Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-03-19
F ails to Heed Wilson S
Admonition to Pass
Measure Without
Amendment.
MARTIN AGAIN AUTHOR OF
CLAUSE CHANGING ACT
Stormy Debate Precedes Taxi
ing of Vote-Senate Not Ex-
pected to Accept Assembly's
Action-Fight Looked For.
IFrom q staH corresnonflcnt.I i

IFrom StaG Correspondcnt.I
TRENTON, n J., March 19.-The
House today passed the jury commits
sion bill, which went through the
Senate yesterday. There was ap-
pended to it. however, a referendum
amendments by Assemblyman Martin
similar to the one which was attached
to the bill when passed last week by
the House. Except that the clause
providing that the vote in favor Of
the adoption of the plan in a county
must be equal to 30 per cent. of the
majority of the county's voters was
eliminated, and that the new amend
ment provised the vote for or against
be cast in accordance with the
Geran law by making cross
Mr. Martin moved the adoption OF
the referendum amendment at once.
This was opposed by Majority Leader
Egan, who moved that the amend
ment be first printed, This was lost,
II for to 81 against, Essex representa-
tives, except Mr. Matthews, voting
against printing first
Minority Leader Richards again Of
fered Senator Reads substitute jury
commissioners by Circuit Court
judges This was defeated by a par
tisan vote Of for to 43 against.
Mr.. McDermott spoke vigorously
against the proposition of jury COM
missioners appointed by the Cow
ernor declaring 1t was no reform at
all, and would only magnify the po-
litical power of the executive. The
vote was then taken on the amend
menr. which was adopted. under sus-
pension of the rules q for and 20
against, Essex men, excepting Mat
thews, voting in favor,
An Indictment of Democracy.
Minority Leader Richards declared
the bill was an Indictment of the
Democratic party, as there were eigh-
teen Democratic sherlffs. and if it was
desired to take the power of selecting
jurors from these, ii must be because
they were partisan, incompetent or
something else. When next Novem-
ber comes, he said, Democrats would
regret the bill.
| When the roll was called on the
adoption of the bin with the amend
ment, there were AZ votes for and i3
against In addition to the Republi-
cans voting against ii were Messrs
| Taylor, Moser, j. A. Matthews, A. NJ.
| Agnew. Beel1man, Buckley and Car
row. The action of the House in passing
the bill with the referendum amends
ment was expected Senator Davis
said Immediately afterward that the
| Senate would not accept tho amend
ment and that there would be a bitter
| fight.
| In the event that the Senate re-
| fuses to accept the amendment. as It
probably will. there will likely be
conference of the leaders of both
Houses to evolve a new plan.
| Governor Fielder when told of the
! House action on the Davis jury CONF
mission bill, said he was not at. all
pleased He now is considering ask
| ing the Senate to pass the original
| Ilsgen bill. his own bill putting the
| appointment of commissioners in the
! Supreme Court Justices IN the ex-
/ peetation that the House, with the
aid of the Republicans would accept
such bill
The Republican members of the
Legislature. after a conference today.
! issued the following statement to the
/ neoplc of the state;
Republicans for Jury Reform.
THE Republican party favors true
! i.ny reform, and it denounces the
bogus article now being forced upon
the Legislature, a mere subterfuge
in the Senate and a ridiculous
! apology in the House,
"A Republican Legislature checked
;-,.1ses in the petit jury system by
/ rg, fsp ths,
jury list Grand Jury reform was
thoroughly Investigated by a commis-
sion appointed by the last Legislature.
The commission. composed of Re-
publicans and Progressives, reported
at this session a bill embodying the
best features of the various grand
jury acts of other States. The bill
wiped out the evil of political control
of the jury system 1t provided for /.
partisan jury commission in each
county, appoileed by the Circuit
! Court Judge The Democrats should
have accepted it as being in accord
with their platform declaration for
the separation from politics of the in
strumentalities for drawing grand and
petit, turies' But by a partisan vote
/ they have rejected it in both houses
and showed they were not sincere IN
! their profession of reform by favoring
a bill which fails to carry out their
platform pledge, We submit that the
record shows that we have kept faith
with the people, while our opponents
are trying to deceive the public with
inadequate jury reform. Their Sen
/ ate bill would put in the hands of
partisan governor the power of con-
troll of the courts of the State. vio
lation of the constitutional principles
of separation between executive and
judicial power, while their bill Is
passed in the House with a referen-
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