The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-09-15

ONFR Ntt1Ah -
did I advocate their adoption. l sought
as a citizen tc procure their adoption
at the polls. / acted as / did because
l believed the amendments were right
and l still believe they are right"
Former Mayor Edward Kenny, of
East Newark, who worked against the
amendments, said:
"All honor to the STAR for its val
liant fight. 1t Is due to the pointing of
the way by a great newspaper h a the
voters were able to understand the
situation and express their preference
intelligently at the polls. | am very
happy to know thai New Jersey Will
not accept a counterfeit"
When he heard that the amendments
were defeated, Cortlandt Riker eX-
claimed: "Hurrah for the STAR
United States Senator John kean
said: II think 1t Just as well that the
amendments were defeated. l was moi
In favor of the amendments and did
not vote for them"
Former State Senator Everett Colby
said:
THE defeat of the amendments was
no disappointment to me. l am sorry
the judiciary amendment and the one
providing for the election of assembly
men by districts did not &c through.
did not care about the others. If the
assemblymen by districts amendment
had been separated it would not have
been defeated"
George l.. Record said: II congratu-
late the STAR on It's good work. l am
delighted that the amendments are de-
feated. particularly the ones relating to
the increase of the terms of Governor
and a~ssemblymen. OF course there
were some good amendments proposed,
but it was better to defeat all, including
the good ones, than to allow the pal
ones to pass"
County Tax Commissioner Lathrop
Anderson said;
Thanks to the STAR, the amend
ments were defeated. / am much dis
appointed, however, because they did
not go through. I believe that we
should elect our assemblymen by dis
~tricts."
The judicial Amendment.
Most important of the five proposed
amendments was the third or judicial
amendment. 1t would have affected by
the change of a few words in the basic
law the abolition of the Court of Err
rors and Appeals, the Court of Chan
Gerry, the Prerogative Court. the Court
of Common Pleas, the Orphans Court.
the Court of Oyer and Terminer and
the Court Of Quarter Sessions. Tho
amendment provided In place of these
a Supreme Court and county court.
The new Supreme Court would have
consisted of twenty-one members, in
three parts of seven each, an appeals
division, law division and equity d.
vision. The County Court would have
consisted of one judge in each county,
with the Legislature empowered to in
crease the number where the business
might require 1t.
The present justices of the Supreme
Court and the chancellors and vice
chancellors would have been mace
Judges of the new Supreme Court until
the expiration Of their respective terms
The six lay judges of the Court of Err
rors and Appeals would have been put
out Of office. The office of vice chancel-
Tor would have been abolished. The
present common pleas or county judges
would have become automatically
Judges of the new County Courts upon
the amendments becoming effective, to
serve until the expiration of their terms
as common pleas judges. The circuit
court judges would q become su-
preme court justices, to sit at circuit
until the terms for which they were
originally appointed expired.
District courts would have remained
as. at present. The amendment would
have gone into effect on Monday, Feb
ruary I, 1910.
The fifth amendment was probably
the most interesting from a popular
standpoint, because it was to have
given back the old Assembly districts.
1t provided for State, national and
county elections in even years. COM
mencing with November, 1s10-that Is.
next year. Municipal elections were
fixed for odd years, commencing III
1911.
The terms of Governor, State Senator,
sheriffs and coroners would have been
II -reased under the fifth amendment
from three to four years, and the terms
of county clerks n s%urrogates from
five to six years. the terms of Assem-
blymen from one to two years.
Had this gone into effect, the term of
Mayor Haussling. which expires ext
year, would not have ended until jan
uary l, 1912. Sheriff Harrigan would
have served an additional year. and
County Clerk John b. Woolston and the
surrogate chosen this year would each
get a year more.
The first amendment would have
abolished the provision OF the Consti-
tuition permitting the foreclosure Of
mortgages in Common Pleas and Cir
cult courts.
The second amendment would have
abolished the Court of Pardons, which,
as now constituted. consists of the
Governor, Chancellor and six Ivy
judges of the Court of Errors and APP
peals. The new Court of Pardons pro
vided for would have consisted OF the
Governor and our citizens of his selec-
ton, three members of this board, of
whom the Governor shall be one, will
have the power to sit as a court, to
remit fines and grant pardons after
conviction In all cases except ,impeach-
ment.
The fourth amendment would have
increased the salaries of Assemblymen
from $500 to $1,000 per year.