The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-26

favor and was passed.
Mr.. Silzer then offered a long amendment
to section I. It provided for the abolish
ment Of the present railroad commission
and the placing under the control of the
new commission all the corporations and
public utilities companies in the State. The
section would have given the commission
the widest possible powers, including Sc
crecy for their sessions.
Mr.. Sllzer claimed that section 7 In the
bill before the Senate meant nothing. The
Attorney General would rule that general
supervision" was. OF no effect If asked
about 1t. Other sections in the bill did
but little more thanA7, he held.
Il claim no originality for these sugges-
tons" said the Middlesex Senator. THE
amendment propose is from the Hughes
law in New York. with changes to make
1t fit local conditions. My idea is simply to
give the commission some power. We
can get all the work necessary for regu-
lation of public service corporations from
one commission to cost not more than
$50, 600 per year. Why should we continue
the railroad commission and create this
new one to cost us in all S6O.0002'
Senator's Colby and Frelinghuysen, Re
publicans. agreed with the Democratic
Senator, but the votes of the other eleven
Republicans killed it.
Section s was the next object of Senator
Sllzer's attack. He said that the section
should be amended so as to give the COM
mission power to force witnesses to testify.
A man might be brought before the COM
mission, but there was nothing in the bill
to force him to testify, he contended.
Senator Avis here introduced a substitute
providing that the commission could COM
pei" witnesses to testify under the same
penalties that are provided for failure to
appear. That was lost and the Silzer
amendment to force the witnesses to testify
was adopted.
Following up his idea of having the wit
nesses give full testimony Senator Silzer
had section 0 amended SO as to provide
immunity for any witness whose testi-
mony might incriminate him.
Section II, which provides that the COM
mission, after investigation, recommend
hchanges to corporations, was next attacked
by Senator Gebhardt. who had the aid of
Mr.. Sllzer. Both these Democrats desired
that the Recommendations be made
orders" so that IL within FIVE days they
were not obeyed a fine of $1,000 per day
and $1,000 FOR each additional day of dis
obedience might be imposed.
Senator Robbins, who did the formal OBJ
jecting for the committee, was opposed to
that scheme, and the amendment was
voted down.
Two more amendments to section IL by
Senator Silzer, providing the penalty sug-
gested in the preceding section for dis
obedience to the laws. were also lost. With,
Senator Wakelee in the negative and most
of the Republicans not voting, Mr.. Silzer
had an important amendment to section 10
passed. 1t provides that uniform rates be
charged all over the State except where
the commission may deem otherwise, &C.
cording to conditions existing in certain
municipalities.
This amendment did not live long, for
Senator Frelinghuysen moved a little later
that the vote BY which 1t was carried be
reconsidered. The motion was passed.
Senator Frelinghuysen suggested the
amendment gave the commission rate
making powers. He and Senator Wakelee
were in opposition to it. These two, when
the vote was taken on the amendment,
once more switched the majority Of Re-
publican who had voted for it before
against it, causing its defeat. Senators
Colby and Hutchinson were the only Re-
publicans who voted for the amendment
with the five Democrats. The vote was
8 to z.
Before the vote Senator wakelee grew
sarcastic.
IT rather admire the astuteness of you
gentlemen who are trying to make this
a r~ate-fixing commission he said. II
voted no on the motion to adopt the
amendment, and some of those about me
here thought l had made a mistake, but
I saw right away that 1t gave the COM
mission the power to fix rates and so
voted against it,"
The Democrats had more success with
the amendment of Senator 'Gebhardt to
section IA. He desired all corporations to
get a certificate of permission from the
commission when they were about to Is
sue bonds or stocks, merge or consolidate,
sell or transfer franchises or enter into
contracts for the use of franchises. Under
the bill as introduced the corporations are
compelled to get a certificate only on the
lawfulness of the stock issue or the
merger. There was not much opposition
to this.
Senator Silzer amended section is so that
nothing in the act might be construed to
take away any OF the powers of the COM
mission, State or municipality, to remedy
evils or to enforce present charter pro-
visions.
The attempt to have section II amended
so that there would be a provision where
by nothing in the act might be construed
to prohibit the collection Of any tax or
charge by the State or municipality met
with defeat. Senate Colby was sure that
the amendment was good, stating that
Newark's 5 per cent. ordinance was a
proof of that. The argument fell on cold
ears.
With his amendments disposed of SEN
ator Silzer introduced n substitute for the
whole bill. 1t was a redrafted Hughes
bill. This made the Republicans hot under
the collar, and things got worse when
Senator Alderman moved that the COM
mittee bill and the substitute bill be re-
ferred to a committee for consideration.
Senators Robbins and Wakelee were the
principal opponents to this.
"The bill might be all right in New
York said Senator Robbins, but we do
not know how It would work here Sem
ator Colby took a hand in the discussion,
saying that he favored the substitute as
the better bill.
The motion to refer the bill was lost by
a vote of 10 to s. Through the parlia-
mentary mazes President Minch led the
Senators until the bill. with the approved
Silzer amendments, was ready for third
reading. Majority Leader Hillery moved
a suspension of the rules. The bill was
then passed unanimously. with Messrs.
Silzer and Gebhardt voting for It because,
as they said, they could not get anything
better.
A motion was then made by Senator
Colby that two committees be appointed
to draft a civil service bill and a direct
primary bill. A motion TO appoint one