The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-01-12
Civil Service.

The last session of the legislature es-
tablished the civil service or merit sys.
tenn in this state and created a board
of commissioners to manage it. The
first report of the commission has been
made, and the work done is deserving
of the highest praise.
Approval of Contracts and BilIs.
The governor is required by various
statutes to approve all contracts be.
fore they are made and many bills Of
departments before they are paid.
This duty, it seems to me, should be
placed on the department contracting
them and the attorney general.
Investigations.
Almost every session of the legisla.
ture either appoints or authorizes the
governor to appoint investigating com
mittees or commissions which have in
quisitorial powers. If these investiga.
tions could be given judicial charac-
ter and be made by a supreme court
commissioner appointed by the court
on petition of the attorney general at
the direction of the legislature or gov
ernor and there could be conferred
upon such commissioner when appoint
ed power to issue subpoenas out Of the
court appointing him to compel the at
tendance of witnesses and he were
clothed with power to pass upon the
admission or rejection of evidence, we
should have a useful system in the
state and comparatively inexpensive
one, and good results would flow from
it.
On these hearings the attorney gen
eral could appear to represent the leg
islature or governor or the legislature
could, II it preferred, direct that the In.
De e0ti,4acled by comm
loe OF it's own or by counsel appoint
ed by itself.
There is no reason why members o
the senate or house could not be ap
pointed as counsel for their respective
bodies to conduct the examination
and receive reasonable compensation
for such service.
Automobiles.
All vehicles upon the public highwa.
should be required to carry lights,
Speed regulations in the open coun
try should be Iva Thirty miles al
hour could be Flowed there wit
safety.
Arrest and trial should not be sum
mary, but the right to step should onI
exist to inquire as to the possession b,
the driver of the machine of the requi
site authority or to obtain it's number
If violation of law be claimed.
I Suit should only be instituted by di
rection Of the department in prope,
courts near the residence Of the ALLEGED
offender or at convenient points within
the state for the nonresident.
Willful injury to person or propert,
by the driver of a car, or such injur.
by an intoxicated driver should be ;
misdemeanor and punishable accord
ingly, without, of course, the loss O
right to maintain civil suit by the in
jured party or the owner OF the dam
aged property. The present licens,
fees are not excessive,
Employers Liability Act.
The enactment of an employers liza
bility act Is in line with the best opin
ion Of our time. The old common Law
rule, which prevents an injured man
although innocent Of any negligence
himself, from recovery because som'
Of his fellow servants were negligen
is not adapted to our day.
By the decisions In our state, tn,
superintendent of the factory is I
fellow workman with the employee
under many conditions, and the IN