The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-29
Preliminary Steps Toward
Fixing Date for COustitu-
tiOnal Convention.
CHLOROFORMING BILLS
Leader Martin Must Call a eau.
Gus, Against His Wishes, to
Consider Measure for Doing
Away With Legislative
Committees Graveyards.

TRENTON, Jan. 29.-Both branches of
the Legislature have adjourned until next
Monday night.
In the House late yesterday Majority
Leader William p. Martin, as chairman OF
the Assembly committee OH Judiciary,
offered a committee substitute for the COR
current resolution previously offered by
Albert C. Eppinger, a Hudson County DEM
ocrat, for the preparation of a bill by a
joint committee to provide for a constitu-
tional convention.
The committee substitute calls for the ap-
pointment of the committees on judiciary OF
the House and Senate as a joint committee
to sit during the session and prepare the
proposed bill for a convention to prepare
constitutional amendment
Senator Samuel K. Robbins, of Burling-
ton, leader of the Republican majority in
the upper branch of the Legislature, is
chairman of the committee on judiciary of
that body, and he and Assemblyman Martin
would be the heads of the proposed joint
committee.
the judiciary committee substitute for the
Eppinger resolution, and when the Sena-
tors meet next Monday night it will he
for them to decide finally whether the
committees are to get together.
The other chief subject of interest was
the presentation to Majority Leader Mar
tin of a petition signed by twenty-three of
the forty Republican A~ssemblymen, ask
ing that he issue a call for a caucus for
next Monday night for the purpose of con-
sidering the resolution introduced by Will
lam Fellowes Morgan, Of Essex, on jan
uary IA, providing for amendment of the
House rules. so that on written request
of at least fifteen members any committee
will be required to report bills in their
keeping.
Mr.. Morgan's resolution went to the com
mittee on ru'es, n at a meeting of that
committee Monday night 1t was voted to
make no report ''for the present. Mr..
Martin, as chairman, fought hard to get
the resolution out. but 1t was in vain, he
being outvoted.
II thu committee on rules John r. Moxon,
of Union, and Henry W. Buxton, of Nor
ris, who, with Chairman Martin, make up
the membership, We're averse to reporting
the Morgan resolution. They asked for a
aucus on the matter, but Mr.. Martin de-
cliped to call one. He said he wanted to
have the matter taken up In open session.
The two members of the committee who
were In the majority got busy yesterday
and secured signers to a petition to the
leader If more than half of the members
of a party representation in an official
body demand a caucus 1t is necessary for
the leader to call 1t, no matter what he
may desire personally.
The fact that more than half of the
members of the Republican majority are
DESTROYS of having the Morgan PROPOSE
ton considered behind the bars of a
caucus is the best indication possible that
the Morgan proposition 10 do away with
the mortuaries of the days gone by is
doomed to be killed.
There is one chance Of beating out the
'twenty-three." There is talk of many
absentees when the caucus, which is to be
called for next Monday night, is held. If a
dozen or more Republicans do not attend
the caucus and combine with the twenty
members of the Democratic minority, they
would be able to do something, possibly
amend the rules as desired by Leader Mar
lin, Mr.. Morgan and others.
Mr.. Whitehead introduced an enl-
ployers' liability bill in the House. 1t is
in line with the bills that AVE gone down
TO defeat in times past. 1t provides that
where an employee brings an action at law
TO recover for personal injury, the fact
that he had knowledge that the machinery
which injured him was dangerous cannot
be used as a defense by the employer.
Mr.. Colgate, of Essex, offered two bills.
One interests Orange and other cities OF
its class only. The other would make
COuHleS pay the SALARIES VI JUICES anu
attaches of district courts.
Union County Republicans didn't get
theil bill through the Legislature to pre-
vent the repeal of the ordinance in Rah-
way that provides for the appointment Of
the Board Of Excise Commissioners by
the Court Of Common Pleas.
The bill was introduced Monday night by
John r. Moxon as Assembly No. 20. There
was a lot of mystery about h it might
A-1 H. t-.~-,A
sion thai 1t was an Elizabeth bill was
fostered. AS a matter of fact, it is the
plan of the men behind the measure to
prevent the Democratic administration of
Railway from repeating the ordinance
which establishes a Board of Excise in
that city except such a repeal Is approved
by referendum vote.
ror the committee on revision Of laws,
Chairman Henry w. Buxton. of Morris
County. reported the bill favorably and
without comment yesterday afternoon Mr..
Moxon then endeavored to ..ave the rules
suspended and the bill finally passed. The
House passed the measure to third read
Eng, but by almost unanimous vote sup
ported the stand Of Minority Leader Mark
A. Sullivan, of Hudson; Majority Leader
William P. Martin, of Essex, and others,
who opposed the establishment Of a preee-
dent Of passing at one sitting a bill intro
duced less than twenty hours before.
Mr.. Moxon went around to Leader Mar
tins desk and asked him to withdraw his
opposition. In a stage whisper, he said:
'sThey are going to meet and repeal that
ordinance next Tuesday"
Mr.. Martin held that the Senate had al
ready adjourned for the week, and that
no matter what the House did the bill
couldn't be made a law before next Tues
day at the earliest.