Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1907-06-21
REPUBLICANS OPPOSE.
Members Of the Hahn Committee
Are Reappointed and Backes
Will be The Attorney,
ASSEMBLY RETURNS JULY 5.
Senate Asks Attorney General As
to Its Powers to Enact New Laws
at This Session.

TRENTON, Jne 21:--After adopt
ing by strict party vote resolution
creating a new investigating commit
tee composed, however, of the same
members as the Hahn committee, the
assembly late yesterday afternoon ad-
journed until July 5, and the senate,
after asking for the opinion of the
attorney general as to it's right to
transact business other than that
called for in the recess resolutions ,ad-
journed until next Tuesday morning
The senate, in executive session, en-
dorsed the action of Governor
Stokes in asking for the resignation
of Secretary of State Dickinson, and
confirmed the appointment of Sena-
tor James F. Minturn, of Hudson, as
judge of the circuit court.
The entire morning, as was told in
the NEWS yesterday, was spent In
caucuses and conferences. When 1t
was learned that the Hahn commit
tee, under the resolution by which it
was created, went out of existence
when it made its report to the legis-
lature, there was rush for the office
of John H. Backes, counsel for the
committee, to ascertain Just what its
status was. Finally it was decided
that the only legal way to continue
the investigating was to create new
committee. Then a caucus of the
democratic assemblymen was called
and they committed themselves to
continuation Of investigation.
In the meantime the conference
committees of the two houses had
been in session in an endeavor to
agree upon a plan of legislation for
the post-recess session. In this, how
ever, they failed, the senator's insist
ing that there should be no action up
on legislation, and agreeing to allow
the assembly to do its own investi-
eating, but demanding that witness
ses should have the right to be rep
resented by counsel. In this shape
the conference broke up. Later the
republican senator's in caucus decid-
ed that it would be good politics to
act on some of the recommendations
of Governor Stokes and to enact a
public utilities law similar to the
| Hughes law in New York.
AS soon as the house met the ma
jority and minority reports of the
Hahn committee were received and
it was decided to have 500 copies of
the two printed together. Leader
Klenert then sent to the desk the fol-
lowing resolution:
ut appearing to the General AS
sembly that the allegations of waste
and extravaganza in the expenditure
of the appropriation for the various
departments of the state as alleged in
the resolution of this body passed
April 10, 1907, have been fully sus-
tanned by the report of the comittee
submitted hereunder; and it further
appearing to the General Assembly
that the public interest requires a
further investigation into the said
waste and extravaganza, therefore,
be 1t
"Resolved, That committee of
five members of the General Assem-
fbly be appointed by the speaker to in
vestigate into the subject of state
expenditures, wheresoever and by
whomsoever made, the committee to
have full power to summon witnesses.
Republicans Protest.
Il Perkins, of Union, objected to the
resolution because he said it commit
ted everybody who voted for 1t to the
majority report, whereas he claimed
that the evidence taken by the Hahn
committee had been seen by only a
few He declared that the republican
members were willing for an investi-
cation, but they wished it for the
public good and not for political cap
ital. Alexander, of Hudson, asked
whether the newspapers had correctly
printed the evidence taken before the
Hahn committee, and when informed
by Hahn that they had, he said he
could see no reason why the republi
can members should not vote for the
resolution to continue the investiga
tion Barber, of Mercer, who was 3
member of the Hahn committee, tool