Gloucester County Democrat., 1911-10-12
PLATFORM OF THE NEW JERSEY
DEMOCRACY.


We, the Democrats of New Jersey,
in convention assembled, endorse the
able and brilliant administration of
Governor Woodrow Wilson, and ex-
press our entire approval of the pro-
gressive legislation enacted during
the winter of 1910-11.
In seeking again the suffrages of
our fellow citizens, we desire to
pledge ourselves to the following
program, which we believe to be bas-
ed upon the principles of public SER
vice which we have successfully
sought to put in operation in the SER
les of important laws passed at the
last session of the Legislature. We
have succeeded in setting legislation
free from private control and are
able to act as we propose.
First. The successful administration
|of the criminal law of the State having
again and again been defeated by the
fact that the sheriffs of counties have
been able to use and control grand
juries for personal and political pur-
poses, we favor a recasting of the
law of the State so far as it affects
the choice of grand juries and the SUI
pervision of the drawing of petit
juries.
Second. Both the administration of
our system of taxation and that sys-
tenn itself demand immediate revision;
we, therefore, favor such changes in
our law in regard to these matters
as will provide more satisfactory
means of assessing and equalizing
taxes and readjusting our methods
and rates of taxation.
Third. The present too lax methods
of Incorporation in our State having
resulted in the creation of corpora
tions both within and without the
State in a way which does not safe
guard the interests of the public, we
favor such changes in our laws as will
throw the proper safeguards around
the powers of the corporations hence
forth to be created under it, and
whenever possible, around the further
exercise of the powers of those al
ready created, especially with regard
to their power to issue securities not
honestly based upon assets and ac-
tual business.
Fourth. We favor the immediate re-
organization of the administration of
the benevolent and correctional in
stitutions of the State upon plan
similar to that by which the admins
tration of the public school system
of the State was reorganized at the
last session of the Legislature.
Fifth. We favor the conservation by
the State, for the benefit of all the
people of the water rights and other
natural resources still within the con-
troll of the State and the acquisition
by the State for the purposes of con-
servation and common use of all the
water rights and forest resources
that may prudently and without ex-
travagance be acquired; and the en-
actment of laws to prevent their con-
troll or exhaustion by private corpor-
ations or by individuals, or by local
communities.
Sixth. In order to reduce the cost of
litigation and to place the processes
of our courts more readily at the dis
posal of persons of limited means, we
favor the simplification of judicial
procedure
Seventh. We favor the election of as
semblymen by districts, and the SUBJ
mission of constitutional amendment
for that purpose.
Eighth. We commend the action of
the Democratic party in revising the
rules of the Federal House of Repre-
sentatives so as to facilitate the
transaction of the public business
without subsection to autocratic die
tation or to committee tyranny and
we pledge ourselves to a revision of
% nf nndN ,f y
General Assembly of tn State of New
Jersey so as to make them more con-
formable to the State constitution,
more fit to protect the people against
the evils of slipshod law making and
more apt to secure proper legislative
provision for the general welfare.
The conditions under which power
is exercised, are more important than
the conditions under which power is
gained, and the work which the DEM
ocratic party of this State has done
and is doing to restore popular gov
ernment will be incomplete unless ac-
companied by appropriate reforms in
Legislative methods We authorize
the chairman of this Convention, as
soon as possible after the election, to
call party caucus of members-elect
OF the Legislature that they may ap-
point committee to study the subject
and submit recommendations to the
party caucus in advance of the legis-
lative session.
Ninth. We favor the enactment of
laws with regard to the use of auto
mobiles within the State, which will
grant the same rights and privileges
to the owners and drivers of machines
from other States that are accorded
the citizens of this State, in the States
from which said owners and drivers
hold their licenses and which will
tend to establish a proper reciprocity
of responsibility as between the IL
cense granting authorities of the sew
eral States.
Tenth. We favor the elimination Of
grade crossings and, to that end, the
enactment of legislation giving the
Public Utilities Commission power to
compel the railroads to eliminate
grade crossings where, in the iudg-