Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-08-05
LEGISLATURE
CONVENES TO
CORRECT LAW
Second Special Session This
Year Meets in Trenton to
Help Jersey City.
BRIEF MESSAGE FROM
GOVERNOR FIELDER
Expected Work Will be Con-
fined to One Thing and
Adjourn at Once
Special to the EVENING NEWS.

Special to the EVENING NEWS.
Trenton, Aug. Sat the conven-
ing today of the second extra session
of the legislature this year, Governor
Fielder sent to each branch a special
message notifying the lawmakers that
they were called together to consider
the commission government situation
in Jersey City. The message was
brief and was as follows:
To the Legislatures:
The Walsh Commission Govern
ment Act was submitted to the voters
of Jersey City for adoption at an
election held April 10, 1918. Out of
1S,500 votes, majority Of over
4,300 votes were cast in its favor and
the commissioners subsequently
elected have taken Office, and are
now administering the affairs of the
city. The act requires that the votes
in favor of Its adoption shall equal
thirty per centum of the votes cast
for members of assembly at the cleo
ton held last November. The bal
lots cast at the assembly election
have been destroyed, and the returns
made by many Of the election boards
that it is impossible to tell what vote
was actually cast.
The title to Office OF the commits
sioners elected in April is now at
tackled by suit, upon the ground that
the required thirty per centum vote
was not cast in favor Of the adoption
of the act, and In this suit am ad-
vised that the burden of proving the
legal adoption Of the act is upon the
commissioners. The ballots cast at
the November election having been
destroyed, 1t is impossible to prove
what vote was cast at that election
and should the commissioners for
this reason be ouEted from the
offices to which they have been elect
ed, the right of the commissioners In
every other commission government
municipality where the assembly bal
lots have been destroyed might also
be successfully attacked and this re-
suit would produce confusion in
municipal affairs, not only In Jersey
| City, but in such other cities.
! have, therefore, felt it my duty
to call you into special session and
| lay the facts before you to the end
| that you may take such action as
will prevent the possibility of such q
| deplorable condition.
(Signed) JAMES F.. FIELDER,
President of the Senate
Acting Governor
The assembly met promptly at II
o'clock, the hour fixed by the gov
ernor's call, while the meeting oI
the senate was delayed by a confer
| ence of the Republican members tC
| decide upon their policy.
The outlook is that there will be
fight over the question of the con
sideration of legislation other than
| the commission government bills foI
| the benefit of Jersey City, and that
this will prOlong the session so thai
| the lawmakers will not finish theiI
work today. Governor Fielder said
| today he hoped the legislature would
| complete the extra session today. 81
have no control over the legisla-
| ture, however, in this particular,
| he added.
| AS soon as the assembly had been
! formally opened, a recess was de-
| clared to permit the Democrats tC
| confer as to their course of action
Assemblyman Martin has the Jersey
| City bills all ready to introduce
printed copies having been provided
In advance of the session. These
measures are designed to prevent
the setting aside of the commission
| government in Jersey City as recent
ly adopted under the Walsh act, and
also to strengthen this act so as tC
safeguard commission government IL
the othed municipalities which have
adopted 1t.