The Jersey City news., 1906-05-03


peoples representatives are IN se.5tnncil,,,
says Governor Stokes, in his brief state
ment with reference to special session
of the Legislature in September. says
the Newark Evening News" AS the
people read it they viii think. Their
minds will revert to the Legislatures
from 1889 to 1898. They will recall the
enormous and iniquitous jobs put through
by 'the peoples representatives" They
will remember the coal combine. which
threatened tn complete domination of the
peoples interests by the railroads. They
win call to mind the gamblers in the Leg
islature and in the Speakers chair, the
race track laws. the disgrace, and degra-
dation of the Saate and the danger that
every form of government from the cap
itol to the police courts would be corr
rupted by criminals that aocked here AMI
got control of the lawmakers
No danger? The people were in such
danger when, these representatives Were
in legislative council that they rose in
moral Indignation and in irrpressble de-
termination and drove these representa-
tives out of council. and set a constituT
tional bound beyond which no subse
quent Legislatures dared to go. Dan
ger? The people feel it, from the time
the Legislature meets until it adjourns
sine die, when a sense of relief is exper-
fenced all over the State. This danger
lies in the untrustworthy character of
some legislators, in the recklessness of
others, in the, preference given to parti-
zanship rather than to the peoples in
terests, and in the power of corporations
to prevent such legislation as the people
want and to secure such as may be to
their own interests
Why did Mayor Fagan, two years ago,
declare in an open letter to Governor
Murphy that "a Republican Legislature
is controlled by the railroad, trolley and
water corporations and the interests of
the people are being betrayed p Why
was the Legislature of 1904 called back
by the Governor to perform the duties it
had neglected? Why did Governor Stokes
himself threaten that if the Legislature
Of 1906 did not do its duty to the people
he would call an extra session? If there
was no danger, why all this manifesto
tion of anxiety. why threats to the ''peo-
pies representatives
In his inaugural message Governor
Stokes said: 81 shall not assume the re-
speneibility of enacting legislation" yet
there were 305 passed bills left in his
hands when the Legislature of 1905 adj
iourned. and almost as many when that
of 1906 dispersed. "Let u.s." he said,
s.avoid favoritism toward special inter
sests'' Why did he say it if there We're
no danger? s'Let no cheap demagogy ac-
tuate our councils; but why this adj
vice? In his message in January last he
exacted more care in legislation and said
that "some bills were evidently never
read by the introducers," and others
a vast majority of them, he said--"show-
ed great carelessness." Is there no dan
ger in all this?
eadingdR 1t saster:spo exppdi pal 7
Nor is this all the evidence. Former
Governor Griggs, who knows whereof he
speaks, tells of abackstairs legislation" !"
The Trenton State Gazette" the organ
of the regulars, recently proclaimed, ediz
torially, that the railroad corporations
had gotten their representative, Senator
Bradley, in the Presidents chair, and
would endeavor to inject amendments
into the equal taxation bill promotiVe Of
their interests. Is there really mo danger
when the peoples representatives are IN
counci1?"
When equal taxation was before the
legislators and TEN different bills were in
troduced with seeming intent to defeat