Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-22
senate MEETS
NEXT TUESDAY
Much Speculation as to Out
come of Move at Trenton
Following Governors Call

By Special Correspondent
TRENTON, July 222-Speculation
IS being indulged in here by those
who follow the trend of state af-
fairs as to Just what the Republican
senate will do when It reconvenes
here mex Tuesday, pursuant to
Governor Edwards call. 10 receive
his nomination to the State High
way Commission. 1t is understood
that the executive will send eight
names to the upper Legislative
branch for confirmation. the seven
men who are now serving ad in
term on the highway commission
and one more to fill out the compile
ment OF eight. The latter will prob
ably come from South Jersey and
Is expected TO be a Republican, as
the board now stands four Demo-
Gratis and three Republicans and It
will probably be made bipartisan.
In his opinion of last week up
holding the governors right to re-
move the old highway commission,
Attorney General McCran pointed
out that even should the senate
fail to confirm his nomination of
next week, the men the governor
has designated to serve on this
board would still hold over and act
until the opening of the next legis-
ture.
SO far as is known no word has
come from any of the Republican
senate leaders as to what their
course will be with the nominations.
but there seems to be a feeling that
they will be confirmed. The Edge
act gave Mr.. Edwards the right to
remove the old board and that act
cannot be used as an argument
against confirming the new men,
bers. Also the work of building the
new state highway system must be
continued and there must be a COM
mission to supervise the work. So 1t
would seem hat no logical reason
can be advanced why the new board
should be held up by the senate, es-
pecia1Iy since it can under h
NcCran decision, continue to func-
ton until next January when a new
senate will meet.
The names of the sever men al
ready selected to serve on the board
and which Mr.. Edwards is expect
ed TO send to the senate, together
with another. follow:
George L. Burton, South River.
who has been elected chairman of
the commission; John Ferris, Jer-
sey City: George Paddock, Newark;
Assemblyman David Young, Morris
county. William j. Kirby, Somer-
Vile: Thomas J.. Whittemore, of
Sussex county, and Thomas E. Col
Inns, Of Elizabeth.
When the senate comes back on
Tuesday the battle for some legis-
lation against the rent profteers is
expected to be renewed with even
more force and vigor than charac-
terized the rounds fought early in
the summer before the lawmakers
took their recess
1t is known that City Commits
sioner James F. Cannon, of Jersey
City, who has been in the forefront
Of the fight against the profiteers,
intends to again take the initiative
In the effort to get some remedy for
the rent payers of the state who are
being muIcted by greedy landlords.
Cannon has been the target of the
latter who have " resorted to
anonymous letter writing of defam-
4tory character in order to discred-
It MIN with the lawmakers, but the
Jersey City official has not been
daunted by these tactics o by the
defeats in the legislature and in
the courts of the state which have
met the efforts of himself and
others in the fight against excessive
rents.
A food of petitions is expected
to be poured into the senate and
fled with Senator Runyon, of I'm
ion, chairman of the rent and hous-
Ing investigating committee. These
signers will urge some relief at the
hands of the legislators.
Runyon has been studying the
situation during the recess with a
view to evolving something tangible
and constitutional to meet the situ-
afion- He stated recently that a lot
Of good thought has been put on
the problem by men in this state
and he hoped to have some econ
mendati0ns when the senate met.
II will be a tough fight to get the
upper branch to consider anything
but the highway commission nomi-
nations, however. Especially will
the senator's likely oppose any re-
consideration al this time of the
rent and housing legislation ques-
ton. In fact they would have kill
ed it outright in June, before they
adjourned, had it not been for the
activity of the Union county sena-
tor. Mr.. Runyon, in asking for a
continuance of his investigating