The Jersey City news., 1906-01-12
Governor Stokes Strongly
Recommends a Return to
the Old System of Election
RESULTS IN SUPERIOR MEN
EXECUTIVE PROPOSES 4 PLAN
By WHICH THE CoNsTrTU-
TIoNALITY OF THE DISTRICT
ACT MAY BE BROUGHT INTO
COURT.
Special to ''rhe Jersey city News...,


Special to The Jersey City News'sS
TRENTON, Jan. p 19C6.-Governor
Edward c. Stokes struck popular
chord among Republicans and Demo
Gratis throughout the State when. in his
first annual message to the Legislature.
he came out hat-footed in favor Of elect
ing Assemblymen by districts instead of
| BY counties, as at present.
Ever since the Supreme Court Of the
State ten Years ago declared the act un-
der which Assemblymen We're elected by
| districts unconstitutional. there has been
a strong sentiment throughout the State
| in favor of constitutional amendment
which would permit of such election. Il
seemed as if the people were dissatisfied
with the present system which requires
an Assemblyman to have the votes of the
whole county beeanse political bosses
dictated nominations and practically
made the men elected their servants in
stead of those of the people. The sue
GEES of the men elected was almost at
ways contingent upon the success of
their party ticket, whereas if they were
forced to seek election according to the
| district system they would ha4e to stand
ON their merits and appeal directly to the
people who knew them for support Be
sides it was eontended Tor the district
system that the people would be repre-
sented in the Legislature by a party
man of their district. Republican, fep-
| resentatives could be more easily eleeted
| in Republican strongholds and Demo
Gratis in theirs, thus giving the people
| OF the district the right to say what
party man should represent them.
| Another Rlea for the district system
| and one thae1nade it more popular thasl
| the present mNthcd was that 1T would
| bring the AssenfA yInen. elected nearer to
| the people. The candidates should be
| compelled to liveain the,district in which
| they sought election aa5 would haYg l.:
better opportunity to und deestand the leg
islative needs of such; a enan
who lived in another Aesebdn of the
county.
Why no appeal was takensEI he high
est court Of the State eSSYhen theBS Supreme
| Court declared the district system act
| unconstitutional has neversbee1 Explained
| except that the decisions4 lea sd ACde Re-
publican leaders of EsseZs C6urf nd7fhe
Democrats in Hudson
| Republicans Of Essex .Raing6l bNNzf4 ar.
rangement. Ever SINCE that d dAcisakn sE0
| Democratic AsseIfblynlen weTe ever
! elected in that county, while in HUDSON
| the Democrats invariably swera the jpbuns
! ty except in 1896, When sevsn ~ she
eleven Republicans wepe elected and
again this year whOn theAentire Repgb-
lican delegation was elected. Ae,seFs.
tenn of electing Assemblymen by c0hnafes
did not prove success. Themen 469ect-
! ed were nearly always a mediocre lot
! and when sent to Trenton they did not
/! score the success made By their prede-
ol<a afr1 \ {-kri lra
J fact, it soon became byw0rd among
men who have annually visited the legis-
j iative halls during the past tweRtyrfye
years, that Hudson never sent solid
| delegation to Trenton worthy Of repte-
: senting that county since the days That
! the district system was abolished XIX
/ ceptlonS were, however, made OF men
| like ifamill, Treacy, Murphy Allen and
| E'alion, who were given dua credit foT
their talent and learning. They ably rep
| resented the county, but were handicap-
i ped by some of their colleagues, who
might just as we'll have stayed at home
for all the service they rendered the iaw-
makers.
As already told in these columns. Gov
i ernor Stokes is one of the ShrewJest
| politicians in the State and man who
has his eyes and ears open at an times
to realize what is going ON about him.
He served twelve years in the Senate.
now serving the secend year of his term
| as Governor. There is very little that
goes on about the State House that he
/ does not observe himself or know some
thing about He has studied the caibre
of the mem sent to Trenton from all
parts of the State to legislate for the
people and nobody underStanls better
than he that if higher grade of men
| were elected lawmakers it would be ben
| efeial to the State as we'll as those they
We're elected to represent.
But how such change could be
brought under the present method of
electing AsSemblymen was something
that puzzled the Governor. A change in
the system was the only remedy. As
the Supreme Court had declared the As
sembly district .aet unconstitutional 1t
would either be necessary to secure 6
| constitutional amendment permitting the
election Of ASsemblymen by districts or
appeal to the Court of Errors and APP
peals to pass Judgment upon the Su-
preme Courts decision. and if a favor
able decision was rendered the assembly
district act could be revived.
Ten years have elapsed since that de-
cision was rendered and as the time iiin-
it for appeal has passed. the Governor
offered a solution of the problem.
He recommended to the Legislature Ia
his message that the district act be re-
yived by making it compulsory for the
County Clerk of each county to receive,
Assembly nominations according to dis-
trict lines and in the event of the refu-D
sal Of such official to receive such nom
ina tons. mandamus proceedings could be-
Instituted against him This would
again bring the matter into court.
then
Many prominent lawyers throughout
the State have informed the Governor
that they are confident the Court of Err
rcrs will reverse the Supreme Court de-
cision as to the unconstitutiinality of the
law and have advised him to suggest
this method TO the Legislature The
Governor is Convinced that if the Court
+ OF Errors upholds the law the House of
Assembly viii be more popular body
in the future and viii be relieved Of the
machine dictation which at present
seems to WELD firm hand over It's de-
liberations.