The Penn's Grove record., 1907-03-29
RAILROAD BILLS PASS
Measure Providing Railroad Com
mission Put Through House.
SUNDAY BALL SUCCESSFUL.
House Acts FavorabIy on Measure to
Permit Prize Fighting-Civil Service
Bill Through Senate - Defense of
Fish and Game Commission.

Permit Prize Fighting-Civil Service
Bill Through Senate - Defense of
Fish and Game Commission.
Especial Correspondence
Trenton, March 2S.-There was scarce
" an idle moment at this weeks ses-
sions of the legislature. Both houses
worked as if determined to clear up
the mass of business that had accumu-
lated. and the committees of each
branch gave many hours to hearings
on important bills that have been pre-
scented in the legislature.
One of the sensations of the week
was a visit of George L. Record and
Mayor Mark NJ. Pagan, reform Repub-
iicans of Jersey City, to the capitol
and their call upon Governor Stokes to
oppose the reappointment of Colonel
Samuel D. Dickinson of Hudson
ty as secretary of state. Mr.. Pagan
presented charges to the governor con-
corning Colonel Dickinson's private
life. These charges were later emphat-
ically denied by Colonel Dickinson.
Attorney General Attacked.
A~ssemblyman Tumulty Monday night
bitterly arraigned Attorney General r.
II. McCarter for actively engaging in
the practice of law in the interests of
corporations. Mr.. Tumulty spoke in
advocacy of house bill No. 40, designed
to prohibit the attorney general of the
state from accepting retainers as the
legal representative of corporations
whose interests might be ~antagonistic
to those of the state during his term
of office. Republican Leader Barber
opened an attack Upon the Hudson as
semblyman, in which he declared that
human nature is just the same today as
in the days of old, when Demosthenes
exclaimed that the public was ever
ready to applaud denunciation and in
vectiye. He sturdily defended the char
acter and ability of Attorney General
McCarter and held that the exercise of
his official position could in nowise af-
feet his conduct of his Office in the in
terest of the state and that the present
incumbent Of the Office was above suS-
picion in that respect.
Alexander of Hudson said all per-
sonal questions could be cast aside in
this matter since it involved a sim
pie principle. The justice of the SUI
preme court, the chancellor and vice
chancellor, he said, are not permitted
. to practice law, their salaries are no
larger than that of the attorney gen.
eral, and no better lawyer is required
for the latter office than for the places
on the bench. Fake, Republican, of
Bergen, and Sullivan, Democrat, of
Hudson, spoke in favor of the bill,
which was passed by a vote of 80 to
81, every Democrat voting for it and
Fake joining them.
The spring election bill, house No.
was passed by the house Tuesday
afternoon after being defeated by a
vote of 26 to &c in the morning. When
the measure was resurrected in the
afternoon, it was passed by a vote of
81 to %.
0OfSIIUI SlOhcS HAS udlleu lueU-
dore Strong as a member of the state
board of assessors. AS Mr.. Strong
was a former senator his appointment
was Immediately confirmed by the SEN
ate. By taking this action Governor
Stokes received the pledge of Mr..
Strong that he will retire from politics.
This has pleased the opponents of Mr..
SfrnnO in Mi6Hlocov ond thau will
now unite with the regulars.
The bill by Mr.. Hahn which permits
prize fights in this state in duly organ
lied clubs now in existence was passed
in the house. Eight ounce gloves can
only be used and a limited number of
rounds provided for.
Railroad Commission Bills.
The house passed the Wright rail-
road commission bill for the regulat-
ing of railroads. The vote was SO to
"a, all the Democrats voting for the
> bill as well as a number of Republic
ans. The act creates a railroad COM
mission, to be elected by the people,
which will have much power over rail-
roads. The commissioners can enter
dAJ 1dlllOdu ydlu VI OI1C6, COl1DeI Tile
production of any book or record, can
regulate rates and do almost the work
of railroad directors. The house has
also passed three of the coordinate
bills. These were also carried through
by a Democratic vote. One of them,
mousse No. 81, makes it a penalty of
$1,000 for a railroad to charge more
than tho ra 70 fyQ6 for froinbt INV tho
commission, and a second offense al
lows the commission to seek the an
nulment of the railroad charter. An
other bill is house No. 314, which
makes mandatory the placing of
switches and sidings near properties
of applicants, a penalty of S $1,000 being
provided for noncompliance with this
provision. A third bill, house No. 315,
provides for the appointing of a re-
ceiver for a railroad by the chancellor
upon complaint of the railroad com
mission that its orders have been de-
fed. There was considerable debate
on the bills.
Direct Primaries.
The senate passed Colby's direct pri-
mary measure, which makes the ward
instead of the district the unit for
electing delegates to conventions, by a
vote of II to s. The debate on the bill
continued for almost three hours.
Governor Stokes has signed house
bill No. POI, by Mr.. Tumulty, which au-
thorizes the city clerks in first class
cities TO hire such assistants as NAV hA
needed and to fix the salaries of clarl,o
so hired. Another section of the new
law makes mandatory on the boards Of
nance to provide the moneys for the
payments of salaries of clerks so ap-
pointed.
Governor Stokes sent a message TO
Doth houses concerning the concurrent
resolution suggesting that the legisla-