Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-02-27

mentally incapable of putting ideas of
social justice in legislative form" He
doubts the presidents ability to handle
the national antitrust campaign and
in referring to the alleged failure of
the ''seven sisters asserts: 1.-THE same
notorious monopolies and trusts are
operating with the same old cynical
disregard of the welfare of the citi-
zens of New Jersey.
1--WE are forced to the conclusion"
he maintains, that either the bills that
President Wilson insisted upon passing
are Intellectual or that the Democratic
administration as represented by its
twenty odd prosecutors of the pleas
and its state law department is unwill-
ing to enforce the law. In my opinion
both of these hypothesis are true. The
fact is that these bills affect the small
business man while leaving what is
commonly termed big business without
any restraint whatsoever.
"1n fact, one of the seven sisters
deliberately exempts from the opera
ton of the act all existing corporations,
while the bill that undertook to define
monopolies and restraint of trade was
patterned after the California act,
which that progressive state was com
PEELED to repeal because it was found
to be unavoidable. On the other hand.
these bills do fall with extreme sever
ity upon organized labor and upon
agricultural interests, and it is not to
be wondered at that the present ad-
ministration is not disposed to make
victims of the innocent while permit
ting the trusts to continue unmolested."
The statement then continues that as
the same problems are to be taken up
in a nation wide campaign not much
hope for success under the direction of
President Wilson can be held out, as
the field is more complicated.
Suffrage Resolution Passes.
With foul Democratic votes in the
negative, Assemblyman ~Branegan's
resolution to give women the right of
suffrage was passed by the senate.
The vote was IA to 4. Those who
voted against the measure were Presi-
dent Smalley, Senators Barber, Ram
say and McGinnis. The resolution
was taken up on motion of Senator
Colgate, Republican, of Essex county.
Senator McGinnis objected to it at
first, as he asserted that Senators Mum
son and Smick were both interested
and both were absent.
Senator Egan maintained that he
could see no reason for delay. and
Senator Hennessy called attention TO
the fact that the Democratic platform
had declared for equal suffrage and
asserted that there should be a unani-
nous vote on it. Senator Ramsay
questioned If the resolution would not
give a foreign born woman, the wife
of an American, the right to the ballot
without being naturalized. Mr.. Egan
replied that naturalization would be
necessary. The vote was then taken.
Action on Pure Food Bills.
Four pure food" bills, introduced
the state board of health, received af-
firmative action in the upper house.
One will govern the use of the word
'adulterated' and another that of the
term "misbranded." The use Of chem
icals On meat will be prohibited, and
the sale of broken eggs" for food will
be made unlawful.
Under a bill by hr. Egan residents
of boroughs who fail to pay their
taxes will not be subjected to impris-
onment. He also has a measure max
ing the salary of judges in courts of
common pleas in first class counties
$4,000 yearly.
Complications that arose when sew
eral arrests were made in Trenton for
the nonpayment of poll taxes are to
be cleared up by a bill prepared by
Assemblyman Hammond of Mercer
county. At present no bail can be
taken for a person who refuses to pay
the money while he is contesting the
case in the courts. He either has to
pay the bill or stay in Jail. The local
Socialists are making a united fight
on the "head tax" and several of
them have been arrested. The meas
ure of MI. Hammond would permit the
release of any person who protests
poverty as a cause for his defalcation
and would not imprison others for the
n~onpayment of poll or dog tax for
more than seventeen days. The court
of common pleas is to pass upon the
case of the man who maintains that
he is unable to advance the money.
Supervision of the board of public
utility commissioners will be placed
over trackless trolleys or any utility
corporation managed by receivers Or
trustees under a measure presented BY
President Slocum of the senate.
Further changes will have to be made
in the chancellor-sheriff jury act fol
lowing the discovery of defects in the
measure by Assemblyman Godfrey,
R~qnublican. of Atlantic. Under fine