Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-01-08
Tore they are made permanent.
Corrupt Practices.


fore they are made permanent
Corrupt Practices.
The purity OF the ballot is the foun-
dation of good government. Corrup-
ton begets dishonesty. and a corrupt
and fraudulent ballot produces a gov
eminent of like character. The legis.
lation Of lnst year for n purer ballot
was based upon two principles-a
broader definition of what constitutes
bribery at the primaries and at the
| polls, so that no form. however in
sidious, of ~debauching the electorate,
either by money. promise or hospitality.
should be legal, and a better method OF
securing the conviction of both the
bride taker and the bribe giver. Too
severe penalties for these offenses make
detection and conviction well nigh i'm
possible. A penalty, such as that pre-
scribed in the act of last year, that
merely DISTINGUISHES for the first of
Tense and for the second imposes both
Acknowledgement and punishment is
more likely to eliminate bribery than
severer penalties that can never be en-
forced. To this was added immunity
of the informer for his own o~ffense,
so that the bride glver or the bride
taker is now always in danger of be
ing betrayed by his confederate. This
provision makes bride giving I'M bride
taking dangerous experiments, as it
puts wrongdoers at the mercy of
wrongdoers.
Ballots Confined to Polling Places.
The present method of distributing
ballots outside of the polling place,
while it may serve convenience In
some few instances, aids the briber
and bride taker. | recommend that of.
fetal ballots hereafter be not allowed
outside of the polling place and that
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
distasteful and unsatisfactory. 1t is
proper, however. that the merits OF
every system should he 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.
billions. whether it is duo to the care
less management of the voting ma
ob;,,o ~, nIo.+;on oaioaro crl,athar ~ IL
due to that conservatism of mind
which always opposes innovations,
whether it has been developed by self
ish interests or whether it is well
grounded and sincere l shall not at
tempt to discuss. As a prevention OF
the corrupt and fraudulent ballot, how.
ever, the voting machine has merit. II
practically prevents bribery at the
polls.
Passaic River Pollution.
In last years message | stated, "The
publication of the Passaic river is still
an unsolved problem 1t has been
handed down to this legislature for ad-
Indication. 1t was last year suggested
that any satisfactory solution that was
made must meet with the approval of
the affected communities; that legisla-
ton otherwise enacted would fail in
execution and become Il worthless leg
acy to the courts.
In accordance with that recommen-
dation Paterson and Newark agreed in
conference either to settle their differ
ences or to permit legislation on the
subject to proceed by acquiescence on
the part of one il not with the support
of both. The details of this settlement
were not perfected in time to carry out
be executed at a special session to be
called for that purpose some time in
September last. Paterson and Newark
and | speak of these two municipali-
ties because the difficulty in solving
the problem has arisen out of their diff.
ferences-have been in conference since
September in a sincere attempt to
agree upon legislation to this end. l
am now informed that a bill has prac-
tically been agreed upon by the repre-
sentatives of the two mentioned cities
and the other affected municipalities
and is ready for presentation to you
for consideration.
State Sewerage.
The condition of the Passaic valley
should prove a warning to other sec
tons against the improper use of the
rivers and streams of our state. These
natural highways, as Webster called
them, were never intended to carry the
refuse of civilization to the sea. In
many of our waterways incipient pol
luton has already begun.
Economic and sanitary considerations
are arrayed on the side of publication.
Every municipality should be glad to
divert sewage from all of our streams,
especially from those from which num-
bers of our people obtain their water
supply. This state, together with
Pennsylvania and New York. through
its health officers and other state Off
Gals. is endeavoring to devise a plan
not only for the prevention of further
deposits of sewage into the Delaware,
but for the removal of the pollution
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