Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-04-11
POLITICS AND COMMENTS FROM
STATE CAPITOL.


trackless trolley measure, two or
three bills providing local salary in
creases, the Morris Canal Investigat-
ing resolution and the bill appro-
priating about $4,000 for the Incl
Dental expenses sof the Legislature
were all hit by vetoes which Cover
nor Wilson submitted to the Legis-
lature this afternoon, upon it's recon-
vening after the recess taken on
March 80. The number of veto mes
sages was AZ, breaking the record for
the number of vetoes sent to the Leg
islature at one time.
The grade crossing bill was disap-
proved on the ground that it arbi-
trarily requires every railroad in the
state to remove at least one grade
crossing for every 80 miles of it's
track, which the Governor thinks is
not fair to the roads. He thinks
such legislation is unjust ad imprac-
ticable. He favors grade crossig re-
moval, but declares that such re-
moval should be placed entirely in
the hands of the Public Utility Com
mission, so that the elimination of
the dangerous crossings may be
brought about in an equitable man.
ner without bringing hopeless en-
barrassment upon the railroads
~ The LeaVitt measure echanging the
presidential primary selection from
May 28 to May 4 4 was vetoed be-
cause the companion bills providing
for earlier filing of nomination petit
tions was not passed, and so to ap-
prove this bill would result, the Gov
ernor says, in snarl The other
election bills were vetoed ON the
claim that they were strikes at safe
guards thrown around the election
by the laws of last year. The sal
airy grab bills were disapproved on
the ground that there was no justi-
fcation for the increases, and that
such legislation was disturbing the
people of the state very seriously.
''The bill does not effect a redis
tricting of a state but veritable
gerrygander," declares the Governor
in his veto of the redistricting bill
The Governor says the districts as
arranged are arbitrary and even
whimsical The Executive says there
is no justification for the formation
of districts so manifestly manufac-
tured, not out of real neighborhoods
or units of population, but out of
mere spaces forced to conform whet-
her they were natural or unnatural
to the interests of those concerned.
The Lowy liquor bill permits whole
salers to deliver liquor in territory
beyond that covered by the license,
by excluding from such delivery
dry territory. The Governor ad-
mits that injustice is done to local
dealers in the fact that the Federal
Government through Interstate COM
merce permits liquor dealers outside
the state to deliver their wares at
pleasure inside the state, but says
that a mistaken and hurtful federal
policy does not justify an imitation of
that policy by the state itself. Con-
cluding this veto, the Governor says:
Tt seems to me imperative upon
the principle of government to
preserve the integrity and autonomy
of the several licensing districts and
that that autonomy is seriously inn
paired by this act.
The Incidental appropriation bill is
vetoed on the ground that the expen-
diture of $37 900 for the expense of
the Legislature in addition to the
$30,150 already allowed by law, is
extravaganza. The Smalley trackless
trolley measure is vetoed because it
contains provision that the fran
chises to be granted may be trans
ferred to trolley or steam railway
companies, which might not operate
them in the spirit or for the purpose
contemplated; also because valuable
franchises are granted absolutely
free to run for 100 years.
The Governor vetoed Assembly
Joint Resolution II for further in,
vestigation of the qulestion of the
abandonment of the Norris Canal
because it seems to. go out of its
way to utter a gratuitous and entire
ly unjustifed criticism upon the COM
mission which last year fulfilled this
same function at the request of the
Legislature.
Other bills vetoed are. Creating
State Board of Prison Labor Com
missioners to control the employment
of all state prisoners: the Gaunf bill
lngalizing the action of candidates
who last fall failed to obey the cor
rupt practices act and file a state
ment of campaign expenses: the Gill
bill permitting prisoners who have
served two-thirds of their sentence
to apply for parole.
** 4 $50
State Labor Commissioner Lewis T.
Bryant in his annual report Just
submitted to Governor Wilson. points
out discrepancies existing between
the Child labor laws and the compul-
sorry school statute, and declares that
it is impossible in some respects to
secure harmonious administration
by the Labor Department and the
several school departments with the
clash in the laws. Commissioner
Bryant recommends that his depart
ment should have control over the
question of the age of the child and
that Fhe educational qualifications
should be controlled by the educa-
tional authorities.
The report shows that during the
mast year the department made 7618
factory and bakery inspections, is