The Penn's Grove record., 1912-03-01
Senator Davis Letter on Legislation
State House, Trenton, N. J..
February %, 1912.

Senator Davis Letter on Legislation.
State House, Trenton, N. J.
February %, 1912.
To the Residents of Salem County,
This has been a week of stirring events
around the State House. The first thing
on Monday morning was the lnvestiga-
ton by the Judiciary Committee i'll the
Senate Chamber of the bribery charges in
which Richard Fitzherbert, the Demo-
cratic Senator from Morris County is i'll
volved. The hearing was an ex parte
one, and consequently Senator titzher-
bert made no statement, his counsel, how
ever, stated that the Senator denied that
he was guilty of any wrong-doing actual
or contemplated, and that he requested
an opportunity of presenting all the facts
from the beginning to the end before the
whole Senate. The Committee, after
hearing the evidence, made its report to
the Senate i'm which formal charges were
preferred against the Senator, who will
be tried before the whole Senate on Tues
day next, March 9Th, 1912. The Senator
will be represented at the trial by Ex-
Senator Edwards of Jersey City, and the
Acknowledgement will conduct the exam
ination ON the other side.
On Monday afternoon the application
of former AttOrney-General Robert II.
McCarter, to disbar William G. Gebhardt,
Democratic Senator from Hunterdon
County was heard. 1t was charged that
Senator Gebhardt had written to former
Sheriff Green of Hunterdon County
nearly two years ago enclosing Il list OF
names which were recommended for jury
service. Senator Gebhardt denied writ
ing the latter or any knowledge OF either
the letter or the list of names enclosed,
and produced a number OF chicks signed
by him before the alleged writing of the
letter, about that time and afterwards to
show thrt the signature was not his. 1t
was charged that the Ex-Attorney-Gen-
eral represented the Brewers Association
of the State of New Jersey and the politi-
cal enemies of Senator Gebhardt. He
was requested to disclose the name of hs
clients, but refused to do so.
Yesterday morning a certain person of
persons kept continually peerlng into the
Senate Chamber, watching every move
of Senator Gebhardt and finally began to
act suspiciously and make such remarks
that at the noon adjournment, Senator
Gebhardt went out the private rear EN-
trance of the Senate Chamber, through
the basement into the street, and in the
afternoon detectives we're stationed in the
State House corridors leading to the Sem
ate Chamber to protect the Senator.
1t is said that human nature is a bundle
OF contradictions, and so we may not ex-
pect absolute consistency in a body of
men or single individuals. Emphasis has
been placed of late upon representative
government. 1t has been felt that the
rank and file Of the people have a greater
voice in the affairs OF the State than in
man. years. Yet a number of bills have
been introduced which seem to have the
opposite purpose in view. There have,
for instance, been three or four bills in
troduced, two of them last week, limiting
the members of chosen freeholders and
in counties of less than fifty thousand in
habitants to three. One bill introduced
earlier in the session, provides that there
shall be only three and that each should
be paid a salary OF $500. Another bill
along this same line is the provision IN
the Pierce bill to abolish all the local as
SCISSORS, elected by the people and to ap-
point in their place II field assistant for
every five million dollars of taxable prop
erty or fraction thereof. Neither OF said
bills has passed the Senate.
When the numerous appropriations
which are made by the Legislature are
considered and the many commissions
which are provided for and taken care of.
at the expense Of thousands and thous-
ands of dollars. 1t is no wonder that
taxes are high and burdensome.
1t is not surprising that a maximum
rate had to be fixed, and under our more
or less lavish method of administering
the affairs of the State, and demand kept
increasing, that the valuation of property
was raised when the maximum rate had
been reached.
Some of the appropriations are neces-
sary and worthy, others are unnecessary
and foolish. We have in New Jersey in
the neighborhood of $50 commissions.
Some of them are absolutely essential and
are doing a grand work, others ought
never have been created and exist to draw
salaries. Governor Wilson said in his
speech at the New Jersey Editors Ban
quet recently that several men of large
and expert business experience had said
to him that if such a proposition were
feasible, they would be perfectly willing
to run the State, conduct its affairs Just
ro "SiA pS viz ~ tONNuys XIV
the State everything it Is now getting, at
one-half OF what it costs the State to ad-
minister its affairs at present and then
would be sure of making twenty per cent
OH their work. This is, of course, a guess,
but it may not be far out OF the way and
l am sure that commissions are created,
appropriations made and money spent in
a way just as would not be done if we
runNa tr,olonIfNU on ou,t mi unto affatn
While all this is being done, the people
of the State are groaning under what they
feel to be excessive taxation. 1t will be
a glorious day for New Jersey when every
person believes what Grover Cleveland
said, "a public office is a public trust"
and uses the States money just as he
would his own.
Senate bill No. POP it seems to me is de-
signed to benefit the farmer. 1t provides
that all persons receiving farm products
in this State to sell on commission, must
first secure a license from the State and
execute a bond for not less than SIS. 1000,
and any one who las consigned farm
products to said person so licensed may
bring suit Oh said bond if a claim for pro-
duce sold to HIM is not paid within thirty
days.
Senate bill No. 2O7 enlarges powers Of
OF Mayors of cities of less than IL, 1000, and
gives policemen the powers OF contables
vesting them with authority to arrest
without warrant or other process.
There has been a great deal of discus
sion of late concerning the manner and
method of selecting iuries both petit and
grand. This has been brought abont by
the fact that the Sheriff's i'll some of the
counties-and l am glad to say there are
few-are not so fair and honest and indie
nondonf oo fba Sbor;f,s of Co1oo, Na-..