Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-04-02

present Legislature than have ap-
peared for several years. Early in the
session the Lee bill and other measures
that were introduced solely for the
benefit of the corporations, and which
would work injury to the people, APP
peared to have no chance. 1t was ap-
parent to any onlooker that the senti-
ment was against such legislation. and
that the members of House and Senate
were impressed with the solemn oath
that had so recently been taken to
safeguard the State and to perform
their duties as legislators honestly and
conscientiously, with a sense of the
sacred trust in them reposed.
But the lobbyists 5ided their time.
AS week followed week. the situation
became more hopeful from a corpora
ton standpoint. Some of the members
of the Legislature who had talked
loudly of honor and of a desire to work
for the public welfare were conspicu-
ously silent.
THE Public Service Corporation lobby
: decided on March l hat the time was
ripe for the Lee bill to be pushed
through the House. For hours the bill
was debated, but the fight came to
naught, so far as attempts to amend
the bill were concerned. A week went
by before Vice-President John j. Bur-
leigh of the Public Service Corporation
and the Public Service Railway Com
pany, chief lobbyist for those interests,
decided to have the House vote on the
question of the passage of the bill.
On Tuesday, March s. the bill was
moved to final consideration by Assem-
blyman William Lee, of Essex, its in
PRODUCER. A carefully prepared type
Written speech was given to Mr.. Lee
1y the Public Service lobby, and he
read it to the House, with four paid
lobbyists looking on. Assemblyman
Duane E. Minard, of Essex, leader Of
that county's delegation, resident OF
East Orange. and member of a law
firm which is handling a good deal Of
business for the trolley company, took
the floor for the bill, telling every con-
ceivable sugar-coated reason he could
muster why the bill should pass.
Rejected BY House.
Bat the House refused to stand for
the rotten measure. only eighteen ot
the sixty members could be mustered to
vote fer the shameless thing. Two We're
absent and thirty-eight voted against
the bill. sending it down to deserved
defeat. Mr.. Minard changed his woe
to be able to continue his fight, and on
March 8 moved the reconsideration of
the vote and then had the proposition
laid upon the table. a was a par
liamentary trick to resuscitate the bill
in order that it might be reached IL the
lobbyists. in the way that such things
are done. should succeed in changing
some of the men who a voted against
the bill.
On March 10 the Public Service lob
byists boosted that they had enough
votes, that sixteen men had consented
to take a right-about face and vote for
the bill that they had killed a week be
fore. Mr.. Burleigh and Mr.. Minard
and their friends ave the word. 1t
was decided that Mr.. Lee should be put
in the background. and, instead of hand
ing him a written speech. to have the
: case handled by Mr.. Minard, whose
familiarity with the situation through
his connection with Public Service rem
dered him more efficient.
1t was Mr.. Minard, therefore, and not
the i%ntroducer of the bill. who, con-
trary to all precedent. tool up the at
tempt to push the bill through the
House. He wasted no time in debate,
He and Majority Leader Edge. argued
that the trolley companies wanted the
hill and seemed TO think that enough.
They argued with a consciousness that
the votes had been procured.
The motion to take from the table
: was put through on well creased ways.
The motion to reconsider was passed
and the bill was again before the
House. Mr.. Minard said that there was
"pothing more to say" about the bill
and showed a haste to get the final roll
call. Mr.. Sullivan there threw down
the challenge to the men who had so
far lost their sense of decency n pub
lie responsibility as to pledge them
selves to a reversal on the bill.
The words of Mr.. Sullivan on that oc-
casion will be long remembered and
may be the basis for an investigation
that will result in a showing how the
votes were procured. Mr.. Sullivan.
among other things, said;
II agree with the gentleman from Es.
sex that nothing more al be said about
the bill. Everything that was to BIZ
said was said last week. when the bill
was beaten overwhelmingly with about
forty votes against Il.
"what pernicious influence, what sim
lister influence, has been brought TO
hear to reconsider n bill beaten by
some forty votes, ] leave to the menu
bcrs of this House md the people of
the state to ~crnin
AS was TO be expected, the fighting
minority leader talked in vain. The bhl
was & passed on reconsideration with
three votes to spare, the roll call show
ing "a for the bill and % against, with
three absent. With hot haste the bill
went to the senate. It was the plan to
shove il through there without any de-
lay and to put it up to the Governor,
but the demand for a hearing was so
great that as a means OF fooling the
people and leading to the belief that
there was some doubt as to the merit
Of the measure, theae1mmittee listened
to arguments. John o. H. Pitney,