The Penn's Grove record., 1906-03-09
STATE LEGISLATURE
Much Time Given to Consider
alton of Liquor Bills.
COLBY WANTS AN INVESTIGATION
Arguments For and Against His Res
0lution to Probe Insurance COmpa-
MES Heard-CIash In Assembly Over
Trolley Franchise Measure.
IsneoIal Corresnondenca.l

Especial Correspondence
Trenton, March S.-This week in the
legislature was chiefly remarkable for
the great amount of time given by the
legislators to the consideration of leg
islation for the regulation of the liquor
business in New Jersey. One of the
most important disposed of during the
week was the local option bill, which
was killed. Nearly half a day was de-
voted to a hearing on the other anti
liquor bills Tuesday. A great part of
on Senator Colby's resolution for the
investigation of insurance companies,
state banks and trust companies.
The first clash Of the session be-
tween the Colby forces and the adj
ministration regulars of the Republic
an party took place Monday evening
when Assemblyman Martin Of Essex,
the Colby leader in the lower branch,
moved to relieve the committee on cor
porations of further consideration Of
his bill to repeal the law prohibiting
the granting Of trolley franchises in
streets within a hundred feet of a
rival line.
Assemblyman Buck Of Cumberland
defended his committee by explaining
that the bill had not been reported be-
cause it was defective. The Republic
an leader, Mr.. Perkins, and others also
defended the committees action in not
reporting the bill.
Assemblymen Scovel and Barber ac-
cused Mr.. Martin of ~endeavoring to
embarrass the administration and Of
introducing new ideas into politics. Mr..
Martin warmly defended his action,
and a lively interchange of %personali-
ties followed. Ridicule few thick and
fast. Laughter and applause greeted
the speakers. The motion to relieve the
committee was lost.
The intention of the Colby forces to
insist on action on the floor on their
measures was shown Monday night
when Mr.. Martin followed the first
debate by a motion to relieve the COM
mittee on corporations of further con-
sideration of bill No. II repeating the
act of April S, 1903, and called the
promoters liability act" Mr.. Mar
tins bill proposes an extension of the
time from four to six years in which
suit may be brought against a person
or corporation for entering into a Sc
cret compact for profit with another
nerSon or cornoration
Colby Men Defeated.
Mr.. Martins motion to relieve the
committee of this bill brought on an
other warm debate between the adj
ministration and the reform leaders
and another defeat for the Colby men.
Order came out of chaos when
Speaker Robbins took the floor and
accused Mr.. Martin of not being
square with his fellow legislators
by calling for bills from committees
which were defective in all points.
Mr.. Martin said he had asked the cor
poration committee to amend his bills
and report them, but they were shelly
ed. He accused the committee of at
tempting to hold up legislation de-
manded by the people.
By 40 to ID the local option bill was
lost in the house after a lengthy de-
bate lasting until after midnight Tues
day morning.
Mr.. Morgan offered as an amend
ment to the local option bill house bill
232, which provides that when 30 per
cent of the legal voters of a municipal
ity shall SO petition there shall be sub
mitted to popular vote the question of
fixing liquor license fees at al amount
named in the petition. Mr.. Morgan
said it merely re-enacted a repealed
section Of the Werts act of 1899. The
substitute was lost, I to 40.
Mr.. Martin, In speaking for the sub
stitute, referred to the defeat of the
Republican party in 1888, which was
due to the adoption of the local option
bill.
The measure then came up on third
reading, and Mr.. Buck, representing
Mr.. Miller, the intrOducer of the bill,
who vas absent because of the death
Of his wife, spoke for fifteen minutes
on the bill, pointing out the advantages
Of local option.
Mr.. Marelli said that the wrong meth
cd had been chosen to bring about the
law desired. Prohibition wherever
tried has never regulated the liquor
traffic, he said. Mr.. Berg said he was
not in favor of the bill because it
would not curtail the sale of liquor.
Local option would not solve this
question. If you stop the sale of liquor
in n city drinkers will go to another
one to get it. 1t will also make ev-
cry man who drinks carry a flask"
Martin Advocates High License.
T1r. Martin declared that high license
was the only way to solve the question.
Leader Perkins said he had given the
measure much consideration, and he
thought the bill would not benefit his
municipality. The excise officers in
his district or community were good
men and are fully competent to ham
die the matter. He said a high license
law would be a better measure.
Mr.. Morris thought the bill would
cause more drinking in the homes,
which would be a bad example to the
children.
The senate passed A~ssemblyman
BARRIERS bill taxing~New Jersey cor
porations for their stock when issued
and so aiming, as Mr.. Hillery explain
ed, to block the trick of evading taxa
ton by keeping stock in the treasury.
The senate judiciary committee op
Monday night gave a hearing on Mt
Wskelee's ~electrocution bill. The New
York state electrocutioner explained
the use of the electric chair in New
York.
The senate in executive session con
frmed the appointment of Samuel w,
Kirkbride as supervisor Of the state
prison to fill the vacancy caused by the
death of e. J. Anderson.
These appointments were received
from the governor Monday night.
Board of geological survey, David E
Ellsworth, member at large; Frederic
r. Brace, First district; Theodore w