Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-01-11
POLITICS n q COMMENT FRAM'
THE STATE CAPITOL.

or Ne# jersey reorganized yestsrday
afternoon for its 136th session, the
ceremony being attended with the
usual crowd and the usual flowers in
both branches of the Legislative
body. Special interest; is attached to
the reconFenilg of the lawmakers
this year because of the fact that
with the reorganization for the ses-
sion the Republicans have the right
to majority control not only on joint
ballot but also in both houses, where
las last winter only the Senate was
Republican, while the Democrats had
a majority on joint ballot. There
was much interest, too, because of the
fact that Governor Wilson's first reg
ular message was to be received. A
/ third element of special interest was
the selection of Passaic County men
for the presiding officers of both
houses, Senator John d. Prince be-
coming President of the Senate, and
| ASsemblyman Thomas P. McCran, the
Speaker of the Assembly. There was
considerable comment among State
House politicians that the selection
of both presiding officers from Pas
sale was demonstration that Bank
ing and Insurance Commissioner vi
Wan NJ. Lewis is still factor among
the State party leaders notwithStand-
ing his defeat for Governor last year.
Mr.. Lewis lives in Passaic County,
and had considerable to do with the
choice of the presiding officers.
| *****
There was considerable surprise at
ho oe <1
sage The document was much short
er than most of his political speeches,
and the comment upon it was directed
| toward his concise and at the same
time comprehensive grasp of state
problems. and for his advocacy Of
what is partial commission rule for
! the State. The Governor deplored the
multiplicity of State Boads and State
! Departments, the overlapping of au-
thority which permits shirking of re-
SpOnsibility and the expensiveness as
well as ineffectiveness of present day
methods.
After the Legislature had orgaAized
to give expression to his conception
of the Legislature He. said: Il re-
gard the Legislature after its organi-
cation as a purely partisan body,
and so / shall consider it. / had this
idea in mind when | made the recon-
mendations in my message" Senator
Prince, President of the Senate, and
Speaker McCran, of the House. both
declared that the work of the session
would be conducted as businesslike
as possible and with every purpose to
enact good laws.
Many of the reform measures pro-
posed by the Republicans to meet
their campaign pledges were intro
duced in the Senate yesterday Among
them were the following: Providing
for Grand Jury reform by creating
the Justice of the Supreme Court. the
Common Pleas Judge and the Sheriff.
commission to draw the Grand Jur-
les; several bills providing for the
safeguarding of machinery in factor
les, the abolition of the dust evil and
other Improvements in industrial
plants; amending the Geran election
law by providing a party column for
the blanket ballot providing that per-
sonal registration shall not. be re-
quired in municipalities of less than
$4,000 population; amending the cor
rupt practice act so that candidates
may hire halls for campaign meetings
and to enable volunteers to transport
voters to the polls without compensa-
tion; for the abolition OF the more
dangerous grade crossings; providing
for the equalization of tax assess
ments and create County Boards of
Assessors; appropriating 100000 for
the extension of the inland waterways
| system. Some of the other bills in
troduced were providing for automo-
bile reciprocity; requiring the State
Board of Health to inspect oyster and
clam beds; providing for the abolition
| of poll taxes; prohibiting the use of
| repeating rifles in cunning. A Joint
resolution was introduced for the rati-
fication of the amendment to the
United States constitution providing
! for an income tax.
The total expenses of the State gov
ernment for the fiscal year ending
Oct. 81, 1911, were $10,153, ,202.51. as
shown by the annual report of State
Comptroller Edward /. Edwards
which was submitted to the Legisla-
ture yesterday. The report shows
that the gross receipts for the year
were s8,917, ,795.03. Thus it will be
seen that the expenditures were more
than the receipts to the extent OF
| 81, ,235, ,407 .48. The large balance In
the state treasury Oct. 81. 1910 pre-
vented a deficit during the past fiscal
year. The cash balance In the treas
ury Oct. 81, 1911, was $3,309, ,781 20
compared with the balance the year
previous of $4,545, 1858. Comptroller
Edwards says that this decrease in
the gross balance is accounted for
from the fact that Of the balance al
the close of the preceding year, over
$2,000,000 was payable to counties for
school purposes, while of the balance
at the close of the current fiscal year
approximately $1,000,000 is payable
for school purposes. The increase in
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