Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-02-15
STANDPATTERS ARE BUSY.
Would Add $500 Iear to Pay to
Make Two Places to Be Filled
by Republicans.
WORST FEATURE IS SLAP AT GOV.
[From Trenton Times. Rep.l

before been such a fragrant attempt
at partisani juggling as is contained IN
the road measures introduced by SEN
ator Gaunu for the purpose OF taking
the control of the road and automo-
bile appointments out of the hands ,of
Governor Wilson and placing them IN
the hands of the Republican Leglsla-
ture
In order 10 ACCOMPLISH this end it is
nprnosed to create three states offices
at salaries of 5000 year .. each. III 70
replace the present read commission
er and the commissioner OF motor We
hicles. The former receives So,0oo a
year, and Colonel Stevens is to ssbe
continued; and the latter receives
$500. so that is is planned to- ada
$500 a year to the salaries to make
two additional places to be filed with
Republicans by the Legislature.
But the vice of the scheme Is not
so much the added expense as the al.
tempt to wrest from the hands OF
Governor. elected by an Overwhelming
plurality the appointment of offlcers.
In fact. in the last gubernatorial CAM
paign the conduct of the state road
department by Colonel Frederick Gil
kyson was one of the chief issues, ,and
il is now planned to have Gilkyson
named to enc of the new $4,000 JOBS.
II b. r. Smith, whose term as as
sistant secretary of state IS about 10
expire. and who is slated to get the
other new $1,000 Job says that he does
not want the position and can only
accent it at considerable personal
sacrifice. Mr.. Smith has opened law
Offices in Newark, where he is, build
ing up an extensive practice. He has
told his friends who desireato see him
retained in office that Sif the bill is
passed and the Legislature elects him,
he will accept; but announces his de-
Termination to do absolutely nothing
more than this.
ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED.
with but one or two notorious ex-
sceptions, the New Jersey Legislature
has never heretofore stopped to any
petty jobberys of the sort attempted in
the Gaunt bin. Even when the Re-
publicans came into control of the
LEGISLATURE in 1894, when a wave OF
disgust with the Democratic nisman-
agement had swept over the State, the
wise legislators of that time did not
atempt to wrest from the Democratic
Governor the making of the appoint
snents,
6 On the contrary, in that very first
wear. a Republican Legislature created
.fhe office Of State Road Commissioner,
and placed the. selection of the in
scumbent in the hands of the Demo-
cratic Governor Likewise the Repub-
siican Legislature, in response to the
decided public sentiment OF the time,
sreerganized practically all the boards
sof the State, including the Board of
Prison Supervisors, the State Tax
Board, the State Board OF Assessors,
the Riparian Board, ETC., but in every
|instance the new legislation provided
sthat all appointments should be made
sby the Governor E.sib - &tstsfk9
Further, that Legislature created
1.-THE State Board Of Medical Examiners
and provided for the naming of a
Commission. but the.
appointments were placed in the hand
sof the Democratic Governor.
Such men as Stokes and voorhees,,
eachEof whom afterwards became Gov
ernor Of the State. were at that time
leaders in the Legislature, and they
would not tolerate any Ssuchl peanut
plays as is being attempted in the
Gaunt bills. tsg .es. 4
Again in 1886 the twohouses Of the
Legislature were Republican and the
Governor Democratic. At that ses-
sion, there WAS further ganizationa
of State departments, but no sugges-
ton was even made that the appoint.
ments should be taken cut of the
hands of the Governor and reposed in
thesLegfslature. Nor has anything OF
the kind ever been attempted since.
In fact. in 1907 the Democratic
House Of Assembly helped enact the
bills creating the State Railroad COM
mission, the Water Supply Commits
sion, the small Fish and Game Board,
and other officials, placing in the
hands Of a Republican Governor all Of
the appointments Last winter the
Republican Senate voted to create
such new positions as the State Seal
er of Weights and Measures, the State
Superintendent of Education and the
new State Council of Educatipnss but
no word was said about having these
places filled by the Legislature. The
appointments were placed In the
hands of the Governor, as has been
the custom at all times. M
AS has been pointed out in the
Times, the purpose of the aGaunt bills
seems to be primarily to create $4,000
jobs for two Republicans. That the
Motor Vehicle Department should be
merged with the State Road Depart
ment is everywhere conceded In fact
it would have been placed there origi-
nally. but for. the desire to give the
added salary Of 81 500 to the Assistant
Secretary of State. But the work can
be added to the Road Department
without making any provision other
than to transfer the clerical force that
now performs the labors from the
State to the Road Department In
this way the 81. 500 now paid the Com
smissionars of Motor Vehicles could be
sssayed
* + ssstas