Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-01-11

! evils in the methods Of drawing juries.
/ They suggested that two lists of jurors
! be kept, to be designated respectively q
/ grand jury list and a petit jury list, with
| a card index of names and numbers; that
| each name upon the jury list be designat-
| ed by a number and that in the drawing
! of grand juries and petit juries by law
each paper shall contain only the number
/ In lieu of the name which 1t designates on
! the jury lists. This would seem to reduce
/ TO a minimum any chance Of favoritism
/ In the selection OF jurors.
| / would suggest, however, that the
| Judge of the court Of common pleas be
made the determining party in the selec-
| ton Of the panel
Assembly Districts.
The primary law passed under the adj
| ministration Of my predecessor, Governor
t Murphy, is safeguard against fraud and
| disorder, guarantees to every voter the
assurance that he may cast his vote with
/ out interference and have that vote hon
| estly and fairly counted and secures with
| in the party absolute and untrammeled
| freedom of choice in the selection Of par
| ty candidates. Under its provisions no one
/ Individual or organization can dictate
! nominations Every candidate has an
| equal chance and can appeal to the peo-
| pie with the assurance of success IL his
| appeal is justified. The very fact that
| the primary law makes possible the exer-
else of power on the part of the people at
any time is perpetual reminder to those
| in authority that they are the peoples
servants and not the peoples masters.
Another step in the direction of popular
| government might be wisely considered
| by the legislature. At the present time
both bodies of our legislature represent
precisely the same constituencies. The
house of assembly, as now constituted, IS
practically another senate composed Of
more members, with one year term. It
consists of multiple instead of individual
units In many counties, especially in the
larger ones, imaginary districts have been
formed, and nominations are made with
more or less consistency from those dis
tricts existing, not in law, but merely IN
the fancy of the nominating convention.
This fiction is not remedy for, but rather
q popular protest against, the present con-
dition The members in those counties
that send more than one representative to
the house of assembly have, however, no
distinct and separate constituency to
whom they may answer and to whom they
are responsible Indeed. all these mem
bers might possibly come from single
community or a single place within the
county.
Such a system invites machine domina-
ton On the other hand, the system of
assembly districts provides a well defined
constituency from whom each member
receives his legislative authority brings
him nearer to the people, makes him more
responsible to the voters, gives the people
more convenient and direct voice in
matters of legislation and accords more
with the principles of representative gov
eminent This can Of course be accom-
plished by a constitutional amendment
1t may be attempted safely in another
way. An act might be passed at this ses-
sion of the legislature creating assembly
districts and imposing some immediate
duty upon some public official, as, for in
stance, the clerk of the county The fall
ure of this official to perform this min
isterial duty at once could be followed by
mandamus proceedings to bring the cues
ton again before the courts. final de-
cision could then be promptly rendered
by our court of last resort, which has not
yet passed upon this matter
At the last session of the Legislature the
house of assembly appointed a committee
to investigate the subject of the so called
lobby and report thereon, with recon-
mendations. That report will doubtless
be laid before you in the course of your
deliberations. The legislature should take
such action as viii shield itself from any
suspicion of corrupt influence.
Corrupt Practices.
L
safe and honest government. Honest cleo
lions and honest officials go hand in hand,
| The recent disclosures in business and po-
litical circles of which every American is
ashamed, are founded on corruption at
the polls. Unless we seek the source OF
the evil as well as the punishment of the
wrongdoers our lesson has not been well
learned. Between the bride giver and the
bride taker let there be no distinction.
Each is morally culpable. There cannot
be bribe givers without bride takers. To
condemn one and justify the other is
remedy that compromises with crime.
The punishment of the bride giver and
the bride taker at the same time, how
ever, is not always possible. The difficulty
with our laws against bribery is that by
making both bribe taker and bride giver
punishable at the same time both are
driven to take refuge under the right to
refuse to testify on the ground of self in
elimination Under these conditions con-
viction is difficult.
/ would amend the bribery laws by linn
iting the penalties for their violation to
disfranchisement for term of years, ac-
cording to the number of the offenses
committed. If offenses against the bribery
laws were punishable by disfranchise-
ment and the consequent disgrace, be-
| iieve they would be just as effective as
| Imprisonment, and conviction would be
more easily secured. If this punishment
did not prove effective second offense
should be punished by imprisonment as
well as disfranchisement. I would pro-
vide that the informer, whether he be the
bride giver or the bribe taker, should be
exempt from punishment.
Our laws should be more comprehensive
in the definition Of bribery. The actual
giving of money or the promise Of posi-
ton are not the only forms of corrupting
the voter. There are other ways equally
baneful and more insidious. The English
corrupt practices act forbids any form Of
entertainment, even the providing of
meat or drink, either on the part Of can
didates or of any one else in the interests
of candidates or parties. The entertain
ment or equipping Of clubs and contribu
lions thereto are likewise forbidden, as
well as the employment of carriages to in
fuence voters to come to the polls in the
interests Of any particular candidate or
party. Anti-bribery laws to be effective
must cover all ways in which money can
be used to seducs the voter.
To these suggestions add publicity in
connection with election expenses. There
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