Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-28
REGULARS DRAFT
MEASURE TO STRIP
FORTS PATRONAGE
Would Take Appointment of II
County Tax Boards from
Governor.

Fort of the chief patronage that is left
to him-the appointment of the TWEEN
ty-one county tax boards-is the sole
object of a bill that has been drawn at
the instigation of the Republican
party leaders, but whether they will
attempt to enact the Measure into law
remains to be seen. The bill
amends the County a Board law by
providing that hereafter instead of the
Governor making selections for those
boards by and with the advice n
consent of the Senate the Legislature
shall select county tax commissioners
In joint session.
Slowly the Republicans are moving.
They are fearful of Democratic victory
at the approaching -gubernatorial cleo
tor. They are chagrined with the
Governor n determined, If possible,
to force his hand, but they want to be
sure of their ground before they take
the plunge. Before the bill is to be
introduced the votes in the two houses
will be lined up to determine whether
the strength is sufficiently Oil to
pass the bill over the Governors veto
Governor Fort would surely veto the
bill, and failure to pass the measure
over the veto would mean a personal
flClUfy LOT lHe 1ON6fnOT. IH6 Dill
would have been introduced last week.
but conservative counsels prevailed and
the question was put upon the SLOW
but sure" road.
Scored by Leader.
Governor Fort a said that HI will
not make his appointments until he
knows the fate of the bill to abolish
the county boards" said a member of
the Republican State committee, in ex-
hibiting the bill referred to. THAT is
%poppycock. He knows that the bill will
not pass and that the county tax
boards will no more be abolished than
VIII the office of United States Senator
& Ifleh he is so anxious to fill.
Last year the Governor Sent no
names for county tax boards to the
Senate after final adjournment, choos-
ing members to fill vacancies ad in
term. Now the term of another men,
Der of each of the twenty-one boards
is about to expire. SO that two of the
three members of each must look to
the Governor for continuance in their
present jobs. He has cleverly manipu-
lated SO that he is in a position to con-
troll a majority of the county court of
tax appeals in every county in New
Jersey, thereby holding a club over the
head of every Republican county boss
and every senator"
The Governor said several weeks ago
tina he would make all selections ex-
cept those for the county tax boards
early in the session, and forthwith pro-
ceeded to clear the calendar of prac-
tically everything worth while. Final
adjournment of the Legislature is on
the program for this week and still no
county tax board names.
If the Legislature adjourns without
the appointments being made. the Gov
ernor could either call the Senate back
to receive the nominations or he could
appoint two out of three members Of
each county board ad interim. If he
makes ad interim appointments 1t
would be for the next Governor, to be
elected this fall, to make nominations
foe the forty-two places as soon as the
next Legislature convenes; In fac he
would have added to them the twenty.
one places occupied by officials whose
terms expire next year.
Essex County Changes.
City Tax Commissioned John Howe's
friends say that Governor Fort has Of
fered him the place on the State Board
of Equalization of Taxes which Frank
b. Jess, Of Camden. will vacate a week
from today when he moves up to tho
presidency to succeed Major Carl Lentz,
who in turn retires to private life.
Fred w. Paul is backed by Mr.. Howe
to succeed President Lathrop Anderson,
of the Essex County Tax Board. For
mer Assemblyman Herbert w. Taylor
IS another man who ID doomed for Mr..
Anderson's place. Laurence T. Fell,
of Orange, the Democratic minority
member, was ~reappointed ad interim
last year.
The members of county tax boards
whose successors Governor Fort a.
name follow, the first given in each
county being the ad interim selection Of
last year, and the second the incumbent
whose term expires this year:
Atlantic County, Lewis r. Smith,
John r. Fleming; Bergen, James H.
Coe, p, G.. Zabriskie; Burlington,
Thomas C. Shreve, Joseph c. Kingdom:
Camden, Willard T. Gibbs, irving
Buckle; Cape May. Ellis Marshall. Will
bur T. E. Young; Cumberland, Alex
ander McCoriston, Alexander r.. Fifth
ian; Gloucester. Wilson T. Jones.
Andrew j. Nichol; Hudson, James
Allerdice, Joseph j. Guiscoe; Hunter
don. John C. Haynes. Charles N. Read
Inc; Mercer, Richard p. Wilson. j.
Warren Fleming; Middlesex, William
Schlesinger, DIR. Frank Crowther; Mon
mouth, Richard ". Herbert, William
r. Hoffman; Morris. Edward j. Cahill,
Charles A. Baker, Ocean, Joshua Hill
lard, ]. Horace Sprague; Passaic, Ar
thur Corbin, George Wurts; Salem,
John c. Ward, d. Harris Smith; Som
erset, Newton B. Snaalley. p. ". d. Van
Doren: Sussex, Patrick J. Dolan, Jo-
seph Coult, jr.; Union. Frederic H.
Andrews, c.. c.. Pollard. and Warren
County, Marvin A. Pierson and Jacob
S. Stewart.