Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-05-04
LAW MILL TAKES
OVER 10 HOURS
TO OPATCH AD|LL
Passes New Act for Special
Election and Increases the
Cost by $4,000.
MISMANAGEMENT DRAWS
GOVERNORS CRITICISM
Says Form of Ballots Agreed
Upon Opens the Way
f. to Fraud.
Special to the Evening Star.

Special to the Evening Star.
TRENTON, May 4.-With a record
of having passed and sent to the
governor two bills for his approval,
both bearing on the special election
to be held next fall for the submits
sion of the suffrage and other amend
ments to the voters, the legislature
met in special session yesterday and
adjourned sine die last night at 10
o'clock. Both of the measures passed
will be approved by the executive.
The first repealed the law passed on
the last day of the regular session,
which provided for the submission of
the amendments, and which was
later found to be faulty, causing the
convening of the Senate and House
in special session, and the second bill
replaced the one repealed. and is be-
Geved to be so drafted as to remove
the doubts that arose over the orig
inal law on the subject.
Several other measures We're pre-
sented in the Senate during the early
hours of the special session, but all
of them received a similar fate. being
consigned to the committee on pro-
cedure, where they were repoSing
when final adjournment was taken.
Considerable criticism of the dila-
tory tactics employed in both houses
of the legislature was heard on all
sides concerning the lack of speed
with which it worked during the day,
and despite the fact that it took both
branches from the time of conven-
ing at IL o'clock noon until
10 at night, to finally dispose of
the business for which they were
called in extra session, a little band
of faithful suffragists followed the
proceedings during the tedious hours
and refused to leave the capitol until
the bills in which they were interest
ed had been finally disposed of by the
lawmakers.
For mismanagement and stupidity
the session will stand out as perhaps
the most remarkab BILE in the history of
New Jersey. For ten hours both
houses conferred, amended, took re-
cesses and otherwise dilly- -dallied.
AT the close of the session Governor
Fielder, in an interview, said:
THE manner in which the bill was
finally framed Increased the election
expenses approximately $4,000.
ut is too bad that the Legislature
has to take ten hours for that which
could have been accomplished in one
hour" said Governor Fielder. Besides
this mismanagement the salaries of
the election officers have been in
creased from SIS to $40 The idea of
holding the special election on Octo-
Der 19, registry day, was to save
money The Legislature deliberately
doubled the salaries of the election Of
ficers. The Legislature further ar
ranged things so that the ballots will
not be numbered. This is not at all in
accord with the present way of con-
Quoting elections. 1t opens the way
to fraud"
Bound Copy of Bill Lost.
Something of a thrill of excitement
went through the members of both
houses shortly before 10 o'clock last
night when word went round that
the bound copy of the bill repeating
the special election law passed at
the regular session had been stolen.
When the House reconvened at 8
o'clock after recess, a search for the
bill revealed the fact that it had been
mislaid. Majority Leader Runyon
and Speaker Godfrey hunted all over
for the measure, and finally came to
the conclusion that 1t had been stolen.
The official copy reprint was found
by the speaker, and, after the docu-
ment had been sent to the Senate,
the bound copy was discovered in the
Governors office.
The branches of the Legislature got
in session shortly after noon. After
the legal formalitieS had been gone
through Senator Reed, of Camden, in
troduced a bill which amended the
special election bill passed at the
regular session and signed by Gov
ernor Fielder. 1t was passed and sent
to the House
1t was nearly 2 o'clock when the
measure was received in the House.
Before it was received Assemblyman
Peacock, of Burlington, introduced
resolution directing that the House
confer with the attorney general as
to the constitutionality of the Reed
measure. Mr.. Peacock asserted that
the constitution provides that the en-
tire bill for certain sections thereof
could be amended, while the Reed bill,
he said, amended and repealed a line
in the same section. This, he said,
was entirely unconstitutional.
Calls New Bill Unconstitutional.
1.-THE Legislature turned down one
bill covering the situation properly"
said Mr.. Peacock, land passed an
other that has proved to be farce.
Now, in attempting to correct that
error, you attempt some more legis-
lation which is unconstitutional be-
yond question of doubt"
Assemblyman PancoaSt, of Cam
den, objected to the resolution, say
ing that the bill was not officially
before the House, and therefore the
resolution was out of order. He
said the action of the Senate had
not been officially reported TO the
House at the time.
Mr.. Peacock withdrew his motion
and the report of the Senate was then
read. He then renewed his motion,
and it met with such favor that Ma
ioritv Leader Runyon came to the
assistance of the Burlington member.
He felt, he said, that every possible
light should be thrown on the SUBJ
iect so that another botch would not
be made.
Another recess-the fifth since the
House convened at noon-waS taken,
and this time the committee on pro-
cedure set out to rectify things.
At 6:15 the House was reconvened,
and Majority Leader Runyon an
nol,nced that the committee on pro-
eedure had finally decided on a
scheme to straighten out the tangle.
Frirst he introduced bill which re-
neaIed the special election measure
passed at the regular session. After
favorable action was secured on that
Mr.. Runyon introduced committee
substitute for the measure passed
this morning by the Senate.
The substitute was nothing more
than the measure drafted by Attor-
new General Wescott and circulated
among the members last week. 1t
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