Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-13
president SIocum Comments on
Unnecessary Lawmaking
and Names Committees.
Especial to the Newark start

custom or the past three years. 1
was called to order by William L
Dill, of Passalc county, who was sec
rotary to the Senate last year, an'
who will fill the same position thi
year.
PRAYER was offered, Secretary o
State David S. Crater certified to thu
new senators, they were sworn in ant
the customary honor was extended u
the minority by the selection Of Sena
tor w. F. Gaunt. Republican,, O
Gloucester, as temporary president
This was followed by the election o
Senator John w. Slocum, of Mon
mouth, as president and Senator
Peter j. McGinnis, of Passaic, as ma
jority floor leader, and the wheels O
the 138th session of the Senate De
gan to turn.
President sIocum's Address.
The president, on taking the chair
addressed the senators as follows:
"Fellow senator's: There are mile
posts of pride in each Of our lives
that mark attainments which give
us special pleasures for having
reached. Your expression OF conf
dence and respect In selecting me al
the presiding officer over your de-
alterations is one of the big mile
poStS ol my ile' anu loh - N- 49,
debtor.
1.-THE responsibilities of the office
every senator knows, and it is only
with your indulgence that I can hope
to fill the position with credit &c
! myself and honor to the State. With
platform pledges of the two great
parties sufficiently alike to be twins
and the numerical strength of the
parties in this branch of the Legis-
lature almost equal I am confident
there will be mutual help and hearty
cooperation on all measures of need
and Importance to the people of the
State whose representatives we
equally are.
Browning says of our individual
civic duties:
The common problem-yours,
mine, everyone's,
Is not to fancy what is fair in life
provided it could be,
| But rather find what may be,
then make it SO UP to our
means
A very different thing
And why should not that senti-
ment be applicable to us in our work
as lawmakers? We should not at
tempt too much. Il is folly to legis-
late on the assumption of equality
of mind or morals. We cannot es-
tablish social justice by spasms of
legislative enactmentS or meet all
the just financial demands made for
the wards of our State at one ses-
sion. Our duty Is to place these
broad and important matters of the
business, social and industrial world
in their proper and relative positions
up to our means and in an orderly,
systematic manner see that there are
advances In keeping with equal JUS
tice. We all realize that the chang
ing circumstances of time make new
laws necessary and that the LegiS-
lature must respond and do its full
part. 1t is, however, as much our
duty to prevent the enactment of
wasteful, extravagant and unneces-
sary laws as it is to adopt remedial
legislation for existing evils.
Much Legislation Unnecessary.
ut is truthfully said that the i'm
portant and progressive laws of the
past three years have placed New
Jersey in the galaxy of leaders In the
march of progress, but in that same
period there have been many I'M
necessary statutes. Each year, too,
many hasty and ill-considered meas
ures are enacted into laws, and I ask,
| uOL OILY Liz corporation Ol Lie
chairmen of committees, but of every
senator to check this reckless prac-
tise. Let us see that the beneficent
legislation of recent birth is made
effective and strengthened. Our
pledges call for fewer and only nee
essary laws. / hope this branch of
the law mill will grind more slowly
that the people may digest what is
already on the statute books, but
as yet unfamiliar to them. Our key
note should be fewer laws-better
laws.
Legislative carelessness needs
supervision and to meet defects in
our imperfect methods of considering
and guarding important measures,
we hope to establish a legislative ref
erence bureau and bill drafting de-
partment for the use of members OF
the Legislature. The plan has been
found to work well in many States
andbis worthy of a patient trial with
us. A joint committee of the Senate
and House of Assembly have been
studying. the rules with a view OF
amending or adding to them so as ia
limit the time for the introduction
of bills and to prevent ill-considered
action on them. Their recommends
tons will be laid before you, and l
trust appeal to you as interesting
work IN a field which means improve
ment.
with these slight references to the
duties before us 1 assume the re-
sponsibilities of the office, sincere
ly pledging you to show my apprecia-
ton of the honor bestowed upon ms
by fairly, impartially and honestly
serving this Senate and our com.
monwealth to the best of my ability
Senators, 1 thank you for this
honor"
Immediately after delivering his ad.
dress President Slocum announced hi.
. committees as follows:
Senate Standing Committees.
Agriculture = Wheaton. Barber
Gaunt.
Appropriation - Hennessy, Ram
sey, Munson, Smalley.
Banks and Insurance-Rameay
Ackley. Hutchinson.
Boroughs and Neutrality-suspicious.
, Egan, White.
clergy-Ackley, smick. Mathis.
Commerce and Navigation--Whe
ton, Munson, Rathbun.
orations-Martens, Hennessy
Edge.
Education-Egan, Ackley, Smalley
; Elections - Hennessey, McGinnis
Rathbun.
Federal Relations-Smick, Martens
=, Pierce.
Finance-Ackley Muneon, Gaunt.
: Games and Fisheries-Hennessey
Ackley, Colgate.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Smick, White
, Judiciary-McGinnis Egan, Read.
Militia-Ramsay Egan, Read.
Miscellaneous Business-Smick, Bar
Der, Hutchinson.
, Municipal Corporations--Mccin
Egan, White.
Priptad T2iIla-A oEIaU Wboo]ox,