The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-04-14
Broken Pledges of Democrats.

The termination of the one hundred
and thirty-eighth session of the New
Jersey legislature on Thursday develop
ed much discussion concerning the
broken pledges of the Democratic party
to the people in the platform of last fall,
and the little that was done towards en-
acting into laws bills conforming to the
planks of the platform.
The Democrats were in control of both
houses, so of course were responsible for
acts of omission and commission.
Nothing was done toward fulfilling the
plank for federal navy yard in New
Jersey.
The Democrats turned down the plans
for the development of the state ship
canal by abolishing the commission fos-
tering that waterway. Nothing was
done to strengthen the practice act as
pledged.
The plank for preferential voting was
somewhat shattered by limiting this adj
vanced idea to primaries.
The pledge to rearrange state depart
ments along lines of economy and eff
cheney was broken through the failure of
the bills advocated by the economy and
efficiency commission.
In regard to state revenues and the
possibility of state tax through INSULT
cheney of state funds, the Democrats
passed the inheritance act, taxing
moneys descending from husband to
wife and from parents TO children, thus
avoiding a threatened state tax.
No statutes resulted from the plank
giving municipalities more freedom
from legislative CONTROL" but the house
Democratic majority passed the senate
bill which allows townships and other
municipalities to say how much money
they can afford to spend for schools.
Nothing was done with the so-called
uniform rules for taxation" plank.
The appropriation committee apollo
gized for turning down the demands Of
state charitable and penal institutions
| for needed buildings. The Democrats
pledged such needed support of state in
situations until effective means can bt
found for lessening crime and prevent
ing the bringing of defective children
into the world"
No enlargement and development o
the State Agricultural college at New
Brunswick and the experiment station
loopnactad tharautfb &c ,,+os ,,Io,l,xol
was accomplished in any statute.
No comprehensive system for carin
: for roads, as pledged, was enacted int
law, but the state road commissioner
working close on such plans, and th
Legislature passed bills giving the CON
missioner the help of county engineer
on state road work, their salaries TO b
partly paid by the state.
} Nothing was done to keep the follow
; ing pledge: "Our forests must be DIT,
served and reserved and the state Shout
gradually acquire the ownership of a
potable waters for the benefit Of OF
citizens"
No statute fulfills the pledge to con
pei the maximum figures for appropri:
! ton instead of expressed percentages i
city and county appropriations based o
B ratables.
No bill requires the installation of
uniform system of accounting for a
municipalities and counties.
There is possibility that GovernC
Fielder will, by use of his axe, fore
compliance with the pledge to pass few
err laws.
The pledge for woman suffrage ws
kept.
The last plank was not kept. 1t was {
, follows: 1--WE favor the enactment ,
! such legislation as will conserve til
constitutional rights of labor, and a
will prevent the issuance of injunction
in labor disputes, when no propert
, rights are involved, and when there
proper remedy in law"
Comment in the corridors was to tn
effect that the only pledges kept wei
J 'votes for women and the ''inheritanC
tax act, the last being for the purpos
of saving the Democratic party from til
! effects of levying state tax, whic
everybody believed would throw an
party cut of power.
Note was made Of the failure to ena
} a mandatory small board of freehodel
act and the political plan to hold tn
local option bill away from vote i
the house, SO that the New Jersey Ant
Saloon league could not get records {
j, votes to use in defeating assembly car
J didates in the fall.
There was comment on the attempt
of the Democrats to force through tn
bills legalizing the sale of liquor on Sur
day.
} Florence