Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-17
HOUSE WILL GET
HOME RULE" BILL
At NEXT SESSION
Assemblyman Joseph B. Bloom
Plans to Introduce Meas
ure Monday Night.

Assemblyman Joseph b. Bloom
will, on Monday night. according to
present intentions introduce a legis-
lative bill, which if enacted into law,
he holds, secure home rule for all
cities, towns, boroughs and other
municipalities in the State.
The language of the proposed act
is as follows:
"All cities, towns, boroughs and
other municipalities of this State shall
have the power to enact and to en-
force all ordinances necessary to pro-
tect health. life, property; and to de-
clare and prevent and summarily
abate and remove nuisances and to
preserve and enforce good government
and general welfare, order and secur-
ity of the city and of its inha bitants,
to protect the lives. health and prop
erty of the inhabitants of said city
and shall have all powers necessary
for its government; and to enact and
enforce any and all ordinances on any
subject, provided that no ordinance
shall be enacted inconsistent with
the laws OF this State, or inconsistent
with the powers of this act; and, pro-
yided, further, that the specifications
OF particular powers shall never be
construed as a limitation upon the
general powers herein granted, it be-
ing intended by this act, to grant to
and bestow upon the inhabitants OF
every city fun power of self-govern
ment, and said city shall have and
exercise all powers of municipal gov
ernment not prohibited to it by char
ter or by some general law of this
State or by the provisions of the con-
etitution of this State.
fhn snlflQG'
appears in this act, it shall be con-
strued to mean town or towns,
borough or 'boroughs,' or other 'mu-
nicipality' or municipalities.
This bill, in my humble opinion,
will guarantee to each municipality
of this State the right to govern it
self without interference from out
side sources" says Mr.. Bloom. The
Home Rule pledge has been IN the
platform of the Democratic party
for the past three years, and yet up
has been introduced designed TO
carry out this pledge.
Last year l was the author of a
bill which succeeded in passing the
Assembly, but died on the desk of
the president of the Senate. 1t is an
exact counterpart of the bill which
propose to introduce next Monday
night to accomplish this result. If
this bill is accepted by the Legisla-
ture and finally becomes law and
it's constitutionality is upheld, its eff
feet will be to throw off the shackles
which have bound the governing
bodies of the municipalities of this
State and permit the people of the
municipalities to govern themselves
as they see fit.
while on the subject of bills, il
might not be amiss to speak of the
bill which was introduced by me or
last Tuesday, the opening day of the
Legislature, concerning the observ-
ance of Sunday in the municipalities
of this State. For many years there
commonly known as the blue law
which has prohibited well-nigh
everything on Sunday.
Until 1898 every man who Travelled
upon the highways for any other
purpose than to call a physician OF
surgeon or carry mail to or from the
postoffice or by order of any public
officer, was guilty of a violation OF
this law. In 1898 law was enacted
similar in phraseology to the bill
which / introduced, except it was
more narrow in its scope, which per-
mitted a person to travel upon the
highways without subjecting himself
to arrest for violation of the vice and
immortality act. 1t seems to me the
timevhas come when a law which is
never enforced and the enforcement
of which will never be demanded by
the people should, in so far as its
provisions are dead letters. be taken
off the statute books. In some re-
spects the old blue law is good, and
should he observed bV all hw-a abiding
citizens, and it is not attempted by
my bill to repeal these sections of
that law"
1.-The bill is designed to permit the
governing body of any municipality
by ordinance to- repeal the first four
and the eighth sections of the old
Blues Law, which concern business
and diversions, fishing, travelling and
exhibitions, shows and plays on Sun
day. 1t does not of itself repeal these
sections, but gives the right to the
governing body of any municipality
to enact ordinances either prohibit
ing or permitting these Matters