Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1907-01-09
est and the proposition financed in

membered that the Passaic flood COM
mission is now laboring with the prob
lem of flood control. The creation of
this commission was due to the de-
struction of property to an amount es-
tmated at more than $7,000,000, so
that If the section threatened by floods
should pay for the whole enterprise
II would be a wise economy on their
part. The expenditure of this sum,
however, would not be demanded on
the part of the interested community.
Bonds secured by mortgage on the res
ervoir and its appurtenances could be
floated at low rate of interest and
money thus provided for the enterprise.
l earnestly urge practical considera-
tion of this subject and cali your at
tention to Important reports which will
later be submitted.
Assembly Districts.
The advisability of changing the
method of eleeting assemblymen by
counties to election by districts was
considered in my last message. The
reasons therein advanced for the
change are as good today as then.
Representative government demands
that the unit of representation shall be
clearly defined, so that the representa-
tive may have distinct constituency
to which he shall be responsible for his
acts. Under our present system the
members of the house of assembly in
those counties that have more than one
member are responsible to no distinct
and separate constituency, but rather
to party organization or to a self ap-
pointed committee of party leaders.
This condition violates the fundamen
tai principles of popular government
1t promotes rule by the few rather
than government by the many.
United States Senators and the People.
United States senators are elected
under the provisions of the United
States constitution and United States
statutes. The members of the legisla'
ture are merely the agents of the Unit
ed States government in choosing these
officials Various methods have been
proposed to ascertain to certainty
the popular choice for United States
senator and to convey that choice to
the members of the legislature. Any
provision to this end must harmonize
as far as possible with the provisions
of the United States constitution and
the laws on this subject or it will
prove null and void. So long as the
members of the legislature are directly
responsible to the voters of their own
county any provision for the selection
of United States senator by popular
choice must be based upon the county
as the unit of representation. | recon-.
mend legislation to this end.
Separation of State and Municipal
Elections.
stare anu mumcIpal auarrs are sepa.
rately administered. The state and the
nation are governed by parties that di.
vide on questions OF general policy.
municipalities present few issues, II
any, that require party government.
Their chief issues are good government
and economic administration. Partisan
politics is not necessary to this end.
Indeed, it retards rather than promotes
1t. When municipal and state elections
occur at the same time municipal Off.
cials are likely to be selected on parti.
san grounds. The municipal voter is
under the influence of his party ties.
Good citizens interested in honest mu
nicipal government should act together.
clearer line of distinction should
be drawn between state and municipal
legislation. The raising of the salaries
of municipal officers by the legislature
of the state is not commendable in
practice or in theory. The responsible
ity for such increase should be borne
by the local authorities themselves.
Municipal ills should be remedied al
home, not at Trenton. Municipal re-
form should be inaugurated at home
not at Trenton.
Division of Profits.
At the last session of the legislature
in compliance with recommendation
in the executive message, joint reso
luton was adopted authorizing the ap
pointment of a commission to consider
the question of the ACCESSIBILITY of
division of profits between public util'
ity corporations and the municipalities
granting their franchises. This com.
mission was appointed, has been dill
gently at work and will soon submit a
report.
Last year an act was passed for a
gradual increase in the franchise tax
Of traction companies up to per cent.
The relations between public utility
corporations and the municipalities are
so interdependent that any considera-
tion of the taxation of franchises must
involve questions that affect both the
fair treatment of these corporations
and the interest of the public. The prop
erty of the public utilities, both real
and personal, is taxed the same as that
of individuals at the local rates of tax
alton upon the valuations fixed by local
nssessnrs The franchise tax in addi.