Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1911-04-22
LEGISLATURE
HAS A RECORD
Great Work Accomplished by
Lawmakers NhO Adjourn
ed Sine Die Last Night.
HANY REFORM MEASURES
Four Principal Bills for
Which Gov. Wilson Con-
tended Enacted Into Law.
Special to the EVENING NEWS.

Special TO the EVENING NEWS.
Trenton, April 21:-More pro-
gressiye legislation was enacted dur
ing the sixteen weeks of the one hun
dred and thirty-ifth legislature OF
New Jersey which closed in fact late
last night, but officially at o'clock
yesterday afternoon, than was writ
ten on the statute books in the twen-
ty years preceding. The session is
regarded generally as an epoch in
the political history Of the state and
without doubt it was the greatest
state has ever seen.
All of the reforms which have
been fought for ten years by the pro-
gressiye Republicans Of New Jersey
and which we're denied them by Re-
publican legislatures year after
year-the reforms in public utilities
regulation, the boss-destroying cleo
tion laws, which the political ma
chimes Of both parties declared So
cialistic and impossible, and which
others contended were years in ad-
vance of the times, will now be put
to a practical test.
Due To Governor Wilson.
The results achieved are due TO
the efforts of Governor Wilson more
than to any other one agency His
great campaign in which he spoke
for the right to be for three years
the spokesman for the plain people
and his policy of keeping his cam
paign pledges to the letter. wrought
marvellous results, which have been
recorded in series of advanced laws
which now stand to the credit of the
state.
1t was said at the State House last
night that what Governor Wilson
has accomplished has been more
than the combined achievements of
Roosevelt as governor of New York
when he passed his limited franchise
act and thereby became the logical
candidate for the vice-presidency Of
the United States; Hughes, who as
governor of New York put through
the direct primary and other legisla-
ton, and LaFollette, who beat the
political machines of Wisconsin and
made that state for a while the lead
er in progressive legislation. Gov
ernor Wilson has even gone further
than the ultra-progressive Oregon
iana-ia- the+-s~aeetkeEs -ofa -1esaaxsasazalf.
practices act against election crook
edness and the public utilities bill
His efforts in the interest of de-
cent government solely for The peo-
pie and to end the rule of the special
interests has turned the eyes of the
voters of the whole country upon
himself and made him the most
prominent man mentioned for the
Presidency in 1912.
Four Big Propositions. .~.
Governor Wilson waged his CAM
paign on four big propositions which
he insisted should be enacted into
law, and he has obtained every one
of them. These were election and
primary reform, an adequate public
utilities law, an employers liability
law that was real protection to the
workers and a strong bill aimed al
corruption at the polls.
None of the laws was obtained
without a hard fight in which the
Governor was strongly opposed by
the political bosses and reaction
aries of both parties. but he held
steadily to the doctrine that the cam
paign pledges should be faithfully
kept and he won on all four of the
propositions.
By the enactment of the Geran
election law this state passes under
the most progressive regulation for
elections in the whole country.
Through its direct primary provis-
ion for all candidates, from presf-
Dental electors and governor down;
its civil service regulation for the
choice of election officers and its
other radical provisions, 1t drives the
bosses out Of business and places the
election machinery in the hands of
the people.
The corrupt practices act passed
and already signed, is a companion
measure and completes the over
throw of the rule of bossism by maxi
ing the use of money to buy votes
dangerous.
The public utilities bill passed is
not the measure introduced by the
Democrats, which abolished the pres
ent utility commission and provided
for forfeiture of charters under GER
tain conditions. It is stronger, how
ever, than the Republican measure