend
ment was defeated by vote of 80 tc
il.
Mr.. HamilI wanted the bill amended
so that the owners Of the reyersionars
rights should be paid in full This
amendment was also defeated, Mr.
DufieId contending that the bill pro
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