Gloucester County Democrat., 1906-01-25
Anti-lobby Committee Appointed Last
session Makes IT'S Report - Judge
Din Confirmed = Another Effort to
Abolish she GaIIows : New Morris
Canal Bill.
[specIal correspondence.l J


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 adj
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 recommends
tfons Of the anti-lobby committee are
passed in the shape of 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-
tions 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 eli
ther 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 days shall be subject to a fine
of 81 900; that the legislature may disbar
agents at its 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 than three years or by fines
not exceeding y, coo.
That the Judiciary committees of both
the senate and ire house shall have charge
of all taxation aT,G corporation bills; that
the judiciary cosn-ait5erE have charge of
all banking and insurance bills and all
franchise bills; trat al seast two hearings
be had on each BIN ana that all further
attempts by agsI.ts to Influence legislation
shall make them subject to penalties; that
the public be adnsi ted to all hearings; that
notice of hcarir bs pvSissAed in news
papers; that persons TGfss.r4s to disclose
interest in hearings may be excluded; that
the introducer be required to state the au-
thor and purpose of his bill that lobby
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 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 get 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
Il. Large to succeed A. Burdette Herr
as prosecutor of Hunterdon county, Eu-
gene Emley to be prosecutor of Passaic
county (reappointed).
The senate in executive session con-
frmed 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 II. IngersoIl, judge of the
district court Of Atlantic City; Clement
Sinnickson, judge of the court of COM
mon pleas of Salem county; Lewis Fl.
Starr, prosecutor of the pleas for
Gloucester county; George B. Wright,
state commissioner of charities and
correction.
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 inn
portant among them was the Morris
canal bill, which came from Mr.. Mills
of Morris county. It is almost COM
plete duplicate Of the bill which was
passed by the house last winter, but
which was stopped in the senate by
charges Of bribery.
TO Abolish the GaIIows.
Another eTf0rT TO aD0llsn the galloWS
Is made in a bill introduced by Senator
| Wakelee Of Bergen. Electrocution IN
the state prison under regulations such
as New York state has is provided as a
substitute for hanging and it looks as
though the plan would have better
chance than the one proposed viz, that
Of abolishing capital punishment alto
gether
/ Senator Scoyel, chairman Of the mu-
/ nicipaf corporation committee, announc-
| ed Tuesday that the Miller local option
/ bill would be given public hearing at
/ the statehouse next Tuesday at p. m.
/ Among the important house bills in
| troduced were.
| By Mr.. Miller: An equal taxation act
| same as assembly bill No. /, but dis
| tributes the money as follows: One-half
/ of nar eenk ~ 4he pnfirn assQsspd