Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-01-14

sions must constantly clear the air nnC
drive everything hidden from its GOV
ert. We ought. Therefore, to AFFORD
the people every facility for discus
sion. Convenient and inexpensive
meeting places ought to be supplied a
the public expense. 1t ought not to be
{ necessary to hire n hall whenever il H.
desired 10 have a public meeting. The
owners of halls charge high prices
when they can and are often partisans
and will not let their halls ut all to
those whom they wish 40 defeat or EN-
barrass. Every community has It's
schoolhouses. They should be availa.
BILE for every kind of proper neighbor-
hood meeting out of school hours. II
local school boards are illibcral or
partisan or unreasonable they ought TO
be commanded in their duty in this
matter by statute. ] recommend such
legislation to you very heartily.
Towns Social Center Movement.
A great movement has sprung up In
this country in recent years which cen
'ers arUt!sd the schoolbouse AS u place
o neighborhood conference In all mat
tiers affecting the public or any local
part of ii. 1t Is known as the social
center movement. 1t has the force and
momentum of a great idea In 1t. $Se-
cret forces. corrupt forces. forces of
evil of every kind, are against it. are
| nfraiu of 1t. They fear neighborhood
discussion. They do not wish to have
local and neighborhood matters can
vassef too much out loud. 1t Is our
duty as public servants to lend full
and effectual aid to this movement.
We can do 1t by giving public spirit
ed men and womer everywhere free
use Of the schooihouses. A very sim.
Pile statute will accomplish the desircd
result. The free forces Of society will
DO the rest.
If such forces had been accustomed
to act freely and thoroughly clear the
air in New Jersey during the last twelve
! months, we could have settled sonic
questions regarding the conservation
Of our natural resources which we have
SO far failed to settle. 1t would not
have been possible, for example, for
individual selfish influences at Lake
Hopatcong inc local influences in the
city of Newark to block and defeat the
prompt and reasonable settlement of
the question Of the abandonment of the
Morris canal. II Il few men here and
there had spoken out what they knew
last session the bill proposed for the set
Element Ut that question would have
passed. and they would have spoken
out had there been the habit and place
of local discussion. The use and CON
servation of our natural resources is n
matter to which we must constantly
devote ourselves and watchful public
opinion is always our best guide.
Pressure Of Intelligent Opinion.
The pressure Of intelligent opinion
will soon be upon us in Irresistible fash
Ion concerning the business methods of
the state also. ] suggest that We do
not wait for the pressure, The bust
ness of the state { mean its admins
tratiye business, Is conducted with a
w~astefulness, Il duplication of effort. a
confusion and conflict Of function,
which no business enterprise could sur
vive for six months. There Is an ex-
t~raordinary multiplicity of boards. de
partments. commissions and miscella-
neous offices, overlapping. connected
without being co%-ordinated, independ-
emit OF one another and yet naturally
belonging to a single systematic whole
which ought to be drawn together, sim
plified, brought into their proper rela-
lions, pruned and put upon n footing
Of efficiency which will also be a foot
ing Of economy and quick responsible
ity. A commission is now Inqulring
into this very matter by direction Of
the last legislature.
We have Jagged far behind other
states III these matters. We are vast
ing the public moneys and are not get
ting the results good business meth
DDS would get. This has not been by
elaboration. Our administrative meth
DDS have been developed piecemeal
and at haphazard, but they are none
the less worthy of condemnation and
reform on that account. and we shall
not have proved ourselves faithful and
disinterested public servants until We
correct them.
There are other things we have out
grown The constitution Of the state
needs reconsideration In a score of
parts. some of them of the first conse-
quence. No doubt its provisions were
considered wise and suitable at the
time of its adoption, but that was
quite two generations ago. and the cir
cumstances of our life have altered
fundamentally within that time, polit
ically, socially. economically. urge
upon you very earnestly indeed the
need and demand for a constitutional
convention. The powers of corrupt
control have an enormous n abiding
advantage under our constitutional ar
rangements as they stand. We shall
not be free from them until we get a
different system Of representation and
a different system of official RESPONSE
bility. \ hope that this question Will
be taken up by the legislature at once
and a constitutional convention ar
ranged for without delay, in which
the new forces Of our day may speak
and may have n chance to establish
their nscendancy over the rule OF ma
chimes and bosses.
Power to Levy Taxes.