The Penn's Grove record., 1906-01-26
JERSEY LEGISLATURE
Third Week Teens With Mat
tiers of Vital Interest.
REFORM BILLS LIKELY TO PASS
Anti-Iobby COMMITTEES Appointed Last
Session Makes Its Report - Judge
Dill onfrmed Another Effort TO
Abolish the GalIOws New Morris
Canal Bill.
Especial correspondence

matters of vital interest to the people
of the state. Equal taxation, anti-lob-
by. ballot reform and tax rate prob
lens were the most important of the
matters under consideration. A great
deal of time was given by the house
judiciary committee to a hearing Tues
day and Wednesday on the equal taxa
ton bill recently introduced, and the
report of the committee appointed last
winter by Governor Stokes to investi-
gate lobby methods proved fully as
sensational as was expected.
Both houses after busy sessions Mon
day evening and Tuesday morning ad-
journed at noon Tuesday until Mon
day night to clear the way for the i'm
portant public hearings which had been
announced.
The. professional lobbyist is a gentle
man of the past if the recommended
lions of the anti-lobby committee are
passed in the shape of a bill by the
present legislature, and it is extremely
probable that such legislation will be
enacted. The report provides for the
registration Of representatives Of cor
porations appearing before committees
and interesting themselves in legisla-
ton. 1t also provides certain restric-
lions as to lobbyists appearing on the
floor Of either house importuning mem
bers. Other provisions are as follows:
That persons found guilty of attempting
to influence legislation on the floor of Ell
Their house shall be publicly reprimanded
and denied the floor privileges; that news
paper correspondents found guilty of sim
liar offense shall be deprived of their
desks; that necessary counsel and agents
shall be docketed in both houses and the
list made public by the attorney general;
that no agent shall be employed condi-
toned on the passage or defeat of any
bill: that no work be done for or against
bills except before committees; that an
agent who does not sign the roll and pro-
duce written authority from his company
within ten lays shall be subject to a fine
of 81 1000; that the legislature may diSbar
agents at it's will; that at the close of the
session the lobby dockets shall be deposit
ed with the secretary of state, together
with a report of work of each agent; that
violations be punishable by disbarment
for not more han three years or by ines
not exceeding 81, OO0.
That the judiciary committees of both
the senate and the house shall have charge
OF all taxation and corporation bills; that
the judiciary committees have charge of
all banking and insurance bills and all
franchise bills; that at least two hearings
be had on each bill and that all further
attempts by agents to influence legislation
shall make them subject to penalties; that
the public be admitted to all hearings; that
notice of hearings be published in news
papers; that persons refusing to disclose
interest in hearings may be excluded; that
the i~ntroducer be required to state the au-
thor and purpose of his bill; that obby-
lists under suspicion must account for
themselves to the governor and if unable
to do SO shall be excluded from the state
house; that witnesses may be required to
testify in all Investigations.
Robbins Files Minority Report.
Speaker Robbins, as a member of the
commission, filed a minority report de-
claring that he cannot concur in all of
Mr.. Colby's recommendations. He is
in favor of excluding lobbyists and
says he has met few Of them in his leg
islative experience, especially asserting
that there is no need to reflect on the
newspaper correspondents.
Governor Stokes on Monday night
sent the following nominations to the
senate: William L. Lewis, district court
judge in Paterson (reappointed); George
K. Large to succeed A. Burdette Herr
prosecutor of Hunterdon county, Eu-
gene Finley to be prosecutor of Passaic
county (reappointed).
The senate in executive session con-
firmed these appointments: James B.
Dill, Judge of the court of errors and
appeals; Jay Ten Eyck, judge of the
court of common pleas for Essex coun-
ty; Robert H. Ingersoll, Judge of the
district court of Atlantic City; Clement
Sfnnickson, judge of the court of COM
pleas of Salem county; Lewis III.
Starr, prosecutor of the pleas for
Gloucester county; George B. Wright,
state commissioner of charities and
There was some opposition to the
confirmation of Judge Dill, but the
senate ratified the nomination by the
governor.
There was a flood of bills in the as
sembly Monday night. The most i'm
portant among them was the Morris
canal bill, which came from Mr.. Mills
Of Morris county. 1t is almost a COM
plete duplicate of the bill which was
passed by the house last winter, but
was stopped in the senate by
charges of bribery.
To Abolish the GaIIows.
Another effort to abolish the gallows
Is made in a bill introduced by Senator
Wakelee Of Bergen. E~lectrocution in
the state prison under regulations such
rs New York state has is provided as a
pubst.tute for hanging, and it looks as
bough the plan would have a better
bance than the one p~roposed-viz, that
a%bolishing capital punishment alto
Senator Scovel, chairman of the NIL
nic1pal corporation committee, announc-
ed Tuesday that the Miller local option
bill would be given a public hearing at
the statehouse next Tuesday at 1 D. m.
Among the important house bills in
troduced were:
By MI. Miller: An equal taxation act
same as assembly bill No. 1, but dis
tributes the money as follows: One-half
of 1 per cent of the entire assessed
valuation shall be retained by the state
treasurer for general state purposes.
The balance shall be distributed by the
treasurer among the several municipal.
tiles through which the railroad and ca
nal may run in proportion to the value
of the main stem or waterway located
In each such municipality.
By Mr.. Marelli: Makes it illegal to
use money for election purposes by
candidates for Office except for personal
expenses. Requires political commit
tees to publish amount of money ex-
pended for election purposes and pro-
hibits solicitation of funds from candi-
dates or corporations by committees.
The senate passed Senator McKee's
49,