The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-03-13
NEW JERSEY
LEGISLATURE
Much Time Given to Consider
alton Of the Rival LiquorBIls.
Local Option Downed.
ABOUT TROLLEY FRANCHISES
[special Correspondence.l ]

Trenton, March 8.-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
d most important disposed Of during the
week was the local option bill, which
was killed. Nearly half day was de
voted to a hearing on the other anti
liquor bills Tuesday. A great part Of
yesterday was taken up with hearing
on Senator CoIby's resolution for the
investigation Of insurance companies,
state banks and trust companies.
Il The first clash Of the session be-
tween the Colby forces and the ad-
ministfation 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 hundred feet Of
rival line.
i AssembIyman 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
4 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 personaIi-
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 might
when Mr.. Martin followed the, first
debate by motion to relieve the. com
mittee on corporations of further con-
sideration of bill No. II repeating the.
act of April S. 1908, 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 person
or corporation for entering into Sc
cret compact for profit with another
person or corporation.
Colby Men Defeated.
Mr.. Martins motion to relieve the
committee of this bill brought on an
other warm debate between the adj
/ minstration 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
Q poration committee to amend his bills
: and report them, but they were shelv-
/ ed. He accused the committee of at
tempting to hold up legislation de-
manded by the people.
o BY 40 to 13 the local option bill was
), lost in the house after a lengthy de-
bate lasting until after midnight Tues
day morning.
Y Mr.. Morgan offered as an amend
:, ment to the local option bill house bill
n 232. which provides that when 30 per
u cent of the legal voters of a municipal
o lty shall so petition there shall be sub
o mitted to popular vote the question OF
fixing liquor license fees at an amount
named in the petition. Mr.. Morgan
said it merely re-enacted a repealed
u section of the Werts act of 1899. The
: substitute was lost, Z to 49,
Il Mr., Martin, in speaking for the sub
'e stitute, referred to the defeat of the
It Republican party in 1888, which was
S due to the adoption of the local option
n bill.
= The measure then came up on third
! reading, and Mr.. Buck, representing
Mr. Miller, the introducer of the bill
who was absent because of the death
Of his wife, spoke for fifteen minutes
Q on the bill, pointing out the advantages
Y of local option.
Y 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
HOt III ldNOF Ol Tue Dill BECAUSE ~
u would not curtail the sale of liquor.
n Local option would not solve this
II question. If you stop the sale of liquor
:. In one city drinkers will go to another
one to get It, 1t will also make ey-
n cry man who drinks carry flask"
t Martin Advocates High License.
IS Mr. Martin declared that high license
Il was the only way to solve the question.
t Leader Perkins said he had given the
II measure much consideration, and he
d thought the bill would not benefit his
z municipality. The excise officers In
J, his district or community were good
! men and are fully competent to han
: die the matter He said high license
law would be q better measure.
Mr.. Morris thought the bill would
cause more drinking in the homes
which would be bad example to the
a children.
< The senate passed Assemblyman
Barber's bill taxing New Jersey cor
2 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 or
.aLIN-a -. l.. L