The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-03-12
OUR TRENTON LETTER.
[speeial Correspondence.l


Trenton March THE main fea-
lures of the New Jersey Legislature
this week were the excise measures.
the railroad commission bills and pro
posed regulation Of child labor. These
matters occupied a great deal of at
tention.
Probably the most interesting hear
Ing of the session was given Monday
on the excise measures by the house
judiciary committee. Local option was
favored by the temperance advocates
so far ais it would give them the right
to vote against the liquor business, and
it was favored by the liquor element SO
far as it would give the privilege Of
voting for the sale of liquor on Sun
day. After a three hours hearing AS
semblyman Klenert of Passaic, leader
of the Democratic majority in the
house, concluded the hearing without
making any announcement as to what
would be done in the matter, and the
outcome is now as much in doubt as it
was at the very beginning of the ses-
sion.
A Dual Fight.
The temperance people made dual
fight, first for the retention on the
statute books of the bishops act, which
prevents Sunday selling and abolishes
back rooms, and, second, for the adop-
ton of local option bill that would
enable them to vote the saloons en-
tirely out of business. The liquor men
devoted their attention to arguments
in favor of the enactment of the bill
introduced by Assemblyman Blohm OF
Essex county, which repeals the bish-
OBS act and. among other things, pro-
vides that the people of any commun-
ity may vote on the question OF legal
izing Sunday selling.
Assemblyman Barber of Mercer, the
Republican minority leader in the
house, created big surprise when the
Blohm bill came up for second reading
in the house Monday afternoon. MI.
Barber presented an amendment to
the bill to give the women of the state
a right to vote with the men on the
question of legalizing the Sunday sale
of liquor The assemblyman in his ar
gument stated that women, being the
most directly interested and involved
in it, should have voice in its settle
ment. The amendment was lost by a
vote Of 81 to 81, all the Democrats vot
ing against 1t. Leader Klenert then
amended the measure to eliminate the
possibility OF selling in back rooms,
and Assemblyman Sullivan of Hudson
secured an amendment raising the age
limit from eighteen to twenty-one
years for the selling of intoxicants to
minors.
The measure will be reprinted, and it
is expected that it will be up for final
passage in the house next Monday
night The general opinion prevails
about the capitol, however, that be-
cause of political division on the mat
ter no liquor legislation will be enact
ed this year.
Labor Measures.
Labor bills were responsible fol
heated debates in the house, the meas.
ures fathered by Assemblyman Alex
ander of Hudson being up for final
passage. The principal fight was
waged by Assemblymen Buck and
Potter of Cumberland county against
the bill to prevent the employment OF
children less than sixteen years of age
in factories at nights. They declared
that this bill would greatly embarrass
and distress the glass industry OF
south Jersey, with an invested cap
ital of $7000,000, an annual payroll
of $40O0,O00 and 7,400 workers in.
volved, with 10000 dependents. The
bill was passed by vote of A to 13.
Mr.. Alexander secured the passage
of his bills to prevent children from
working at nights in mercantile estab-
lishments, Saturday nights until o
o'clock being excepted; also the bill to
compel manufacturers to provide seats
for women employees.
Civil Service.
There seems to be a peculiar condi
ton in both the senate and the house
with regard to the subject of civil
service reform, which was discussed
by the governor in his last message.
Embodying the ideas of the governor
in this matter, Assemblyman Thomp-
son of Mercer county introduced bill
In the house early in the session. This
slumbered in the hands of a committee
until Tuesday, when a substitute for ii
made its appearance. In the senate
Mr.. Colby, the Essex county reform
leader introduced bill going further
than the suggestions of the governor,
and this the Republican members of
the upper house seem disposed to push
forward for enactment.
Assemblyman Thompson's bill called
for the appointment of board of civil
service commissioners to serve on a
per diem basis. The substitute pro
vides for the election of board to be
paid salary of $2,500 each, with the
exception of the president, who is to
receive $4,000. The substitute also
changes the proposition so that it only
covers the state service, counties and
first second, third and fourth class
cities. The measure is in many re-
spects similar to the Colby bill in the
senate.
The Republican senators sat in clos
ed conference until o'clock Tuesday
morning discussing the civil service
proposition in general and the Colby
bill in particular 1t was decided that
the Colby bill should be amended in a