New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-06
WILSON SEEMS VICTOR
IN JERSEY JURY FIGHT
Success of Compromise Bill
Certain Says Wittpenn on
Eve of Legislative Session.
FIELDER LESS SANGUlNE
Nugent Boasts He Will Prevent
Passage of Measure in House
Conference on Reform
Measures Nets Nothing.
IN Telegraph 70 nc Tribune

IBy Telegraph to The Tribune.l
Trenton. \. j., May 5.-President
Wilson apparently has won his fight
for jury reform in New Jersey and the
so-called compromise bill will pass the
Assembly by a safe majority This
was the statement Of Mayor II. Otto
Wittpenn of Jersey City on the eve of
to-morrow's special session of the Leg
islature.
Mayor Wittpenn has shown little en-
thusiasm for any of the jury reform
bills in the Legislature, but he came
here to-day and took personal charge
of the fight for the enactment Of the
measure agreed on at a conference be-
tween the President and number of
the state leaders. Mayor Wittpenn
was at the conference.
The compromise bill provides for the
appointment by the Chancellor of one
commissioner for each county. who
with the Sheriff shall draw the grand
and petit jurors. The Supreme Court
justice would have power TO strike off
names and the Sheriff and the commits
sioner would supply new ones.
Wittpenn. who spent the greater part
Of the day in conference with Edward
+. Grosscup, chairman Of the Demo-
cratic State Committee. asserted that
every Democratic member of the Leg
islature, with the exception of the
eleven Smith Nugent men from Essex
and the three from Hudson, would be
in line for the compromise bill to-mor-
row.
Nugent Claims p House Votes.
The indications tonight were that
the Wilson men had won the first Skin
mish. although Nugent. who was here
personally leading the fight for a bill
with a referendum, bOasted that he
controlled twenty-five Assemblymen,
or four more than are necessary TO pre-
vent the compromise proposal from
getting the required thirty-one votes in
the House.
Acting on the suggestion of Witt
penn, nine of the twelve Democratic
Assemblymen from Hudson held a con-
ference this morning and decided to
support the compromise measure. This
means the lining up of number of
Assemblymen in favor of genuine jury
reform who had hitherto supported the
Smith Nugent idea. as embodied in the
McDermott bill, which has a referen-
dunn clause attached to il. No refer
fe hN co
bill, which will come up at a caucus
of all the Democratic legislators in the
Governors Office tomorrow morning.
Governor Fielder was not so opti-
mistic as Mayor Wittpenn. He said
he would sign the McDermott bill if 1t
passed the Legislature. He PERSONAL
ly favored the compromise measure.
but if a referendum bill had TO be
adopted he wanted the McDermott
measure. with slight changes, because,
he explained. some change in the pres
ent system would result from it.
The conference of the Democrats this
afternoon was a comparatively tame
affair The usual clashes between the
Wilson supporters and the Smith
Nugent men got no further than sar-
casm. Only thirty of the fifty-nine
Democrats in both houses took part.
A vote to show how sentiment on jury
reform stood was taken before the
conference ended. and showed nineteen
for the compromise bill, nine for the
McDermott bill and two not voting.
The vote was not binding. however.
Nugent figures that he controls
eleven votes i'm Essex, three in Hud
son. two in Union, three in Passaic
and one each in Warren. Mddlesex
and Monmouth counties. I'm going
TO run for state cOmitteeman at the
primaries in September. and I'm going
70 be elected, too" he said. "Tll show
these fellows how l stand in Essex
County"
Row Begins Conference.
Senator Davis presided at this after
Moons conference. which began with
row when Governor Fielder insisted
that the newspaper men be excluded.
Assemblyman Matthews, the Wilson
Assemblyman from Essex, wanted the
newspaper men present and this stirred
Assemblyman Nutting. one Of the ma
chine men, TO a slap at President Will
son. Nutting said the conference last
Friday excluded the members Of the
press, because a man not a resident
Of this state wanted it DONE" and he
did not see why the real Governor OF
Now Jersey was not entitled to the
same consideration.
The caucus of the Democrats to-mor-
row morning will consider the question
OF limiting the bills to be taken up at
The special session TO those urged by
Governor Fielder in his message. These
are the measures relating TO jury re-
form. a constitutional convention and
the small board Of freeholders. The
Republicans will also hold conference
tomorrow.
Governor Fielder. in speech TO sew
eral hundred persons In the Assembly
chamber tonight. made closing plea
for the enactment Of an honest jury
reform bill. He ridiculed the idea Of
measure hecanSp he said