The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-05-14
DEFEAT WILSON BILL
FOR JURY REFORM
Jersey Senate Also Kills the
Read Bill Favored by
Republicans.
CON PROMISE Is PROBABLE
ChancpllOr-Sheriff Bill APP
proved by Wilson LIKELY
TO Pass.
COMPROMISE Is PRUH\ BILE

TRrNroN ~ j.. Nav 8 JurS reform
IN New jersey received a temporary set
back this afternoon when the Senate de
feated President Wilson's compromise
bill passed by the House yestcr .a" and
also the Read bill. q Senate measure, to
| which the Republican minority in both
! Houses had pledged their support
Party lines werr strictly adhered "a.
the ten Demooia;ir senator's Including
Gov + rlde.. Nu,ln- i.r tn" House com
promise. and tac m.ur Republicans iVH
/ the Read bill. Each side sought io make
, such political capital as seemed poss.oi"
| from the attitude. although the discus
sions were less acrimonious and lcss per
| sonai than those in the House yesterday
, Tho passage of th. compromise
/ measure, known as the 'hance!l,r-
| Sheriff bill. with referendum al
| tached is now regarded as the almost
certain outcome of the long fight on
| Jury reform. The Democrats howe> er,
will have TO await the return of Senator
| Munson OF sussex. who went abroad TOR
his health. to give them the necessary
| eleven votes constituting ma aturity.
senator Munson sails tomorrow and liz
expected here next Wednesday. II is
! anticipated that he will fall in line with
| the other ten Democratic members.
making possible the reconsideration md
! pa ssage OF the compromise bill
| The name Of President Wilson was
| frequently dragged into the Senate de-
| bates by the Republicans to-day. And
even Senator Wheaton. Democrat. en-
! plained that in voting for the COM
promise instead OF the Read bill he was
doing so reluctantly and in response to
| orders witch he could not disregard.
Senator Edge OF Atlantic. insisted that
| the Republicans had been working for
| real jury reform and branded the com
promise bill as a makeshift, subterfuge
! a nd bluff resorted to by the Democrats
to make it appear that they were ful-
| filing their platform pledges.
| Answering such attacks as these the
Democrats charged the Republicans
with being the real obstruCt!onists in
refusing to support any measure except
| one which they knew from past en-
perlencc could never be put through
| the House At the outset the Demo-
cratic ma jority had suggested that the
vote be taken without debate, but the
Republicans insisted upon an oppor-
tunity TO exploit their views upon the
political and other aspects Of the situa-
ton.
The Chancellor Sheriff hill il shA six;h
proposition for jury reform I which
President Wilson has been more or less
directly committed during the struggle
Ito take away from the Sheriffs the
power to select grand and petit juIies.
| TIL. compromise provides that jurics
| shall De elected by the Sheriffs acting in
| con- .'unvtIon with q commissioner to be
named in each county by the Chancellor.
| Other propositions that had been con-
sidered with numerous variations as 10
detail were that the commissioners
lshould be appointed by the Governor.
the Justices Of the Supreme Court or
the Circuit Court Judges or elected by
the people, Under the compromise the
extent 10 which the influence of the
Sheriffs is Curtailed would probably de
pend largely upon the circumstances in
particular cases
4 mlsQuotatlon of the remarks made
by Speaker Taylor in the House yester
day brought from President Wilson :
secretary. Mr.. Tumulty. q denial to-day
THAT either the President OF Mr. Tumulty
had sanctioned the action OF Mr.. Tay
log in consulting former United States
Senator James Smith. Jr. regarding the
passage of the compromise bill. Mr.
TAYLOR admitted ON the floor that he
had called upon Mr.. Smith last Satur-
day night to talk over the situation. bat
leave no Justification for the report that
his doing so was with either the know!-
edge or consent of the White House. The
lCompromise, however, was acceptable "a
Mr., Smith and was supported by his
followers in the House.
Besides voting down the two jury re-
form bills to-day the Senate put a
qu,etns on the efforts TO revive the plan
fo- a constitutional convention by de-
featlng the Hennessy bill passed by the
House and the Davis measure intro
duced in the Senate, Both Houses will
reConVene next Monday.