Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1907-01-09

gible to the ordinary mind. and no new
law should be passed unless the public
welfare will suffer from the failure of
Its enactment
The average number of laws per year
for the last decade has been about $50.
There are 5000 acts now In force.
Such mass of law is so conflicting
and perplexing as to be sealed book
TO the lay citizen and to the lawyer
mass of intricacy which battles profess
Eional skill and research. We have had
20 revision of the statutes since that
of 1874 The general statutes publish
ed closing with the acts of 1898. was a
mere compilation. The time is ripe for
condensation and revision of our
statutes.
Jury Reform.
Reformation of our jury system was
at the last session made a subject of
legislative enactment. A great step in
advance was made by providing that
the petit jury lists should be subject
to revision in the way of substitution
and elimination at the hands Of the
Judge of the court of common pleas
The method of selecting the grand 1u-
ries should be likewise carefully re-
viewed and If possible better method
devised and enacted into law.
Civil Service.
Good government demands both
probity and efficiency in public Off.
Gals 1t is difficult to induce the best
men to enter public life. Much less
can they be induced to do so where po-
sition is the plaything of partisanship
instead of the sure reward of merit.
Patronage is the blight of office. Or
ficeholders whose position depends up.
on the service they render to the ap-
pointing power necessarily give their
allegiance to that power in preference
to the people. Public business should
be conducted upon the same basis as
private business.
A state civil service commission
would be necessary to the execution OF
such q law. l would vest in this com.
mission the power of confirmation over
ice and would make all such appoint
ments subject to trial for a period be-
fore they are made permanent.
Corrupt Practices.
The purity of the ballot is the foun-
dation of good government. Corrup-
tion begets dishonesty, and corrupt
and fraudulent ballot produces a gov
ernment of like character. The legis.
lation of last year for purer ballot
was based upon two prlnciples-a
broader definition of what constitutes
bribery at the primaries and at the
polls, so that no form, however in
sidous, of debauching the electorate
either by money, promise or hospitality
should be legal, and better method OF
securing the conviction of both the
bribe taker and the bribe giver. Too
severe penalties for these offenses make
detection and conviction well nigh i'm
rsssri5.e. Il penalty, saSh tiuat n c
scribed in the act of last year, tina
merely DISTINGUISHES for the first of
fense and for the second imposes botl
dsfranchsement and punishment Il
more likely to eliminate bribery thar
severer penalties that can never be en-
forced. To this was added immunity
of the informer for his own offense
so that the brbe giver or the brib'
taker is now always in danger of be
ing betrayed by his confederate. This
provision makes brbe giving and bribt
taking dangerous experiments, as Il
puts wrongdoers at the mercy ol
wrongdoers.
Ballots Confined to Polling Places.
The present method of distributing
ballots outside of the polling place
while it may serve convenience IL
some few instances, aids the bribel
and bribe taker | recommend that of
| fetal ballots hereafter be not allowed
outside of the polling place and thai
laws be enacted to this end.
Voting Machines.
1t is not the province of the execu
tive or the legislature to impose upon
the people any form of voting which Is
dstasteful and unsatisfactory. 1t is
proper however, that the merits oi
every system should be fairly dis
cussed
There is an apparent opposition IN
many parts of the state to the voting
machine Whether this opposition
comes from disappointed political am
bitions, whether it is due to the care
less management of the voting ma
chine by election officers, whether it is
due to that conservatism of MIND
which always opposes innovations
whether it has been developed by self
ish interests or whether it is wei
grounded and sincere | shall not at
tempt to discuss. AS a prevention ot
the corrupt and fraudulent ballot, how
ever. the voting machine has merit /
practically prevents bribery at the
polls.
Passaic River Pollution.