Perth Amboy evening news., 1909-03-11
WOULD END
SESSION ON
MARCH 20
Senate Passed Resolution to
That Effect as Hint to
House To Hurry.
MANY IMPORTANT BILLS
YET TO BE ACTED UPON
Assemblyman Voorhees, In
PRODUCES Several Election
Bills for Theo. Strong.

Trenton, March 11:-The senate
passed the sine die adjournment for
March 20 yesterday, and also passed
resolution forbidding the introduce
tlon of any bills after March 16, un-
less the consent of two-thirds of the
mem bers Of both houses was OBJ
tanned. This limitation is not to
apply to the Introduction of the an
nual supplemental and Incidental
expense bills.
This move is looked upon as q
prod to the house and not definite
statement of the time the members
believe they can get through. When
the concurrent resolution came over
to the house, 1t was referred to the
judiciary committee. where 1t will
stay until some definite agreem ent
on a date for final adjournment is
arrived at
The senate has cleaned It's calen-
dar, and when 1t adjourned for the
week, at o'clock this afternoon,
President Robbins said that there
would be nothing for the senate to
do Monday evening unless the house
furnishes business or the committees
report more bills.
A Democratic View.
Minority House Leader Mark A..
Sullivan, of Hudson, in a statement
to newspaper men last night said
Adjournment on March 20 will
be impossible with honor or credit
to the legislature, unless an enor-
nous amount of work is done in the
next ten days. My impression is that
the majority is simply tentatively
fixing a date to make us work hard
er. So far nothing has been done.
Not an important bill has been final
ly disposed = of. Practically every
bill affecting the states general well
fare is still in committee. / have no
desire to remain In Trenton and
lose time from my law practice, but
/ believe that the legislature should
do something, keep faith with the
people, before discussing the final
adjournment date"
Il don't believe that date can be
seriously considered for moment, >
said Assemblym an william P. Mar
tin, of Essex, New Idea leader. 1--WE
have done nothing so far because
there are few important bills out OF
committee l shall certainly oppose
any move to adjourn until we have
considered the really important
measures that have been intro
duced."
There is sure to be a repetition OF
last years big fight when the move
is seriously made to end the session
AS matter of fact, the republican
leaders are looking for Just that
They expect to adjourn the legisla-
ture on Friday, March 27, and have
set the date for the goth, in the res
olution, to be in "a position to give d
point and permit the house to amend
it.
Leaders Agreed on March %.
Governor Fort believes that the
Legislature can finish up all that
should be done by March 81, and
Speaker John D. Prince and Majori-
ty Leader Lewis, of the house, and
President Samuel K Robbins and
Majority Leader Frelinghuysen, OF
the senate, agree with him as to the
date
There are number of admins
tration bills not yet before the legis-
lature. In all 333 bills have been
introduced in the house thus far
and 24S in the senate, a total oi
.5S1. With tentative agreement
leaving only Monday night and the
sittings on next Tuesday for intro
duction of bills. there is scarce a
chance that the total of almost 1,00C
measures before the legislature last
year will be approached.
There has been lack of the fire
and dash in debate which marked
the session a year ago. The repub-
lican majority in the house has
avoided calling caucuses and there
has been no chance for an open
rupture between regulars and New
Ideaites with their resulting bolts.
There isn't a regular who is any
thing like match for Minority
Leader Sullivan or Messrs. Martin,
of Essex, and James G. Blauvelt, OF
Passaic, when 1t comes to debate or
parliamentary fencing. The regulars
as a general proposition have the
votes. however, and they have de-
pended on mastering them at crucial
m oments.
Public Utilities Bill.
In house committee are the Mar
tin and Pierce public utilities bills,
most of the reform election bills and
scores of other measures of more or
less Importance, including all excise
measures. Hanging in the balance
or awaiting a fight for reconsidera-
tion are Martins repeater Of the
Hillery maximum tax rate law, the
Hines direct primary election bills,
the proposition to investigate the
state Board of Assessors and to
order an expert revaluation of all
railroad property, rolling stock and
franchises and dozen other posi-
tions.
The senale situation Is different
from that of the house. The senate
com mittee power Is absolute, there
being no such rule as that or the
house, where twenty signatures to a
petition requires report on desired
bills within twenty-four hours.
Senate committees have in their
keeping good many bills that are
wanted out, but which are certain to
die sure, silent death. Flowers
will be omitted.
Speaker Prince worked the house
at high pressure yesterday, living up
to his self-made rule not to let the
assemblymen 60 for the week until
the calendar was cleared. He keeps
right up With the committees and.
unless he changes front, he will not
be responsible for failure to consid-
er any bills. He served notice last
niehf that next week sittings would