Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-02-15
POLITICS AND COMMENT FROM
THE STATE CAPITOL.


L Trenton, Feb. 14AThere will be no
| legislation during this session amend
ling the, Geran election law by proyid-
Ting for party column on the blanket
ballot. This was shown yesterday
afternoon when the Republican Sena-
| tors held a conference on the ques-
Iltion and voted Il. is understood, six
to five against changing the present
law in this particular, as proposed
in bill introduced by Senator Leav-
lit, of Mercer county. While the con-
ference was behind closed doors, it
is said that those senators who voted
against a party column law were
Edge, of Atlantic; Prince, of ,Passaic:
Colgate, of Essex; Pierce, of Union;
Smalley, of Somerset and Nichols, of
Cumberland Those who favored the
Leayitt bill were Senators Leavitt,
Lewis, of Burlington; Read, of Cam
den; Hand, of Cape May. and Gaunt,
of Gloucester 1t is believed that the
six senators were actuated in taking
this stand by feeling that it would
not be expedient this year with a
Presidential campaign impending to
change this vital feature of the Geran
Elaw. k II .,g ssa
Propositions to put the initiative
and referendum principles into the
State constitution and amending it so
as to permit women to vote are con-
tanned in two resolutions introduced
in the Senate yesterday by Senator
Gebhardt, Democrat, of Hunterdon
County. One resolution provides that
the people may vote for or against a
proposed law by filing with the Seere.
tary Of State of petitions signed by at
least 5 per cent. of the voters. The
referendum part of the resolution pro-
vides that the people may vote for or
against proposed law, by filing with
the Secretary of State petition sign
ed by 5 per cent. of the voters. 1t
is provided that the veto power Of
the Governor shall not extend to mea-
sures referred to the people and any
measure referred to the people shall
boone a law only when approved by
majority of the voters. The women
suffrage resolution amends the snf-
frage article Of the constitution so as
to include women and permit those to
vote who are under q years of age.
The resolutions must be by two Leg
islatures and then be adopted by the
people at the polls before they be-
come effective.
Senator Pierce, of Union, and As
semblyman Babcock, of the same
county, introduced yesterday after
noon simultaneously an indetermin-
ate franchise bill, which was prepar-
ed by Delos f. Wilcox, head of the
Franchise Bureau of the New York
Public Service Commission which is
intended to be model standard fran
chise act The measures provide that
all new franchises except to steam
mits subject to the right of purchase
by the municipality granting them.
for the municipality in which the ma
jor part of the company's property is
situated. On exclusive conditions OF
existing franchises are repealed and
all municipal grants hereafter are to
be subject to the provisions of this
act. The present laws for the grant
ing of municipal franchises and linz
iting their terms are superseded and
repealed.
The Senate yesterday passed a bill
providing that rabbits when trapped
by farmers and fruit growers on their
! own lands, shall be kept alive and dis
tributed to other parts of the State
Senator Nichols introduced bill max
ling it unlawful to sell any fruit t,ryeg-
| etables, ETC., in baskets having less
than 5-S of bushel capacity, under
a penalty of $25 for each violation.
A bill introduced by Senator Silzer
requires farmers selling fertilizers
to designate the number of pounds,
address OF manufacturer, etc.
***.
It is understood, that the aRepubli-
can leaders have agreed as to the
provisions of the new Congressional
redistricting bill, and that it will
leave the First, Second, Third and
Fourth Districts untouched Warren
! County, it is said, will be cut from
the Fifth District, leaving this dis
trict to be composed of Union and
Morris Counties, which have an ag-
gregate population of 214,901, or suf-
| ticiently close to the new ratio OF
l2l1,43 The present Sixth. District,
\ composed of Bergen, Passaic and Sus-
sex Counties, will be dismembered.
A new district will be constructed OF
Bergen Warren, Sussex and the
northern end of Passaic, making the
district contain 215,041 inhabitants
The new Sixth District will be COM
posed of the southern section OF Pas
sale, with population of POS, 1881.
The remaining five districts are to be
formed of Essex and Hudson Coun--
ties which have a combined popula-
tion of 1,050,117, so that the division,
| if eduita bly, made: viii place s218, 600
voters in each district The Repub-
licans figure that. this will give them
eight -or nine of the twelve districts