The Jersey City news., 1906-03-05
Friends and Foes Of the
Wakelee Trolley Measure
Will Be in Trenton Today
BUSY WEEK FOR LEGISLATURE
If THE SESSION is EVER TO END
WORK MUST BE PUSHED FOR
AT THE PRESENT TIME HALF
A DOZEN IMPORTANT BILLS
WAIT ACTION.
Special to THE Jersey city Newa.sl

Special to '.The Jersey City News.')
/ TRENTON, March 5, 1906. -Indfca-
tions point that beginning with tonight's
session the Legislature will settle down
ito hard work and begin to grind out new
laws by the wholesale. Nine weeks have
/ passed since the session began and only
a few minor or unimportant bills have
successfully run the gauntlet of both
Houses With final adjournment in
sight, the law-makers realize that some
thing must be done to relieve the calen-
dars of the biHs that have accumulated.
mittee and that are apparently making
very httle progress are those creating
! Assembly districts in counties. because
| the Republican leaders are divided in
| their opinion whether it is a good scheme
! to enact such legislation; automobile reg
ulation, Morris Canal abandonment; !;
1
ma ximum tax rate; regulating lobbying;
estab blishing a Stare Civil Service Com
mission; Bishops high license bill; local
option; proposed investigation of indus
| trial insurance companies, and a score of
| others equally Important
That many of these bills will be re-
ported by the committees this week is
most probable. Then the machinery will
be started to pass them through both
Houses. Debates will follow and before
any bill reaches the Governor it win re-
ceive severe hacking. There is a di-
versity of opinion among the law w-makers
regarding tine important bills and oppo-
sition to many Of them is inevitable Fl
The Committee on Railroads and Ca
nails Of the Senate will begin this weeks
work at 4.15 o'clock this afternoon by
granting public hearing ON the Wakelee
trolley freight measure, designed to ena-
BILE trolley companies to carry freight
through municipalities which grant such
permission. The farmers from all sec
tions of the State viii be represented.
The railroads are fighting. the bill and
will be represented by ex-Supreme Court
Justice Gilbert Collins and ex-senator
yNall;an, n Fdwards
At noon tomorrow, the Committee on
Miscellaneous Business composed Of
Senators Avis, chairman; Hillery and
Wakelee, win grant public hearing on
the Hutchinson high license measures.
better known as the Bishops bills.
Rt. Rev. Bishops McFaul and O'Con-
nor, Nlonsignor Sheppard, of Jersey City;
Rev. Father G. J. Kelly, of Hoboken,
and large delegation of priests from all
sections of the Trenton and Newark dio-
ceses, will attend and urge the conit-
tee to favorably report both bills.
The New Jersey State Liquor Dealers
Association will be represented by its
president. James L. Hayes, and several
officers. The Hudson County Liquor
Dealers Association will also be repre-
sented by large delegation. Ex-Sena-
tor Robert S. Hudspeth win speak for
this organization against the passage of
both bills.
The probabilities are the Senate
Chamber will not be large enough to
comfortably accommodate the. vast
throng that will attend this hearing, in
| which event it will be held in tile AS
sembly Chamber
Senator Avis is opposed to any un-
necessary delays in dealing with the
liquor bills and says that he will not
grant any further hearings unless they
are absolutely necessary. He claims the
| legislators are thoroughly familiar with
the provisions contained in the two
Hutchinson bills. and that the only ques-
| tion at issue now is whether they are
too drastic and should be modified or
adopted as a whole. The committee he
said, could arrive at conclusion at the
close of to-nlorrow's hearing, after both
! sides had presented their arguments, both
pro and con.
| The concensps of opinion among wells
informed men al the Capitol il. that the
| present Legislature win adopt high
license measure, but that it will not con-
| tain all the drastic provisions contained
| in the Hutchinson bills.
Nearly all the legislators are seeking
to avoid being placed on record on the
| Hutchinson bills, and are in hopes that
| the committee will never report them.
| If any law-rnak ker is asked how be stands
on the liquor question. he viii Invariably
reply that he has not given it any con-
| sideration and will not do 20 unless cons
| PEELED. These men fear to anita gonize
the liquor men BY expressing an opiilion
favorable to the bills or the chureh peo-
pie b. opposing them.