Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-03-27
TO FIGHT FOR
A CONVENTION
Bitter Struggle Over Chang
ing Constitution.
(From the NEWS Correspondent

Jersey is not to end because of the
defeat yesterday afternoon in the
Senate of the Hennessey Constitu-
tional Convention bill After the
Senate had killed the measure, Act
Ing Governor Fielder declared that
he proposed to continue the fight to
fulfill the Democratic platform
pledge on this question and to give
the people of the State an opportun-
ity Of reforming the constitution to
meet present day condition.
Governor Fielder was not pre-
! pared to say Just how the fight would
he continued, except to state that
public sentiment would be aroused
on the question.
, Sentiment must be created in the
counties now opposing the Hennessey
bill" the Governor declared II pro-
pose to continue the fight and will do
what l can to arouse all sections of
| the State to the need of Constitution
al reform"
After the Senate had defeated the
Hennessey bill, Assemblyman Char
les O'Connor Hennessey. of Bergen
county, who, as Governor Fielder
| said at the hearing yesterday on this
bill, had got it through the Assem-
bly, with consumate skill, issued the
following statement upon the action
on his measure in the Senate.
Il think the Senators who voted
to deny the people of the State the
opportunity to deal deliberately and
fairly with their most fundamental
political problems are at least to be
commended for their courage. They
planned and carried out the slaught-
er Of the Convention bill In the open,
and we are now able to real and
interpret the record. 1t shows that
six Democratic Senators, Including
pudiated their platform pledge and
took no trouble to conceal their poll
ticial motives, which are purely sell
fish and sectional.
The total population of the coun-
ties represented by the six Democrat
ic Senators who Joined to beat the
bill, is 223, ,146, or less than one-ten-
tn Of the population of the State.
These gentlemen joined with eight
reactionary Republicans to continue
the present utterly indefensible and
undemocratic system by which a sell
| fish majority controls the law MAX
ing power of the state.
These gentlemen are the defend
ers of a system of special privilege,
as evil and as odius as ever afflicted
free people. They will soon learn,
I believe, that their victory is only
| for time. The history of political
reform Is a history of temporary
defeats for every righteous cause.
Privileges dies hard, but it is sure to
! die. Battles may be lost in war
against wrong but the war will never
| be lost. This war has been started
and the men who have enlisted on
the side Of popular right are in the
the fight to stay until their great OBJ
| ject Is attained.
l predict that the Constitutional
Convention Issue will, from today,
4 enter into New Jersey politics as an
issue that will not be settled until it
Is settled on the side OF the people.
| The Senate defeated the bill by
| the vote of to IA, and this action
came soon after the Senate had re-
| ceived special message from Gov
| ernor Fielder, urging that the bill be
| passed, The vote was as follows;
Af11rmative-John OF Bergen I;
Fitzherbert, Of Morris, and McGin-
mis-, of Passaic, Democrats. Colgate,
| Of Essex, Republican.
Negative-Davis, OF Salem; Low,
of Ocean; Martens, OF Hunterdon;
| Munson, Of Sussex; Slocum, of Mon
mouth, and Wheaton, of Cape May,
| Democrats. Edge, of Atlantic; Gaunt,
| Of Gloucester; Leavitt, of Mercer;
| Nichols, of Cumberland; Pierce, ot
Union; Reed, of Camden; Smalley,
of Somerset, and White, of Burling-
| ton, Republicans.
| Absent-Senator Barber, Of War
rem, Democrat.
| Not voting-Senator Ramsay, oi
Middlesex, Democrat.
| Acting Governor Fielder, although
still member of the senate, was not
present and took no part In the pro-
ceedings, except to send in his spec
ial message. This message was az
follows:
Among the important matters OF
legislation still awaiting your consid-
Grafton is the subject of the constitu-
tional convention, before you in con-
crete form in the shape Of Assembly
Bill No. 8. In my Judgment you
have no bill more important. and
few of anywhere near its Importance
to consider and dispose OF before
final adjournment.
have found a very strong public
sentiment throughout the State In
favor of this particular legislation,
| which sentiment is becoming exceed
ingly impatient at the delay In reach
! ing the desired result.
Many subjects, such as the reor-
ganization of our judiciary and our
system OF taxation. the suffrage and
home rule questions, and the lim1ta-
ton covering the issuance Of bonds
by the State, have excited discussion
for several years without the accom-
plishment of any definite result; and
| the only method whereby these mat
| ters can receive proper attention and
fair solution is through a const1tu-
tional convention. One of our great
political parties pledged itself to this
! legislation and the election OF some
of your members was probably as
sisted by this promise. But the
question is above and beyond party
policies, as it should be above and
beyond county lines, and 1t presents
itself to each one of you as a public
duty to the whole state.
The opportunity is now yours to
give the people the right to say
whether and in what respects our
, constitution needs remodeling, and |
earnestly hope you will not withhold
%1 {rh al