The Penn's Grove record., 1909-04-02

FORCES lhrougn Ills Fupitc OSiiteios
Bill IN Spite of Great Corporate OPP
position-Governor Fort Declares He
Still Favors Extension of Primary
Law-Legisisture May Adjourn Next
Week-BiIls Continue to Be intro
duced.
Especial Correspondence
Trenton, April LIN the estimation
of those who gauge legislative matters
at the statehouse with something nk
accuracy local option received its death
blow in the legislature Monday night,
at least as far as this session is con-
cerned. The bill of Senator Plummer,
which had been made a special order
for the evening in the senate, was de-
feated by a vote of 6 to IA. The sem
ators who voted for the measure were
Alderman of Union, Bradley OF Cam
den, Gaunt Of Gloucester, Gebhardt OF
Hunterdon. Minch Of Cumberland and
Plummer, of Salem. Votes In the mega
tive were cast by Senators Brown of Mon
mouth; Cornish, of Warren; Fielder, OF
Hudson: Frelinghuysen, of Somerset;
Hand, of Cape May; Hillery, of Morris;
Hinchcliff, OF Passaic; Leavitt, OF Mercer;
Osborne, of Essex; Price, of Sussex; Rob-
bins, of Burlington; Silzer, of Middlesex;
Wakelee, of Bergen; Wilson, of Atlantsc.
When the measur was taken up
Senator Plummer explained its provi-
sions and said that it did not nor was
it intended to interfere with the OPP
Grafton of the bishops law. If the
bill should be defeated, Senator Acker-
man declared, the people would justly
reason that they had been denied the
right of deciding a subject of public
Importance which directly concerned
them and the surroundings of their
homes.
Home Rule Bill, Says Gebhardt.
Senator Gebhardt said that the bill
was a home rule measure n he had
not heard one sane reason why ii
should not pass. The people, he be-
lieved, could be trusted, and all they
asked was that they be allowed to de-
eide the question for themselves. In
opposing the bill Senator Fielder said
that he did not believe that the legis.
lature should submit the question ia
the people, as they were sent to Tren.
ton to legislate for the people and IL
was their duty to settle the matter. He
would vote as he believed the people
of his county wished him to vote.
President Robbins left the chair to
oppose the bill and in the course of a
long speech said that, while it purports
to be a measure providing for a popu.
lar vote by municipalities upon the
question of license or no license, It pro
posed to submit that question in a
most offensive and unfair form.
Senator Wilson of Atlantic spoke al
length against the bill, and Senator
Osborne of Essex declared that it was
not a bona ide home rule measure,
while Senator Hillery thought that the
people should be allowed to vote on
the proposition to sell seven days OF
the week if they voted On local option.
During the discussion the galleries
were crowded with partisans of both
sides of the question, who loudly ap.
plauded the points made by their re-
spective champions.
A~ssembIyman Martins Work.
One Of the biggest men in the legis.
lature today is William Fl. Martin, the
NEW idea" assemblyman from Essex.
In spite of the powerful of
the corporations and special interests
which were brought to bear against
his public utilities bill he has succeed.
ed in getting it through the house and
over to the senate. Early in the ses.
sion he introduced a measure which
was modelled after the Hughes public
utilities law of New York, and Assem-.
blyman Pierce of Union put in a bill
which was considered less drastic than
that of Mr.. Martin. MI. Pierce's meas
ure was reported from the committee
to which it was referred, and an effort
was made last week to pass it. With
the help of the Democrats and by SUI
perfor parliamentary tactics Mr.. Mar
tin after a bitter fight succeeded in
having his bill substituted and passed,
III " lAC COuotCI udtlOu VI Tile DOW
erful corporation lobby which was
here opposing the measure. 1t did not
take the opponents of the Martin bill
long to recover from their chagrin,
and a motion was made to reconsider
the vote by which the bill was passed,
and then a motion to lay on the table
the motion to reconsider was carried,
the object of the measures enemies
being to prevent the transferring of
the bill to the senate, as it was held
by some parliamentarfans that such a
motion carried the bill with it and
laid it upon the table until 1t was TAX
en- therefrom by a vote Of the house.
Exception was taken to that view, and
upon the matter being referred to the
attorney generals office an opinion
was rendered that the motion did not
carry the bill with it.
Some influence was strong enough to
keep the bill in the house over Mon
day night Notwithstanding the opinion
Of the attorney general, and Tuesday
morning Leader Lewis moved to take
from the table the motion to recon-
slider. The friends of the Martin bill
became alarmed, as there were rumors
af1oat that the corporations had Sc
cured enough votes to reconsider the
passage of the bill, and they immedi-
ately attacked the motion. After a
long and sharp debate Mr.. Lewis mo-
ton was defeated by a vote of 81 to
81. The bill is now in the hands of
the senate, and it's enemies are concen-
trating all their efforts upon that body.
1t is feared that the senate will load
the measure down with amendments
to such an extent that its effectiveness