The Penn's Grove record., 1913-03-21
WORK AHEAD FOR
LEGISLATURE
Jury Reform, Constitutional Con.
Vention and Other Matters
NEARLY A THOUSAND BILLS
No More Measures introduced Except
by Unanimous Consent-Less Than
100 Have Reached Governors
Desk-May Adjourn in April.
Especial Trenton Correspondence.

NOPOCIdl lIculOu
Trenton.-Jury reform and constitu-
tlonal convention will hold the centre
of the stage in the work of the Legis-
lature, and it will be a little bit the
busiest time since the session of this
year began. Before President Wilson
left the State the efforts of the mem
bers of both branches of the lawmak-
ing body were concentrated upon sew
eral matters in which Governor Will
son was deeply interested and there
resulted a piling up of matters which
were regarded as of relatively smaller
Importance, but which will now have
to be taken up. There have thus far
been introduced nearly a thousand
bills in the Senate and House, of
which more than two-thirds have made
their appearance in the Assembly. No
n expects that. one-third of the
whole number will eventually get
through and become laws, as less than
a hundred have thus far reached the
desk of the Governor after having
passed both branches. Despite the
fact that there is this awful jam of
work in sight there was joint action
looking to final adjournment for the
year not later than April 3. From now
on the plan will be to move as rapidly
al possible with that end in view, and
it has been agreed that there shall be
no more bills introduced except by
unanimous consent.
Constitutional Amendment Fight.
The fight over the constitutional
amendment bill will go on. This has
developed into a contest between the
North Jersey and the South Jersey
counties, with the dividing line as
clearly defined as was the famous Ma
son and Dixon line between the North
and the South before and during the
Civil War. The smaller counties In
the southern part of the State insist
that the representation in the conven-
ton provided for to change the Con
stitution of the State shall not be such
as will deprive them of any of the
powers which they now possess, while
the northern counties are fighting for
representation in the convention &C
cording to population, which would
give them a large balance of power in
all matters that might come up. The
bill has been amended in the House,
and is ready for passage by that body,
unless the fight thickens again such a
name that there is further delay.
Result of Deals.
From now it is expected that much
of the legislation which gets through
will be the result of deals, or giving
and taking of votes in order to get
certain measures through. There will
also be great interest in watching the
trend of events as they relate to Act
ing Governor Fielder and his power to
hold the party members of the Legis-
lature in hand well enough to force
through measures to which such
strong opposition was first shown after
he took the executive chair. His abil-
ity of failure to hold a stiff rein upon
the situation will have an important
bearing upon his candidacy for nomin-
alton at the primaries next Septem-
Der for a full term as Governor, as his
opponents will watch every move very
closely and seek to take advantage of
every weak point he may develop. The
passage of the Fielder Embarrassing
abolition measure and his signing it
was his first important accomplish
ment, and puts squarely up to the
Utilities Board of the State the mat
ter of which crossings must be abol
ished each year by the railroads.
Board of Health Bill.
One of the interesting bills on which
there is expected to be something of
a fight is that for the reorganization of
the State Board of Health, which was
introduced by Senator Leavitt, of Mer-
Ger County. The State Medical Soci-
ETY. is said to be behind the bill and
will exert it's influence to have it
passed. 1t proposes to do away with
the present board and to create a
health commissioner and an advisory
board of five members. In some quar-
tiers the latter provision is regarded as
needless, the argument being that if
there is to be a Capitalization of
power, authority and responsibility,
the health commissioner should not
be hampered by being obliged to even
listen to an advisory board and, in
stead, he should be a man large
enough for the big and important du-
ties of the place and should be paid
a suitable salary, which could be done
without additional expense to the
State if the advisory board idea is
eliminated.