Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-07-12
ALL BOSSES
LOOK ALIKE
TO GOVERNOR
Condemns One Man Rule in EV-
cry County and Therefore Fav-
Ors the Assembly District.
MAKES A STATEMENT.


Passed Last Winter Fixing As
sembly Districts in Every County,
the Governor Says He Still Believes
in Them-It Places Responsibility.
Governor Stokes yesterday gave
out a statement at Sea Girt concern
ing the redistricting act. In the
statement he took occasion to con-
denim the boss system in counties,
and stated that he is Just as firm a
believer as ever in the districting
scheme, and that the next recourse
would be constitutional amend
ment. He added that in all probable
ity he would recommend to the next
legislature that the body submit the
matter to the people.
The governors statement is as fol-
lows:
81 shall not discuss the legal as
pect of the question of assembly dis
tricts. Any comment thereon, on my
part, would be highly improper. The
highest court in the state has decided
the question from constitution
point of view, and their decision Is
spected by every loyal Jerseyman.
81 have not, however, changed my
opinion as to the merits of the sys-
tenn itself. The assembly district
is representative in character and ac-
cords with the principles of our gov
ence of thought w action in the
legislature than does)the county sys-
TEN.
Each assemblyman then repre-
sents a constituency to whom he is
alone responsible and can act with
out the influence of the overshadow-
ing county organizations So long as
the county system prevails the dele
cations from the counties, especially
of the larger counties, will always be
controlled by some strong and domi-
mating personality. Call him boss,
or leader, or whatever you will, all
bosses look alike to me-
Under the county system the as
semblymen might all come from one
ward or from one section of the
county and leave the rest of the coun-
ty unrepresented. Under 1t the men,
bers are necessarily nominated by a
large convention and by delegates
with whose constituency they are not
necessarily in clouse touch and con-
tact
''Such delegations in the legisla-
ture receive their nominations at the
hands of the county powers, whoever
they may be, and naturally feel re-
sponsible to them for their legislative
action. In my opinion this is very
serious defect in representative gov
ernment, since it conduces to cen
tralization of power in the hands of
the few rathe than it's distribution
among assembly units in the promo
tion of independence of thought and
action among the legislators.
81 recommended this system in my
message, and suggested that there
were two ways in which it might be
accomplished, one by constitutional
amendment, which last year was i'm
possible under our constitution
which requires that no amendment
to the constitution can be submitted
to the people except once every five
years.
"The only possible way was to pass
an act creating assembly districts fol
| the purpose of bringing 1t before the
review. This is necessary in view ol
the previous decision of the supreme
court declaring a similar act uncon-
stitutional.
'In my message I clearly set fortf
that the object of this act was to ge
an ultimate decision on the ques
ton, and that was well known in ad
vance by the people of the state, ant
thoroughly discussed. The decision
of the court has settled the question
so long as our constitution remain
as 1t Is.
| think that a very large majorit,
of the county organizations through
out the state prefer the county sys
TEN. Indeed, l personally know tha
to be the case, with but few excep
tions. This is very natural, as 1t con
centrates the power. To this | an
strongly opposed as a policy OF gov
ernment, and, indeed, as politica
policy, for ! think the best govern
ment policy is the best political POI
icy.
81 shall, in all probability, in m
next annual message discuss the ques
ton, and recommend the submissio
to the people of an amendment to TN
constitution, providing for an Assem-
bly, district system, with the prope
constitutional safeguards against gel
rymander Next year the constitr
tutional amendment can be consider
ed by the legislature"