Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-03-02
HENNESSY AND
EDGES VIEWS ON
ECONOMY BILLS
Republican Office-Holders Fa-
vored, Says Former, While
Latter Says They're Fair.
From a stan Correspondent.

From a stan Correspondent.
TRENTON, March 2.-"Wtll the
governor sign the bills? I'm sure ]
don't know, but If he does not it
would be hard to explain what he
meant when ne so strongly urged
their passage in his message last
month" This was the way President
of the Senate Walter E. Edge today
explained the passage of the economy
and efficiency bills in the Senate last
night.
"The detailed changes brought
about by the amendment has been
fully. and. / believe. to the general
public. thoroughly and satisfactorily
explained.
'Tf the Democratic minority feel
they have secured immunity for de-
liberate ignoring their party pledges
to consolidate State departments in
the interest OF economy and efficiency
by advancing as their excuse for
non-support that the governor is
shorn of any power whatsoever. they
are surely skating on mighty thin Ice
and must do considerable more ex-
planning.
LAS a matter of indisputable fact,
the governor does not at the present
time and never has appointed the de-
partment heads of any non-sa aried
board affected SO we are taking alb
solutely nothing away with the ex-
ception of the labor consolidation,
where the chief of the Bureau of Sta
tistics is dropped on the demand of
the public hearing which was practi-
cally unanimous favoring this policy.
at was rather amusing at last
nights session to see the avidity dis
played by the minority to press the
original bills as substitutes, which
bills were practically identical with
those introduced by the commission
last year, when the Legislature was
Democratic in both branches and
when the bills received but scant ccn-l
sideration.
"The amendments made to the bills,
as passed. improve the bills from
every standpoint and follow the pre-
cedent of existing departments and
meet the public demand as forcibly
expressed at the hearing.
"Just how the minority can explain
their failure to be reported in the
affirmative will be interesting, to say
the least. Senator McGinnis demon
strated his desire to vote for the
bills"
In statement issued today on the
economy and efficiency bills as passed
by the Senate last night. Minority
Leader Charles O'Connor Hennessy.
of that body, declares that Opinions
are fairly divided. 1t seems, as to
whether the economy and efficiency
bills have ever had any great value
in the direction of promoting economy
or efficiency. Some discriminating
persons who have analyzed the bills
have inclined to think that the de-
partments where real economies and
greater efficiency could be affected
have not been touched at all by the
bills now before the Legislature
Whether this be the truth or not, the
! fact cannot be denied that the failure
of the program 8 ch as 1t is (if II is
to faiD, is plainly chargeable to the
party having control of the legisla-
| ture.
Doubt" said the senator. continu-
| ing, "as to the public spirit behind
| the amended bills as suggested by
some of the changes made in COM
mittee, such, for example, as the
amendment which retains all of the
employees (most of whom are Repub-
licans) in their jobs, while legislating
out of office the various commission
ers, most of whom are Democrats"