Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-04-04
LEGISLATURE
ENDS SESSION
WranoIing to the Last the
6avsI Finally Fell Early
This Morning.
TWO BIG BILLS FAIL
Extra Session Viii! be Call
ed About May | to Enact
Jury Reform.
TWO BIG BILLS FAIL
tErom The NEWS corresponde..t.

tFront the NEW CoTTeSpOHdc5its)
Trenton, April WrangliDg to
the very last, and with the reaction
airy forces in control, the 137th ses-
sion Of the Legislature came to an
end at 1904 O'Clock this morning
without having enacted a jury re-
form law or a constitutional conven-
ton bill. Although the Democrats
had majority of three in the Sem
ate and AZ in the Assembly, the in
tiuence' Of James Smith, Jr, and
of James r. Nugent was so potent
that both these important platform
pledges were broken.
1t Is just one month since Wood
row Wilson left the governorship and
in that short time the progressive
Democratic ranks have become badly
shattered. With the hopeless split
in the Republican party, the state
faces gubernatorial campaign with
the most muddled political, perhaps.
in its history.
Final adjournment without jury
reform or constitutional convention
measure means that there will be a
special session. Acting Governor
Fielder will now act on his threat,
and within the next few days will
issue call for special session to
meet about May l.. When the law
makers re-assemble he will send in
ringing messages on both these prop
osittons, insisting that the, platform
pledges must be kept.
President Wilson will come into
the state before the special session
meets and will speak his mind on the
situation. He has declared if jury
reform were beaten he would call the
roll of those responsible for the de-
feat and so his speech will be await
ed with great interest. ....
The jury reform fight ended with
the Assembly having passed the com
mittee substitute for the McDermott
bill, giving the hybrid proposition of
jury commission and sheriff drawn
juries under court revision, with
referendum. The Senate yesterday
afternoon refused to accept this bill,
standing pat on it's position. The
Senate passed the Davis bill provid-
ing jury commission appointed by
the circuit judges and without a ref
erendum, the, vote being 18 to 0.
Leayitt, of Mercer, and Barber, of
Warren, were absent and of course
Acting Governor Fielder did not par
ticipate. BY the vote OF to 10, the
Senate had previously voted down
the motion TO substitute the Read
bill for the Davis measure. Jury
reform got no further.
The constitutional convention
proposition went on the rocks in the
same manner, each House having
no hn
branches refusing to agree on the
question.
With the official clocks stopped at
2:55 o'clock, both Houses worked
hard until the hour of sine die ad-
journment. Many bills were rail-
roaded through in the Assembly,
while the Senate did little in the way
Of passing of bills after p. m.
About the last bills passed were the
appropriation measures.
Final adjournment came at the
hour stated, when the assemblymen
marched to the Senate Chamber and
Senate President Johnson, with rap
of his gavel, declared the session ad-
journed without day.
Important Laws Enacted.
The session Just ended has been
noted for the Importance of the laws
it has enacted and for the bitterness
of the partisan fights which have
marked its deliberations on several
big party propositions. With the
Democrats in control of both branch
es for the first time in several years
the parry leaders have fought for
laws that would fulfill the pledges
in the state platform last fall. In
most cases, these pledges have been
made good in the passage of laws.
The pledges which have been full
filled in statutes passed are: Favor
ing the election of the United States
by direct vote of the people;
the passage of the Seven Sisters"
Antitrust laws to furfill the pledge
for corporation reform; the passage
Of the Fielder grade crossing bill;
a full crew bill has passed both
Houses and has been signed by the
governor; the Hennessy bill has pass
ed throwing the public schools open
as general social centers and for po-
litical meetings and election pledges;
several laws have been passed for
the benefit of working people, so that
Continued on page %