Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-07
LEGISLATURE MAY
ACT ON CANAL BILL
Extra Session Not Limited in It's
Action After Being
Convened.
QUESTION GOV. FIELDER'S
STAND ON JURY MEASURE
Believe Attitude on Act May
Eliminate State Executive
from GubernatoriaI Race.

While the coming extra session OF
the Legislature will be called osten-
sibly for the disposition of the jury
law and lie constitutional conven-
tion question 1t is rumored now that
the principal object If view is to rush
through a measure providing for the
abandoning of the Morris canal in
the interest of the Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company. Once the Legis-
lature is reconvcned. ii is not limited
TO it's actions and may take up any
measure without foreword, just as is
done In regular session.
The proposed abandonment of the
Morris canal has been hanging fire
for ten years and has been taken W
by three independent investigating
committees. Assemblyman Nutting,
Of Essex, introduced q canal ADAM
donment bill on January q last, but
along in March II was discovered
that 1t had not been advertised long
enough, so it was withdrawn and q
new one introduced, but this was held
UP when the commission asked to
have legislation deferred until it
made a report.
Then came City Engineer Morris r..
Sherrerd with q bill of his own draw
ing, relinquishng the preferential
right of Newark to acquire the canal
property after abandonment. Partly
owing to the division of the commit
Tee on this measure, and really it Is
said, because the bill would have a
better chance Of passage at q special
session, the bill was not brought out
at all. and a later measure brought
out by Governor Fielder was defeat
"a. The annual appropriation bill
contained an appropriation of $500
foi. the committee to continue its iu
vestigation.
While the subject Of q conStitu-
tional convention may be considered,
it is believed to be certain that no
action will be taken. The members
of the Assembly are ready again to
pass measure which will provide
for convention that would be rep
resentative Of the different counties
according to their population. But
the members of the Senate are so
fully committed to the railroad in
terests in refusing to agree to any
such representation in the conven-
tion, that it will not be possible to
get a House bill through.
As far as the question of jury
change is concerned it can be safely
predicted that no measure Will be
enacted in extraordinary session
which will revolutionize the grand
Jury system unless such a plan
shall have referendum attached to
1t, by which the people shall have
tho decision of a question which af-
fects them so vitality.
There has been considerable COM
inent on Governor Fielder's attitude
on the jury measure since the Legis-
lature adjourned last week. 1t is
pointed out that he has been incon-
sistent on the various drafts of the
BILL He has opposed the referendum
clause, allowing the people to show
by vote whether they want Judge
made juries or the present system
to obtain, yet he favored a proposed
bill which would change the present
system a little and let it go at that.
Then again, he favored a bill provid-
ing for judge-made iuries and giving
the public no voice in the matter.
Opinion Is expressed in various
parts of the State that the attitude
Of both Governor Fielder and Mayor
Wittpenn on the jury law has a
strong probability of resulting in
their being eliminated as candidates
IN the gubernatorial race.