Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-07-06
CORRUPT MACHINE is
EXPOSED IN TRENTON
Senator Dryden Implicated by the
Ghosts of Dead Bills Which
Rise Up.

NEWARK, July 6.4Out of the
records in the state library in Tren-
ton the Colby leaders have dug a list
of bills of public benefit which were
stabbed to death by the republican
machine leaders in the last session
OF the legislature. Among these bills
was one that called for an expression
Of public opinion on the question of
nominating United States senators by
popular choice. 1t is charged that
when the bill was done to death the
machinists confidently believed they
would have no trouble in electing
Senator Dryden for another term. An
other bill that struck home to the
people of Jersey City was n that
empowered the city authorities tc
utilize it's pumping plant for munich
pal hghting purnoses. In conjunc-
mon with this DnIfrfe measure t0 EN-
power the city authorities of Jersey
City to sell city water TO other mu-
inequalities is regarded as important.
The two bills, in fact, are looked up
on as twin to each other, as the city
has so much water it does not, know
what to do with 1t, and, 1t Is asserted,
the power which might be utilized to
the profit of the city is going to
waste.
These bills were knitted because an
extension of the authority of the city
would interfere with the Public Ser
vice Corporation, 1t is charged, and
~ antrnfar IN tho nriuafo uyafar onr1
panies in which machine leaders are
Interested. The knife was driven
with glee, it is said, into the bill for
bidding corporations to make cam
paign contributions, but there was a
NsKapgsfh interest in the bill provid-
ing that afTNcounty committees should
be elected by, the enrolled voters at
the primaries. At present the ma
chine leaders name the committees
SO thatA they have the organization,
so caildd, under personal control at
every hrn of the game.
The was one bill that affected the
fhous# hds of employees of the Public
Serve Corporation which the ma
chi headers killed. 1t provided that
the railroad men should be paid ev-
w two weeks. They are paid as the
Company pleases now and pay day is
as Irregular as a dollar watch. The
bill benefited the men, but 1t dis
turbed the system of the Public Ser
vice Corporation, so it was killed
The Public Service Corporation also
was served by the machine leaders
when they killed the bill prohibiting
the use of stoves in all cars. 1t was
the sheriffs who were considered in
the slaughter of the bill to compel
the sheriff in every county to draw
names by lot from an alphabetical
list for men for the grand jury. I'm
der the present system the sheriffs
pick their men as they please, and
political heelers, in most cases, get
the benefit of the fees paid to grand
jurors.
The leaders considered their own
welfare when they butchered the bill
providing for direct primary nomina-
tons. AS the primary law now stands
1t is permitted that Independent NOM
nations may be made in primaries,
but the political organizations are
hot compelled to adopt the direct
nomination system, They decreed the
death also of the bill for the correc-
tion of primary petitions. It is charg-
ed that all hands were directly in
terested in the buial of the bill to
abolish the committee system of deal
ing with bills. 1t is the hold the
leaders have on the corporations, and
which the legislators have on both.
Behind the killing of the bill of Sen
ator Colby to repeal the promoters
liability act there was the saving of
a group of ''high financiers'' from
state prison for stealing several mill
lions from a corporation.
Their crime was outlawed by a re-
~troaetive measure passed two years
ago. and 2 year after their crime was