The Penn's Grove record., 1907-01-04
STATE LEGISLATURE
Coming Session Promises to Be
Most Sensational.
LETHBRIDGE WILL BE SPEAKER
Senator Mfnch Will Probably Preside
Over Upper HOuse-Liquor Legisla-
2 ton Among Important Matters to
Come Up-The United States sena-
: tOrship
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
Trenton, Dec. 3.-The one hundred
and thirty-frst session of the New Jer.
sey legislature, which opens next Tues.
day afternoon, promises to be n OF
the most interesting that have been
held in the past thirteen years and I'm.
doubtedly the most sensational. 1t is
nearly equally divided between the Re.
publicans and the Democrats, the Re
publicans being in the majority OIL
joint ballot by only seven votes. In
the senate there are fifteen Republic.
ans and six. Democrats, and in the
house there are t~hirty-one Democrats
and Twenty-Five Republicans. Last
year the Democrats had only seven
members in the legislature all told
three In the house and four in the
senate. For thirteen. consecutive years
the Republicans have controlled both
houses.
The speaker Of the house will be
Edgar e. Lethbridge Oem.) Of Essex.
and the majority floor leader of tho
house will be Abram Klenert (Dem.) OF
Passaic county. The assembly minor
ity leader will be Alfred N. Barber
(Rep.) of Mercer. Senator Bloomfield
H. Minch Rep.) Of Cumberland county
will preside over the upper house. Sen
ator Thomas J. Hillery (Rep) Of Nor
ris will be the majority leader in the
senate, and Senator James S. Minturr
Oem.9 of Hudson will be in all prob
ability the minority leader in this
branch.
Senate Officers.
The senate officers will be as fol
lows:
Private secretary to the president, VII
liam c. Murphy, Camden county.
Senate secretary, Howard B. Tyler
Cumberland county.
Assistant secretary, William H. Al
bright, Gloucester county.
Journal clerk, John w. Cliff, Monmouth
county.
Assistant journal clerk, Ulysses s
Grant, Ocean county.
Sergeant at arms, John F. Lovett, Mer.
GER county.
Assistant sergeant at arms, assigned t.
Burlington county; no appointment we,
announced.
Supervisor of bills, Charles L. Grub
Morris county.
Assistant supervisor of bills, Edgar A
Sexsmith, Monmouth county.
Bill clerk, assigned to Essex county.
Assistant bill clerk, William N. Conklin
Somerset county.
Calendar clerk, assigned to Burlington
county.
Clerk to the committee on printed bills
Howard Keasby, Salem county.
The Democratic caucus has assigned
the following patronage in the house
of assembly:
Hudson County.-Assistant clerk of tn,
house, journal clerk, supervisor Of bills
sergeant at arms. one assistant sergean
at arms, assistant to the supervisor OF
bills, two pages, four doorkeepers.
Essex County.-Clerk Of the house, sec
ond assistant supervisor of bills, assistan
to the journal clerk, four doorkeepers
three pages.
Passaic County. - Speakers assistan,
secretary, one assistant sergeant at arms
bill clerk, assistant to the clerk of tht
house, two doorkeepers, two pages.
Sussex County.-Speaker's secretary, ONT
assistant supervisor Of bills, one age.
Hunterdon County. - Assistant journa
clerk, one doorkeeper. one page.
Warren County.-One doorkeeper ant
one page.
Liquor Legislation.
One Of the most important matters
that are likely to come before the legis
lature this winter is the subject OF
liquor legislation. Not a few persons
attribute the loss of control of the
house of assembly to the provisions OF
the bishops bill, which was passed by
the Republican legislature last winter
and which was even more stringent
than the Werts act, to which the bish.
ops law was an amendment. By the
bishops law, as it has become known
the sale Of liquor on Sunday in this
state is absolutely prohibited, and the
method taken for the enforcement OF
this provision was the raising of the
front screens of all saloons in the state
on Sunday in order that a violation
should be easily detected. There is q
movement in the Democratic party
augmented by the German element OF
the state, for more liberal liquor laws.
and it Is believed in many quarters
that the Democrats will seek this end
at the approaching session of the legis.
lature, though it is freely stated from
some Democratic sources that no liz.
uor legislation will be attempted this
winter in view Of the fact that the
constitutionality of the bishops law
Is now before the court of errors and
appeals.
The annual message of Governor
Stokes, which will be sent to the legis
lature at its opening session, will nc
doubt be eagerly read in view Of the
unique situation in New Jersey poll.
tics at the present time. Although the
regular" or administration, Repub-
leans have gained the upper hand on
the Colbyite, or reform, movement in
Republican politics, yet the admins
tration forces cannot afford to fly in
the face of the Colby faction, nor Is IL
apparent that they wish to do so. The
governors message, it Is believed, will
be conciliatory.
Governors Message.
The text Of the governors message
will be government for the people"
The governor believes that the last
session Of the legislature ably treated
and disposed of most of the important
and acute problems before the people
and that the coming legislature will
have only to supplement legislation
along these lines. Some Of the most
important questions to be settled were
anticipated through recommendations
last year and the appointment of COM
missioners to consider them, but the
governor will take all of these ques.
tons up in his message. The execu.
tive, it is understood, will give special
attention to the subject of taxation.
He will discuss methods Of taxation
and state which, in his opinion, are the
best, after reviewing the operation of
last winters tax laws.
Another matter which it is anticipat.