Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-03-13
Jury BILL PASSED
IN AMENDED FORM
Measure Will Be Put Up to
Electorate in Various
Counties.
TEN PER CENT. OF VOTERS
MUST ASK REFERENDUM
Then Thirty Per Cent. Must Fa-
vor Bill to Put 1t Into
Effect.
TFrom a stan Correspondent.J

lFrOm stan Correspondent
TRENTON, N. j.. March 13.-The
zisgen jury bill passed the House
yesterday. AS adopted, however. the
measure contains provision making
II necessary to submit the proposed
changes TO the voters of a county
before they may be put into effect.
moreover 10 per cent. of the voters
Of county must file petition ask
Ing for the referendum before the
question is balloted on.
The provisions of the bill, which
mas caused the Democratic majority
a lot of trouble and which has been
changed and threatened with further
changes to insure its passage since
introduced early in the session, are
that sheriffs shall no longer have the
power to draw grand and petit jurors,
but that this power shall be vested
In commission of two men in each
county, appointed by the Governor,
and not of the same political faith.
Originally the appointment of these
commissions was to have been given
to Supreme Court judges, but this
49, "AhA taioopPiON1i anu was
mated.
BY the amendment which Assem-
blyman Martin, of Hudson, succeeded
In lacking on to the bill, before it
shall become operative in any county
10 per cent of the legal voters must
petition sixty days before a general
election for it's submission to the
voters at that election. If a majority
nf fhncn he
favor it and that majority is equal
to 30 per cent of the legal voters of
the county. then it becomes law for
that county.
Martin Amendment Withdrawn.
The original Martin amendment,
which was withdrawn today, provided
that the proposition should be sub
mitted to the people at a special eiec-
tion. This, with an election for con-
stitutionai convention delegates,
would mean two special elections in
one year, at big expense tc the
counties. 1t was a mandatory refer
endum, applying to all counties. There
are a number of counties in which
there is little or no sentiment fer a
change in jury selection, 80 that I'M
der the present bill they will not be
called upon to vote on the proposition.
Just before the bill was voted upon
Minority Leader Richards said the
Republicans had decided to vote for
1t because "it would give the ma
jority enough rope to hang them
selves" He added that he didn't want
Democrats next fall to say the Re-
publicans had pledged themselves in
platform to jury reform and then
opposed it in the House. The vote
was taken and the Republicans
promptly turned around and voted
against the measure. Mr.. Richards
afterward explained the switch by
saying the Republicans had decided
that after all they couldn't stand for
such a bad bill.
The 30 per cent. provision of the
amendment brought about division
among Democrats, Mr.. Egan leading
the opposition to it, on the ground
that such a large vote should not be
necessary for the adoption of the law
in view of the fact that the people
already knew what they wanted in
the matter of jury reform. 1t was
pointed out to Mr.. Egan by Mr.. Rich
ards that three years ago the present
majority leader Idu voted LOT JUST
such provision in the Walsh com
mission government act. Mr.. Egan
said that was different matter for
the commission government scheme
was then unknown and rightfully a
representative vote ought to be neces-
sary before its adoption One of
the real reasons for putting the 80
per cent. provision in the Walsh ref
erendum was that the act was to be
voted upon at a special election at
which the vote is lighter than in a
general election.
How They Voted.
Those who voted against the Mar
tin referendum to the bill, at least
partly because it contained the pro-
vision that the veto of the majority
in favor of the proposition must equal
30 per cent. of the total number of
voters in the county. were Assembly
men A. M Agnew, Beekman, Brane-
gan, Egan, Hennessy, Holcombe,
Leonard Marshall, J. A. Matthews
Murray, Porter and zisgen. The total