The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-03-19
OUR TRENTON LETTER.
Especial CORRESPONDENTS

amount of business is being disposed
of. This week has been an unusually
busy one at the capitol Many impor
tant hearings were given, and a large
number of bills were taken under con
sideration in botn houses.
Perhaps the most important event
of the week was the defeat of the
Blohm "open Sunday bill, which met
rs fate in the house after debate
lasting more than an hour Tuesday
afternoon. The deciding ballot was
80 to "a. Seven Democrats voted
against their party's advocacy Of the
bill, and all the Republicans were re-
corded in the negative. The Demo
Gratis voting against the measure were
Leader Klenert, Earle and Van Blar.
com of Passaic, Hendrickson of Hud
son, Morris of Sussex, Firth of War
rem and Holcombe of Hunterdon. The
house was under call at the time the
vote was taken, and there was nc
Sinking of responsibility.
The galleries and lobbies were
thronged with visitors during the de-
bate on the bill, and intense interest
was manifested When Speaker Leth-
bridge announced the defeat of the
bill, after the clerk had called the roll
the announcement was received with
an outburst of applause from all parts
of the chamber. When the bill was
placed upon third reading and final
passage, Assemblyman Charles H
Blohm of Hudson took the floor to
speak in it's behalf. He declared that
the bill had been unfairly criticised
and unjustly condemned. He held
that Sunday selling was preferable to
too much Sunday drinking at home
and preferable to sneaking into sa-
looms on Sunday through back doors.
Assemblyman Barber of Mercer, Re
publican leader, arose to reply, and he
was greeted with a round of applause
from both sides of the house, Demo
Gratis greeting him as enthusiastically
as the Republicans. He asserted in
the beginning of his speech that he
was opposed to local option and was
against the Sunday opening of saloons.
The great reason for defeating the
Blohm bill, he said, was the Biblical
command, Remember the Sabbath day
to keep it holy"
Then Democratic Leader Klenert took
the floor and declared that he opposed
both Mr.. Blohm and Mr.. Barber. What
the people wanted, he said, was a
modification of the bishops act, and
this he urged could be obtained by the
enactment of amendments which the
Democratic caucus had Endorsed.
The measure was holly condemned
by Messrs. Potter of Cumberland and
Jess of Camden on the ground that it
was immoral in it's provisions.
To Honor Mcclellan.
A bill passed by the senate appro-
PIRATES $4,000 for New Jersey mill
tary display at Washington May
next, when the Mcclellan monument
is to be dedicated. Senator Gebhardt
opposed the measure and declared that
monuments of this nature tended to
foster a "war spirit" The bill appro-
priating $4,000 for the Princeton bat
tie monument was also passed.
If bill by Senator Avis becomes a
law, trolley and railway companies
that do not properly guard the third
rail will be fined $500 for each viola
ton. Senator Brown offered a meas
ure appropriating $4,000 for the build
ing of a central heat, light and power
plant at the state prison.
Announcement was made that the
senate committee on banking and in
surance would give hearing Monday
morning, March IS, ON the insurance
bills introduced at the instance of the
senate insurance investigating commit
tee. 1t is understood that the insur-
ance companies will seek to have these
measures modified
Governor Stokes sent to the legisla-
ture the report of the New Jersey del
egates to the national divorce congress,
with their recommendations for more
SIIllSGAL OlNOlNC laws III LILO GLalCs
He also made the following county
tax board nominations in addition to
reappointiug the board of managers of
the New Jersey State Hospital For the
insane Monmouth county-William
T. Hoffman, William X. Devereux and
John S. Applegate; Burlington county
Joseph c. Kingdom, Thomas G.
Shreve and George n. Wymer; Hudson
county-Joseph ]. Guisto, James Altar
dice and James e. Connolly; Sussex
county-Henry G. Hunt, Patrick ].
Dolan and Andrew j. van pIarcom;
Bergen county-P. G. Zabriskie, James
FL. Coe and Henry d. Winton.
Pound Net Hearing.
AT hearing Monday on the pound
net bill former Judge Benjamin P.
Morris of Long Branch, president of
the state fish and game commission,
denounced Joseph A. Crawford of
Newark, member of the salt water
commission, calling him a fraud and
defying him to prove charges made
against him (Morris) in the salt wa
ter commissioners recent report to the
legislature. AS there was good rep
resentation of all the pound net own
FRS and pound net fishermen of the
state. Judge Morris asked them pubs
iicly if he had represented any of then
or any of their friends in legal ca
pacity. There was no response, an(
President Morris then said he had ney
er represented pound net fishermen il
legal capacity or in any other way
that would conflict with his duties a.
member of the fish and game com
mission. The net fishermen strongly