Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-06
INHERITANCE TAX
BILL IS FORTIFIED
Revised Measure, Legal Proof,
Will Be introduced at To-
nights Session.
CONFERENCE STRENGTHENS
BILL ALREADY PASSED
Small Freebooter Fight Will
Again Be Before the
House.
Especial TO the Evening star. /

1 TRENTON. April 6.-Keen interest
is being displayed in the temperance
/ tonight of the direct Inheritance tax
! bill Governor Fielder, Attorney Cen
eral Wescott and Edward d. Edwards
| have been in constant consultation for
the past three days repairing the re-
Gently discovered loopholes in the bill,
and it is now ready for reintroduction.
The bill was found to be unconstitu-
| ,ional and weak after the Governor
had signed ii, and it is being sent
back to the House in a new form 10
be passed upon again.
The principal event of the night
will probably be the temperance in
| the House of the direct Inheritance
| bill IN a new dress. The act has al
ready been passed and signed but, as
! told IN The Star last Tuesday, it has
| been found to be full OF holes and
open to the charge of unconstitution-
| ality.
Since it was signed and became Il
law there has been q three days con-
! ference ON its provisions and phrasing
| between Governor Fielder, Attorney
| General John w. Wescott and Will
! liam ID. Edwards. one of the clever
! est lawyers the State has. What they
| did TO the form of act win be evident
when it comes up tomorrow night.
! That they were very busy filling the
| holes left in the original form,
| through which, it is said the banks
Of the State might have escaped all
| taxation, and in correcting weaknesses
! which would have resulted in court
actions. is generally known in and
around the State House.
The peculiar point about the sign
| ing of the act is that Governor
| Fielder gave a hearing to Willard c.
| Fisk, counsel for the Bankers Assoc
citation, and to several leading bank
ers on the question of its applicable
ity few hours before he signed it..
They told him that the act would
not stand contest in the courts. NeY-
ertheess 1t was signed the same day
by the Governor.
Not a word about the recasting of
The act and it's presentation again
to the Legislature has been uttered
from the executive chamber. What
course will be pursued has not been
told. 1t is probable that the new bill
will come to the Assembly with an.
other bin which will be in the form
Ct repeater of the first act. Rules
of the Assembly and the Senate will
have to be suspended while they are
pushed through three readings and
final passage.
Small Freebooter Bill.
Assemblyman John j. Griffin, of
Union, promises one sensation for to-
night, for he says he will rise to
II question of personal privilege
and disown the mandatory small
board of freeholders bill which has
been amended out OF its original
form. Assemblyman Griffin says he
has the support of Governor Fielder
for the bill and says also that the
people of second class counties are
crying aloud for 1t 10 be PASSED.
The progress of the bill In the
House was marked by the opposition
of at least one of the second class
counties, Camden, Hudson and Els
sex counties, who have the small
board of freeholders, held strictly
unsynpathetic stand, which may
have been due to the fact that in
both counties the small board was
ADOPTED by d referendum vote. The
mandatory feature of the bill was
what cost 1t friends in the Assembly.
Assemblyman Griffin said that he
will speak out, regardless of whom /
my words will hit 1t is time to call /
spade a spade and to strike out"
he said.
Peacock's Bible BliI.
the bill requiring that ten verses
Of the Bible be read in all public
schools once day, introduced by AS
semblyman Robert Peacock Of Bur
lington county, may cause some ex-
element. Mr. Peacock went to the
trouble of invoking the rule reuuir- !
ing fifteen signers in order to get il
out of committee. When it came out
last Tuesday, after the lapse of TWEEN
ty-four hours, which the rules neces-
state, he was absent
The bill is so largely opposed and
has stirred up so much bitter feel
ing already, with the little progress it
has made, that the greater number
Of Assemblymen have no desire to
see it pass. 1t has succeeded in arouS- /
ing u degree of religious feeling IN
some quarters that has not been dis
played in years. The hearing on it
in committee nearly caused a riot.
Assemblyman johnson, of Bergen
county, said of it:
1.-THE enactment Of this bill would
be a stupendous folly. 1t would en-
gender hatred instead of accomplish
Ing good. II would arouse animosi-
ties on a subject on which there are
now no such bitter animosities. /
have too much confidence i'm the +
Legislature to suppose that any such i
legislation will be seriously at
tempted
The Newark Methodist Episcopal /.
Conference through the secretary. |
Rev. Frederick Bloom, has sent 10
Assemblyman Agnew "A resolution |
urging the passage of the Peacock |
bill Another communication is from
" II. Wooton, of Trenton, Sir Knight |
Commander of St Johns Command |
cry knights of Malta, who also urges |
the enactment of the Bible bill.