The Penn's Grove record., 1913-12-12
LAWMAKERS ARE
READY TO WORK
Officers of Legislature Have
Been Decided Upon
DISTRIBUTION OF PLuMs
Floor Leadership for Majority in
House Settled by Choice of Joseph
Branagan, of Hudson-Beekman
of Somerset for Speaker.
Especial Trenton Correspondence. J

Especial Trenton COrreSpondence.)
Trenton.-At the caucus of Demo
Gratis things went along smoothly and
the expected opposition to the selec-
ton of ~Assemblyman Azariah M.
Beekman, of Somerset County, as
speaker of the House of Assembly,
did not develop. Before the matter
came up in a. formal manner the sew
eral names which had been mentioned
as candidates for the place were
withdrawn and the only one presented
was that of Mr.. Beekman, whose Sc
lection was made unanimous. The
floor leadership of the majority in the
House was also settled with little
trouble or discussion, the honor going
to Assemblyrnan Joseph Branagan, of
Hudson County.
In the matter of the Senate organ
ization there was similar unanimity.
The presidency of that body was
awarded without dissenting voice to
Senator John w. Slocum, of Mon
mouth County, and the floor leader
ship went to Senator Peter McGinnis,
of Passaic County.
Steering Committee Named.
The steering committee" of the AS
sembly, which was appointed to
arrange for the distribution of the
House patronage, had a long session
and prepared a slate for the handing
out of the jobs, which is regarded as
satisfactory in the main. Hudson
County will receive fifteen of the
places for the faithful" who desire
to serve the State during the session
of the Legislature, and Essex County
will get twelve of the places to be
disposed of. The latter will include
the clerkship of the House, which will
go to Alderman Mark Phillips, of
Newark, who filed the place satisfac-
tortly last winter. The smaller coun-
ties which elected Democratic mem
bers were taken care of as far as pos
sible. Representatives of two u
ties which this year elected Repub-
lican members appeared before the
committee and pleaded that some pat
ronage be given them in order to
keep up the interest of the defeated
Democrats until the next election
rolls around, but it was denied them
on the ground that there was scarcely
enough to go around in the places
which sent Democrats to Trenton for
the next session.
GoVernoreIect Fielder Present.
Governor-elect Fielder was in the
State House for a time, but did not
take any active part in the caucus
At it's conclusion he expressed pleas
ure over the selections made for the
important places in both Senate and
men named in charge there is little
doubt but that there will be lively,
interesting and prof1table-to the
State and it's people-session Of the
Legislature. He is enthusiastic over
r ,osnecte for the winter and ex-
poets that the administration plans
will not be opposed by any element
Of the party and that much meri-
torious legislation will be put through
and the pledges of the party and it's
candidates made in the last State plat
form and during the last campaign
will be fully redeemed thereby.
Important Bills Prepared.
Many bills which will form an i'm
portant part of the work of the law
makers after the mill gets into oper-
alton are prepared by individuals and
committees designated for the pur-
n0rn Thnxy xrrf1r hn rnndT cnrynro1
days before the opening of the ses-
sion and will then be submitted to a
party conference or caucus for final
approval and agreement to push them
to enactment into laws. On the Re-
publican side, though it is in the
minority, similar plans are also being
carried out as to the preparation Of
bills for presentation in the Senate
and the Assembly for the purpose of
indicating a determination to carry
out the pledges and promises of the
party and it's candidates during the
last campaign.
Loan Sharks and Lawyers.
An act passed by the Legislature
in 1910, providing for the payment to
municipalities of a license fee by the
men commonly known as loan sharks,
was declared unconstitutional by the
courts because its title was defective.
The defect was corrected by the Leg
islature of 1912, and this amended
act was also attacked in the Supreme
Court. A decision sustaining the act
was handed down by Justice Tren-
chard. Under the act the loan bro
kers must pay an annual license fee
of not less than $500 in the cities of