, 1906-01-10
GOVERNOR STOKES :
ANNUAL MESSAGE

eral Assembly:
! congratulate you on the promising
auspices under which you meet. The spir
1t of our people moves toward better gov
eminent and better laws with every ad-
vance In thought and morals. and In this
hour, when the awakened national con-
science calls for higher ideals. II hnds us
not hating laggards. but already enlisted
to execute the demands Of right and JUS
tice. Our legislation has kept pace with
the best thought of the times and has led
rather than followed the trend OF events.
Indeed, the work of this session will be
largely the continuance of policies pre-.
viously outlined. With prophetic antici
patton the last Legislature opened the way
by providing for the appointment OF com.
missions to investigate and secure 1n1or-
nation upon many of the questions thai
will come before you 1t Is your good Tor
tune to have the opportunity of settling
these questions and of associating your
selves with measures that will keep New
Jersey an example for emulation.
State Finances.
The finances of our state continue In ex-
cellent condition. An income without a
state tax sufficient to pay the state ex-
penses and help defray municipal ex-
penses is a source of satisfaction. II Is
not, however, a Justification or extraVa-
gance either in expenditure or appropria-
ton. Economy must continue 10 De our
policy. The advertised surplus in the
treasury has invited many large and Of
ten thoughtless demands upon the state
purse. Oct. 81, the close of the fiscal
year, finds a large balance on hand. rms
Is an overnight balance, however, and Is
absorbed by it's debts the next morning.
On Oct. 81, 1905. the overnight balance In
the treasury was $2,S5S, s9S.13 NOV. l. the
next morning, 1t was confronted by OBJ
legations in the way Of appropriations au-
thorized by the legislature amounting to
81, SOL, 1888. 81, so that the treasury balance
at It's highest point is less than TWO
thirds of the annual authorized expendi-
ture of the state. This sum is SUFFICIENT
for practical purposes, but none too large
for safe fnanciering and never a reason
for careless expenditure.
Care In Legislation.
l had occasion last year to request the
legislature to exercise greater care in the
preparation and consideration of bills.
Some bills were evidently never read by
the introducers. A vast majority of the
bills showed great carelessness In capt.
talization and punctuation; in some cases
to such an extent that the meaning OF
the anguage was obscured. There Is no
reason why a public act should not be SO
phrased and so punctuated that II Will
stand the test of good English and be
chb1ly Ilot ~ nv
The titles of a large number of the bills
were defective. Under the decisions of
the courts defective titles are not neees-
sarily fatal to an act. For that reason l
did not feel warranted in rejecting meas
ures solely on that account. There Is no
reason, however, why the titles to bills
should not be correct, and, having made
this suggestion to the legislature in ad-
vance, | shall feel warranted in insisting
upon it's observance.
Cognate to this subject is the growing
tendency to multiply laws, to the confu-
sion of our statutes.
For ten years the legislature has aver
aged $50 separate acts a year. This in
ereasing mass of undigested and conflict
ing legislation, much of it passed for
specific purposes, without regard to its
relation to our general system of Juris-
prudence, makes it well nigh impossible
to know the law and more difficult to in
terpret the law. This burdens the people
with litigation, not so much to settle dis
putes as to ascertain what the law Is. 1t
makes difficult the performance of off,
cial duty and especially the financing of
municipal expenses. Such a system must
in time fall of its own weight. Governor
Griggs laid down as the test of legislation
the rule that no law should be passed I'M
less it's necessity was unquestioned. Thai
rule is more applicable today than when
AiC ~ wi toA ooO
Dependents.
In my inaugural | called attention to
the work of the state in the care of Its
dependents. About 80 per cent of the
states disbursements are given to this
cause. The state is today caring for or
aids In the care of 5,257 insane persons.
sos feeble minded, So blind. and In addition
to these there are in the state prison and
the Railway reformatory 1858 INMATES
The State Home For Girls contains 154
inmates and the State Home Fol Boys
473.
To provide for a more careful super
vision of the states charities the last leg
islature created a department of chart
ties and corrections. The work of that
department has fully justified Its crea-
ton. It's expenses have amounted in its
eight months of existence to $~5,35O.22. I'm
der the former system the architects fees
alone upon the sum appropriated by the
legislature for improvements would have
amounted to $25, 163. IS, ST., 13S.02 more than
the total cost of this department for a
year at it's present ratio of expense.
The legislature appropriated $55s, 766 for
the erection of a new wing to the state
prison. for one to the State hospital at
Trenton, for a new building at the State
Home For Girls and for various improve
ments in the way of lighting and heating.
Ordinarily deficiency appropriations are
required to complete contemplated i'm
provements. Under the supervision of
this department the purposes of the legis-
lature in appropriating the sum above re-
ferred to will be carried out at an ex-
pense of 1903, 267 and a saving of $55, 499.
The department has not yet had time
to thoroughly investigate the question of
what imposition the state may be suffer-
ing in the care of its wards. 1t Is proba-
BILE that a considerable number of those
now maintained by the state should be
cared for in whole or in part by their i'm