The Penn's Grove record., 1905-03-31
JERSEY LEGISLATURE
Ready For Adjournment After
a Record Breaking Week.
CANAL ABANDONMENT AGREED ON
House Accepts Dufield Substitute
After Prolonged and Exciting De-
bate-An Amendments Voted Down.
Other Questions Decided.
Especial Correspondence

ninth legislature is ready lor Slne oio
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 in the afternoon,
but the usual custom is to stop the
clock shortly before the hour fixed and
transact all the remaining business.
This custom will undoubtedly be fol-
lowed this year.
Tonight's 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
both houses. When all the remaining
business has been transacted the mem
bers of the assembly will file into the
senate chamber, which has been face
tiously called "the pocket" on account
of it's size, and there the president of
the senate will let fall the gavel and
declare that "the hour of 3 O'Clock hav-
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 Dufield
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
1t down with amendments that it would
not be acceptable to the Lehigh Valley
Railroad company, which company
leases the canal. The opponents of the
bill failed, however, to muster enough
strength to defeat or amend the meas
ure, and it was passed as introduced
by a vote of AZ to 16.
At the request of Minority Leader
Hamill of Hudson the bill vas read
through by Clerk Parker. The first
amendment was offered by Mr.. Hamill,
who proposed that the canal commis4
sioners who are to be appointed by the
governor should test the rights of the
state in the Jersey City canal basin by
legal proceedings instituted by the at
torney general. Mr.. Dufield opposed
the amendment, saying the attorney
general had already given the house an
opinion, in which he held that the bill
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
a 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.. Duffield, who declared
it was unnecessary. 1t was favored by
Messrs. Hamill, Robbins and Elvins of
Atlantic.
During the debate Mr.. Hamill asked
Mr.. Duffield if the Newark board of
trade had not proposed a similar
amendment as that of MI. Robbins and
if it had not been eliminated by the Lee
high roads counsel.
"No!" shouted Mr.. Duffield 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 % to %. On
each amendment which followed there
was a long drawn out debate. One
amendment offered by Mr. Elvins 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 SO to
IS. Another amendment by Mr.. EIvins
provided that the money to be paid to
NAS oIONhIOINlClo III ell YEARS SIlOlll
be compounded at the rate of 3 per
cent instead of 4 per cent. The amend
ment was defeated by a vote of 30 to
IL.
Mr.. Hamill wanted the bill amended
so that the owners of the reversionary
rights should be paid in full. This
amendment was also defeated. Mr..
Dutt1eld ~contending that the bill pro-
vided ample compensation. Another
defeated amendment was one offered
by Mr.. Marelli of Passaic;-who urged
that Greenwood lake, in that county,
should revert to the county freehold
ers instead of to the state. He said
that such a provision was made for
Lake Hopatcong, which was also af-
fected, but Passaic county had been
Disseminated against, and he declared
the bill vas a pure and simple water
steal.
PASSAGES Interests Safe.
Mr.. Dutfield said the interests of Pas
sale had been safeguarded by a pro-
vision which allowed Greenwood lake
to be drawn down only to a certain
level and a further provision which
prohibited the diversion of the waters
from their natural courses. He said
that to characterize the bill as a steal
was unfair and came with bad grace
from Passaic, whose interests had been
especially looked after. An amend
ment by Mr.. Robbins providing that
the Morris Canal and Banking compa-
ny as well as the Lehigh company be
required to accept or reject the provi-
sions of the bill was withdrawn.
Mr.. Wright of Passaic presented an
amendment prohibiting the diversion
Of any of the waters affected to any
other state, but the amendment was
ruled out by the speaker as not being
germane to the bill. A further amend
ment by Mr.. Wright provided for the
publishing of the acceptance of the
act by the Lehigh company in all the
newspapers of the counties affected.
The amendment was lost.
Tho hill fhop having hoou road