Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-01-11

be purchased. The price asked for 1T
is $4,000. The State now holds an
option pom it at this price.
When the land Is acquired, Delaware
street, which adjoins the Capitol
on b east, should be closed, and the
whole tract put into the Capitol grounds.
In order to close this street, q few small
pieces of land fronting IN Delaware
street. I'M lying south of the Green
property and Front street, and which
are not of great value. should be pur-
chased or condemned.
II the State Capitol building is ever
to be enlarged. and unless some other
provision is made for the courts and the
State library, it viii soon have to be, il
should be extended In the direction in
which Delaware street and the Green
land lies.
The state House Commission should
be given ample power to make the pur-
chase Or condemn this property, and a
sufficient appropriation made for this
lrpos The land can never be OBJ
tanned to better advantage than now
and it must be apparent to anyone that
it is greatly to the interests of the
State to secure this property without
delay.
A Court and Library Building.
Several departments in the State
House are greatly overcrowded, yet we
are still short Of rooms. The State
Library. the curtis inc the court clerks
occupy a large part Of the second and
third floors of the Capitol building.
IL a new building were elected for
the use OF the courts. their clerks and
fho Stofo 7 ihroru x1yfaiet ahnt11l fnllnut
the courts, the present State House
could be arranged to furnish ample
room for all State officials for sone
years to come.
The State Library is very valuable
and tho, preservation of the records OF
the courts is of the greatest concern.
The. present capitol building is in no
sense fireproof. A new fireproof build
ing should be erected or the property
that l have already suggested be ac-
quired on the east of the capitol. 1t
should be a three-story building, with
the offices of the clerk in chancery n
the Supreme Court on the first floor,
the courtrooms on the second floor and
the State Library on the third floor.
The basement should be for flreproof
vaults. The cost of a suitable building
SUCH aS mere SuBStSttu WUuiu pIODdpiy
not exceed s100, 900.
The subject is well worthy of legis-
lative consideration, as some relief in
the Capitol building is essential. The
cost of maintenance would not increase
the present expense of maintaining the
Capitol, as the new building could be
heated from the present plant, and
there is q force now employed suffi-
Gent. in my opinion, to do all the nee
essary care-taking about the new
building.
A Governor,s Residence.
The Legislature at its last session,
by paragraph 3 of Item No. IL of tho
general appropriation bill, authorized
the state House Commission to rent a
house in the city of Trenton for the
! occupancy OF the Governor, and ap
p~ropriated twenty-five hundred dollars
for that purpose. OF course. l -apppre-
! ciated the action of the Legislature,
but L did not feel that / should avail
myself of 1t, tand.s hence no house has
been rented, and the appropriation has
lapsed into the treasury. My reason
for this action Dis that I had urged
that a residence be procured for the
next Governor in Trenton, and, hav-
ing so done, l did not feel at liberty to
accept one for myself. My thanks are
due to the Legislature for it's courteous
and friendly action, but whatever is
done in this line must apply to the next
| Governor and not the present Gov
| ernor 4
That the Governor Of New Jersey
should be provided with a house In
| Trenton my experience has clearly
demonstrated. The duties of the Chief
Executive of this State are multitudin-
Gus and require practically all his time.
II he is faithful to the trust he cannot
do other work to any extent. II in
my view he should not do it. He should
reside at the capital during his term.
All the reasons urged in my special
message at the last session are here
reaffirmed. If the State Is not ready to
purchase or build a suitable residence
the present year, provision should be
made to rent and, if necessary, furnish
@ suitable house in the city of Trenton
for the occupancy of the Governor.
Authority should be given to the State
House Commission for this purpose.
Taxed Costs in Litigstios.
For many years the a and people
of h State, as well az the clerks of
the courts, have objected to the present
| method of taxing costs in causes pend
ing in the courts.
Our present bill of costs is made up of
| numerous small items for the drawing
| or filing, or both, of Ii nan papers
in a cause.
Long experience in this practise has
made it possible to definitely fix about
the average amount OF a bill of costs
in a litigated or non-litigated case. A
simplified bill of costs should be pro-
vided for. made up Of definite gums
| covering specific services with all small
items omitted. This would greatly
simply the work in the Offices of the
clerks.
II is very difficult under our present
practise to tax a bill Of costs. There
are very Jew, wen technically accurate
lawyers, who can do 1t without mistake.
| No greater boon could be conferred
upon the legal profession, or the people,
than to abolish the present cumbersome
taxed bill of costs In our courts. It
would not decrease the revenue of the
| State or counties in the least, and, now
that all the court officers are on q sal
airy, it would make 1t easy to verify
statements and check up accounts,
which, IN matters of court costs, Is now
almost impossible.
Ar my suggestion. the clerks of the