The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1919-04-25
SESSION ENDS
IN new JERSEY
Little Gain for Republicans or
Democrats From Record of
Achievements.
ISSUES WERE 0BSCURED
Even Enormous Appropriation
Bill Supported by Both
Parties in Passage.

Trenton. n. j. The one hundred
and forty-third session of the legisla-
| ture came to a close ut 1887 o'clock
| last night. The senate members had
| been for some time singing and wait
| ing for the house to wind up. and the
house members divided their time be-
| tween work and play. Speaker Pier
son delivered four lectures on the dig
nifty members should show while legiS-
latng for the public welfare" and
each of them was greeted with so
much applause that more rapping for
! order was required. The appropria-
! ton bill, which passed the senate in
| the morning. went through the house
| in the afternoon without the anticipat-
| ed trouble.
The senate spent most of the late
| afternoon killing time and recessed for
| dinner but the house was placed UNI
| der call, and there was no stop for eat
| ing. Actuai work Oh long series of
| senate bills was concluded about 8 30
O'Clock. Then a series of formal reso-
lutons of thanks and praise for va
rious officers was put through.
This kept up until 80 o'clock,
when messenger came to say that
the governor had no further messages
| for the 1919 legislature. The speaker
two minutes later announced adjourn
ment sine die, and the few remaining
members marched over to the senate
| chamber, led by Speaker Pierson and
| Clerk Edward J. Handley, singins;
Aud Lang Syne" This song was re-
peated in the senate after formal adj
| iOurnment. Another feature of the
close was an address to the lawmakers
in the senate chambers by Governor
Edge
Too Early to knalyze.
1t is probably a bit too early to an
alyze with any degree of accuracy the
general effect of the legislative ses-
sion upon the campaign for governor.
which is to open with supposed vigor
and pep at once 1t has been years
since a session was marked with so
! little of serious moment and such
strange absence of partisan politics.
| Old observers tried in vain to fathom
| he strange situation. The mysterious
atmosphere was impenetrable. The
most lucid explanation perhaps was
that lone side was afraid and the 9TH
er dasnt."
II was expected early in the year
| that the tie vote in the assembly and
the fractional mix in the senate would
| bring many tense situations, but as
the session got into the very depths of
action nothing appeared to ru.fle the
| pac d pool. 1t seemed evident that
! the party leaders We're benz upon a
course least calculated TO arouse ami
mosities and create campaign mate
rial II they had been in y close part
nership, with a gentlemen's agreement
| TO stay the partisan hand and let
things drift calmly on, the result could
| have been no more satisfactory.
Some of the Doings.
That there We're trades, agreements
| and understandings, some palpably
| plain and in the open, others obscured
| by scenic effects, was evident even TO
| first year onlookers unaccuStomed to
! the undercurrents of legislation. For
a time it looked as though all possible
| political capital would be made of the
hullabaloo over increased trolley, gas,
| sewage and electric rates. with spe-
cial drive for the elective utility board
and public ownership bills. but in no
stage of these proposed revolutionary
| changes was there indication of either
side making a bold stand upon the
| question.
The public ownership scheme was
| SlEothered in committee, while the
elective utility plan was given such
/ Scant support as to bury it in oblivion.
| Thi!; plan was sponsored by Senator
! Edwards of Hudson, the foremost can
| iidate for the Democratic nomination
| for governor, and yet he was not given
the support of his party colleagues in
| the senate and his bill was defeated
| overwhelmingly. Under the circum-
stances his party cannot go out in the
campaign with that as an issue, al
though the people of the whole state
have been aroused to indignant protest
oy the apparent ease with which the
powerful utility concerns are able to
gain increase permits.
In the same category lie the several
plans forSpatching up the election laws.
The only legislation allowed to get
through on these lines was the huge
document of 21S pages revising and
codifying the present election laws,
but making no changes of specific
characte Neither side can claim any
advantage from this legislation, be-
cause the bill was drafted by non
partisan commission and a wholly dis
interested outsider in the person of the
secretary of the state chamber of COM
merce as its chairman. This measure,
which Governor Edge will undoubtedly
approve, is intended to clarity all the
antiquities and conflicts of the exist
ing laws-and they are nCmerous-but
!. proposes no alteration of the ground
work of the original Geran law. passed
In 1911, when Woodrow Wilson open
ed his house cleaning campaign as the
new kind of governor of New Jersey
Some little effort was put forth to