Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1908-01-23
INAUGURAL. ADDRESS,

Assembly:
Called by the people Of my native
state to assume the high Office of chief
executive, / have in your presence
taken the oath of Office and now enter
upon the performance of the duties
with a profound sense of their respon-
sibility.
My predecessor has presented to you
in his message, submitted the past
week, a full review of our state finances
and has epitomized existing conditions
in the departments and institutions of
the state.
/ shall therefore only discuss in as
brief and businesslike way as | can
a few of the questions which, to my
mind, were settled by the people in
the lest election and bring to you some
suggestions that commend themselves
to me as worthy of legislative action.
All parties in the last election de-
cIared for the enactment of an efficient
civil service act. The enlightened pub
lie sentiment of our time demands that
removals from public positions shall
not occur for political reasons. The
spoils system is both obsolete and de-
moralizing and should be ended. Any
fair bill intended to attain this result
in state, county and municipality will
meet with my approval.
Public Utilities.
A public utilities bill should be en-
acted that will meet all the demands
of the most advanced thought upon
governmental regulation of public
utility corporations.
Such a bill cannot harm such corpo-
rations, but will, in my view, strength
en- them and their securities in public
confidence.
Just and fair regulation can only be
objected to by those misconceiving the
rights of the state The state grants
all corporate powers to its railways
and other public utility corporations
and may not only modify, but repeal,
ali charters and charter privileges it
confers. 1t may therefore impose CON
ditions upon their operation at its
pleasure.
OF course, in the doing of these
things it should act wisely and with
conservatism, protecting all vested
rights of property and the interests Of
the innocent holders of the securities
of existing quasi public corporations.
Regulation, therefore, upon a wise
basis of the operation of these public
utilities companies, including the fix
ing of rates and public charges upon
complaint and subject to court review,
should be intrusted to a proper board
as well as the right to regulate the
output of stock and the bonded issues
of such corporations.
If this were done, it would inure to
the benefit of the people and the COM
panies, for it would fix the value OF
such securities and act as a guarantee
against their depreciation Under such
a law the holders of existing securi.
ties would find them protected, and
new securities offered would have the
confidence of the people because of the
guarantee of the state that they were
OAly loCICd 1Ol CALCAo1OAS VI DCllCl-
ments and upon some basis of the cosl
Of such extensions or betterments.
There should be but one commits.
sion in the state for the regulation Oh
railroads and all public utility compa.
MES, and in case new act is passed
on this subject it should embrace all
the powers conferred upon the board
of railroad commissioners under the
act approved May Is, 1907 The actl
of 1907 is good as far as it goes, but
its powers are not sufficiently broad OF
drastic to compel a compliance will
its orders or to reach many matters
over which it should have plenary con.
troll The present method of enforcing
orders provided by the act of 1907
which requires proceedings in a court
Of equity by "a bill for specific per
formance," is so absurd as to be al
most ludicrous. Any order of the com
mission should become operative un.
less court review be commenced by
the company affected within a definite
number of days, and in default of pro.
ceedings for review or compliance with
the order a penalty should be imposed
by the commission, the mere filing OF
the order for which in the supreme
court should cause it to operate as q
judgment against the property of the
defaulting company, with the enforce
ment of this judgment by an execution
out of the supreme court, as in the
case of any other judgment
With this sort of a public utilities
BILL with board Of four commission
ers, at reasonable compensation, who
should be required to devote all theil
time to the duties of the Office and
three of whom should always be nee.
essary to make any order, good results
would be accomplished for the people
Department of Corporations.
A department of corporations should
be established, with a single commits
sioner at its head All the duties now
cast upon the secretary of state in this
rncnaaf Sbo111d dnv0Iva ,1pon fbic oana.