Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-04-07

son County Water Company from talk
ing water from the Passaic rive
through wells near its banks at Belle
vile. Twice during the night the Hous,
passed McCran's bill and sent it across
to the Senate. accompanied by the ulti
matum that it was useless to try L
parley or compromise.
The bill was signed at 7:30 O'clock
this morning. in the presence of its
author and introducer and some more
legislators.
5 After hours and hours of the most
acrimonious debate of the session. the
Senate late last night pushed Il substi-
tute for the McCran bill to third read
Ing. and some time after midnight the
substitute bill was put through. 1t was
drafted for the most part by Governor
Fort. 1t provides that there should be
established by sue enactment a comfy
of States that would permit the Cover
nor of New Jersey and the Governor
of an adjoining State to agree upon
diversion of waters from New Jersey,
If, under certain conditions. including
the request of the Governor of another
State, it is proved that the water is
needed.
1t was purely a measure for the
special interest of the Hudson County
Water Company. AS the situation in
the Senate sized up yesterday after
noon there were eleven votes for the
original McCran anti-diversion bill.
which assured its passage. Senator
Cornish was taken suddenly ill and
left the State House during the after
moor. so that the vote was ten.
Senator Mathis, of Ocean, who has
been close to the Governor this session.,
refused to vote when the proposition
was made to substitute the newest
product of the water lobby for the Nc
Gran bill in the Senate, and thereby
gave the victory to the enemies of the
bill by a vote of 10 to 8, a majority Of
those present.
Senator John d. Prince, of Passaic,
who took charge of the McCran bill in
the upper branch. fought untiringly
through the night to get the necessary
eleven votes to pass the original
measure. He thought that he had
them when the substitute bill came up
on third reading, but it developed that
through Senator Prices departure for
his Sussex home and through Senator
Edward K. Mills's switch from the
original to the substitute, the oppo-
sition to water conservation had IL
{ votes. and so the Senate's comfy bill
was passed.
To reafirm the position of the House,
the McCran original bill was reintro-
duced, as House 552, by Mr.. McCran
and rushed to final passage by unani-
nous vote, under suspended rules. be-
fore the Senate's water bill as favored
by the water lobby was sent to the
House.
'sThere will be. no legislation this
year" said Senator Wakelee and the
others who were working to Kill the
McCran bill and put upon the statute
books a comfy" law. But they reck-
oned without their hosts, however.
It was after daylight when the real
situation and its political importance
forced the Republican party leaders
into action. Commissioner of Banking
and Insurance Vivian M. Lewis OF
Passaic. prospective Republican noml-
nee for Governor, went to the senate
Chamber at about I o'clock TINS morn
inc and sent for Majority Leader Erh-
est r. Alderman.
They had a long talk, with Mr.. Lewis
doing the talking. Other OF the state
leaders went to work. as they frankly
Sat it, ito save h party's record
Within fifteen minutes PRESIDENT
Frelinghuysen and Senator Wakelee
conferred, and thereafter the WORD
want forth that Senator Princes effort
to pass the bill which he had served
notice he intended to renew. would
probably meet with greater success
thar he had anticipated.
49, +Ln ,,,paSf4r0 was taken IN
there was no speech-making. 1t was
showed right along under suspended
rules passing by unanimous vote of the
sixteen then present.
The whole thing nay be analysed in
lust his way: The water lobby, con-
fdent that they had the McCran anti
diversion plan beaten. went home air
w early last night. AS the hours licked
away the members of the Legislature
began to think of these promises made
a year ago when the water grasp was
about to be undertaken.
lust to show that theer was no back
ing down on his part. McCran, as soon
as the Senate substitute reached Clerk
Parker, called the bill up and for a
third time the original McCran bill was
passed in the House this session, this
time as a substitute for the Senate's
emasculated measure. which had been
sent over for consideration. With The
obnoxious water lobby absent the fight
Ing of Assemblyman McCran counted
for something.
The young Passaic a~ssemblyman has
won his spurs this year and his battle
to kill the water snake will live long
in annals Of the Legislature. Had he
weakened an iotai he would nave gotten
nothing
The. senators were afraid to assume
the. responsibility o failure to legis-
late and after all the chaos and Noise
ana passing and repassing CANE the
new law. 1t is the same simple bill
introduced in the first place. with a
word or two changed to make 1T more
specific.
"Mr. McCran,' said the Governor. as
he made the bill a law by ~affixing his
signature. your anti-water diversion
bill is a law, and you have the distinc-