Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1913-05-06
LEGISLATURE ReConvenes TO Act on
Jury Reform Constitutional ConVen-
tion, Small Boards OfFreehoIders
CONFERENCE HELD YESTERDAY
cFrom Me NEWS corroapondent)

I C'rom the NEWS Correspondent
Trenton, May 6.-With Mayor
Wittpenn, of Jersey City, and James
R. Nugent, of Newark, both on hand
/ to look after their respective inter-
ests, thirty-three of the ffty-nine
| Democrats remaining in the legisla-
| ture wrangled for nearly two hours
at the State House yesterday after
noon on jury reform and constitu-
| ttonal convention. The conference,
which was a continuation of the
meeting at the Carteret Club in Jer-
sey City last Friday afternoon, ad-
journed with both questions still un-
settled and matters remaining in
chaotic state. A vote which was not
binding, but which was ordered mere
ly to show the sentiment of the gath
ering, gave eighteen for the COM
promise bill proposed last Friday by
President Wilson, but in modified
form, while nine voted for the Nc
Dermott measure as their choice.
The vote was on the compromise bill
without referendum and with tho
provision eliminated that the COVER
ror should act with the chancellor
In the appointment of the jury COM
missioner In each county who Is to
have equal power with the sheriff in
drawing grand and petit juries
Four senators were present and
they all voted for this proposition.
They were Acting Governor Fielder,
who still retains his seat as senator
from Hudson county; Davis, of Salem
the party leader; McGinnis, of Pas
sale, and Martens, of Hunterdon. 1t
was standing vote, with the names
not recorded, so that the assembly
men who voted for this bill were not
announced.
While the legislators were confab-
ulating In the branch supreme court
room, Mayor Wittpenn was in close
conference with State Treasurer Ed
ward M. Grosscup, chairman of the
Democratic State Committee, and AS
sistant Secretary of State Job H. Lip
pincott, of Jersey City, Mr.. Gross
cup has declared that he win sup
port Wittpenn for governor, come
what may, while Mr.. Lippincott is
managing the Wittpenn boom. This
| little meeting took place In Mr..
| Grosscup's Office. Mr. Nugent main
tanned a position in the main capitol
corridor not far from the court room
where he could be In easy touch with
the Essex men.
Nugents aim is to control enough
Democratic votes to prevent the
House of Assembly from passing jury
reform bill without T. referendum,
and he claims he will do it, Yester-
day afternoon he was advancing the
proposition of elective jury commits
sions.
State house politicians take the
view that Mayor Wittpenn won a
tactical political advantage over Gov
ernor Fielder yesterday
By coming to Trenton he Is regard
ed as having taken up in person the
fight where President Wilson left it
when he returned to Washington.
Mayor Wittpenn issued his state
ment yesterday in favor of the COM
promise bill proposed by the Presi-
dent and quickly followed it to this
city to interest himself in the propo-
sition. 1t is now expected that the
nine Wittpenn assemblymen from
Hudson will now be for the COM
promise bill without a referendum, n
gain for the anti-referendum people
over the situation of a few days ago.
In the language of Assemblyman
Charles O'Connor Hennessy, Of Ber-
gen county, it was "discursive, but
not conclusive"
At the beginning of the meeting
there was a lively argument as TO
whether a binding vote should be
taken on jury reform. Assembly,
man Martin, of Hudson, moved that
no vote be taken, the deliberation
hHinor tn
sion of the proposition. Assembly,
man Hennessy thought there should
be a decision as to whether or not
any vote taken should be binding.
The Martin motion that no vote be
taken prevailed. The conference
lasted nearly two hours, and from
the sounds that came through the
closed doors some pretty warm Ian
guage was used Just before adj
journment Mr.. Bredenbek, of Hud-
son, suggested that a vote should be
taken which should not be binding,
but merely to show the concensus of
opinion. This resulted in the dtvi-
sion of eighteen to nine as already
stated. According to the announce
ment of Senator Davis, chairman Of
the meeting, two members failed to
vote. 1t was said that these were
Mr. Rowe, of Passaic, and Mr..
Steuerwald, of Hudson. After ad-
journment Mr. Steuerwald declared
that he had voted for the compro-
mise.
Assemblymen Egan, Steuerwald,
Murray and Bredenbek, all Wittpenn
men in the Hudson delegation, voted
for the compromise bill without a
referendum. This split the Hudson
delegation and was regarded as
ground gained by the anti-referen-
dunn advocates.
Three distinct propositions for jury
reform were before the conference.
They were the compromise bill pro-
posed last Friday by President Will
son modified by eliminating the ref
erendum and also cutting out the
provision that the governor should
act with the chancellor in appointing
the commissioner in each county; the
McDermott bill as passed in the as
sembly in the regular session, and a.
proposal for elective jury commits
sions. This last proposition was sug-
gested by Assemblyman zisgen, of
Bergen county. He told the confer
ence that rather than vote for a jury
commission bill with referendum,
he would favor elective jury COM
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