Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1911-06-05
HEARINGS ON
BILLS START
Delegations S Gather at State
House Arguing for and
Against Measures.
BEFORE The GOVERNOR
Hudson Politicians Out in
Force to Urge Griffin Pri-
mary Election Bill.
BEFORE The GOVERNOR
Special IN the EVENING NEWS,

Special IN the EVENING NEWS.
Trenton, June 5:-Arguments pro
and con on number of important
bills passed by the legislature were
made before Governor Wilson today
at series of public hearings. The
hearings were the first business,
aside from correspondence, taken up
by the governor as he resumed the
reins of state government after his
invasion of the west where he was so
enthusiastically received and where
it looks as though he had materially
increased his chances to land the
presidential nomination next year.
The Bills Argued.
Among the bills argued were the
measure requiring railroad compa-
nies to pay employees twice a month
the one abolishing contract labor at
the state prison; the Griffin bill
amending the primary election bill
so as to keep the organization ma
chimes in charge of the county COM
mittees. This measure provides that
the county committee shall be elect
ed only every two years. Thus, if
the bill shall become a law no county
committee shall be elected in Hud-
son county this year, a situation
which the bosses hope to bring about
Another measure heard was that
requiring pawnbrokers and second
hand dealers to file with the chief of
police daily a record of goods re.
ceiYed.
The First Hearing.
The first hearing was on the
Frelinghuysen bill permitting North
Plainfield to build a sewage disposal
plant. The bill Is strenuously op-
posed by Bound Brook on the ground
that the plant would pollute the
Bound Brook water supply. It was
held also that, according to the pro-
visions of this bill, the plant would
be a nuisance in other ways. North
Platnfield township also opposed the
bill. The governor said it was a pity
that the State Board of Health could
not advise as to these matters, but it
could only pass upon completed
plans. Representatives of North
Platnfeld claimed there was no
joker in the bill and that it was
necessary to have it in order to pro-
ceed with the disposal plans. The
hearing was a lively one. At its con-
clusion Governor Wilson said he
would consider the measure.
The Griffin Bill.
The next hearing was on the
Grif1'p bill, assembly 1896, amending
the primary election law as already
mentioned This brought a lot of
north Jersey politicians to the gov
ernOr's office The measure is for
Hudson county and the chief sup
porters were James Henessy, Hud-
son county Democratic chairman;
Michael l. Pagan, city clerk of Jer-
sey City, and Patrick R. Griffin, Of
Hoboken, all members of the 'big
six" which combination has assumed
the leadership of the Hudson county
Democracy since the death of Bob
Davis.
City Clerk Pagan was the first
speaker. Il drew this bill,' he be-
ban, "and it is not a bill for any
boss" He claimed it was only pass
cd to meet defects in the present
law. He called 1t companion to
the Geran law. He insisted that the
preseS law covering the election of
county committee does not go far
enough. He said no vacancy could
be filled nor could member be ex-
PEELED, though such action might be-
come necessary. He said this was
Democratic measure and was in the
interest of party success. He argued
that as next fall would be the first
test of the Geran law, a radical
statute, it would be best not to elect
county committeeman this year. He
claimed also that the term of county
committeeman should be two years.
He asked the governor to sign the
bill
Assemblyman Griffin also urged
the approval of the bill, following
the same argument of the firstspeak-
er. He claimed that electioneering
every year for this office was bad
policy and that the election of COM
mitteemen should not be mixed this
year with commission government,
the Geran law and other important
questions. He argued that election
officers should be chosen for two
years so that the members of the
county committee should have a two
year term.
Mareli Opposed the Bill.
Former Assemblyman Henry Ma
relli, of Passaic, Republican, argued
against the bill. His first point was
that the members of the committees
should be elected annually in order
that the party managers should be in
accord entirely with present day
policies. He referred to eighty cent
gas and showed that under this bill,
If that were an issue in a year when
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