The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-01-04
SIL-zER STUDYING
N.J.INSTITUTI0NS
Governor-EIect Is Personally Wis
ting and Collecting Data on
State Controlled AsyIums.
AIDS IN FORMING POLICY
Counts Needed Votes for Dry Law
Observation-Disclosures viii Also
Urge Congress to Modify
VoIstead Act.

Trenton.-Inspection of private in
! situations devoted to the care of the
blind and otherwise afflicted has been
made in the last few weeks by Cover
nor Elect George S. Silzer, and he is
collecting additional data on condi-
lions in tate controlled institutions
with a view of lettering conditions
generally when he takes Office.
During the campaign Judge Sflzer
] stressed the crowded conditions in the
insane asylums and ether state insti-
1 tutions and declared there were thou
! sands of people walking the streets
who should be receiving medical care
and be, for a time at st, under re-
straint. He used as one argument
against the 4O,000,000 bond issue the
fact that swo years efore the referen-
| dunn for the issuing of $14,0e0.00O for
improvements in institutions 1t was
defeated.
In a statement the governor elect
said he had been investigating quietly
and was terrifying himself with facts
| and figures before announcing any fix
ed policy.
81 still hold that the people who
need our care should get it, and will,
If conditions warrant after ~ complete
study of the situation, fight to any
length to bring about proper condi-
! TONS"
The governor elect has made num-
Der of quiet tours of inspection of pri-
| yate institutions in Essex county and
| near by and has been noting the va
| rious phases of administration with a
view, it is understood, of checking
| them up against practices at public
institutions.
Dry Law Repeater
State Senator Elect Emerson l..
| Richards of Atlantic county announc-
ed that he intended introducing anti
prohibition bills as soon as the legisla-
ture is convened and that he would
not be guided by the sentiments of
/ President Harding on the. prohibition
question. Senator Richards is a close
personal and political friend OF United
States Senator Edge and is regarded
as an Edge lieutenant at Trenton.
The measures which have been pre-
pared by Senator Richards include a
resolution to be sent to Congress ask
ing for a modification of the Volstead
law to permit the manufacture and
sale of beer and light wines and re-
vision of the state enforcement act.
| The latter amounts to a virtual repeal
of the state dry act. The Atlantic
county senator expressed the opinion
that enough votes could be mustered
| from the Republican majority in the
senate to assure passage OF both
measures
President Harding's attitude on pro-
hibition was the subject of attack by
! Senator Richards, who said that his
"Pollyanna" stand is no solution of
the problem. He raid that the admin
| istration's policy had been fixed at a
| conference of lame ducks" who had
been rejected by the electorate. In
New Jersey, he held, t--ere is no ques-
ton about the voters sentiments, as
| 1t had been clearly shown at the last
! election.
In addition to the anti-prohibition
| legislation Senator Richards declared
/ his opposition to the Ku Klux Khan
and said that if the laws now on the
! statute books of the state are not suf-
| ficient to crush it h. would stand
/ sponsor for a bill directed at its sup
| preston. 81 oppose an organization
| that is clearly bent on disorder and
which carries on it's propaganda as to
make it possible for any criminal ele-
! ment to commit any sort OF outrage.
| have always been against religious
and racial intolerar CO." he stated.
Referring to the proposed bill to re-
/ wise the Hobart enforcement acts the
I senator said: Il intend to offer what
amounts to a complete revision of the
Hobart law, so that liquor violations
will be treated as other law violations
and not as offenses more heinous than
murder and other feloni :. This will
! be done by practically striking out all
of the provisions of the present act
and inserting their place provision
that the sale, transportation and man
! ufacture of intoxicating liquors shall
be a misdemeanor, punishable just as
any other infraction of the law. What
is Intoxicating will be whatever Con
gress in the future should decide, and
also providing against dual punish
ment by both the federal and state
governments, made possible by the re-
cent supreme court decisions"
A revision of the workmen's com
pensation act to increase the compen
sation will also be introduced, the sen
ator said. This measure, modelled on
the lines w prevailing in Pennsylva
mia and New York, would increase the
maximum to $40 week from $12.
May Change Party Conventions
When the joint Republican confer
ence committee of the 1928 Legislature
meets recommendation will be made
by committee presenting county
chairmen of important changes in the
election laws. 1t is the desire of many
of the county leaders for a return. al
a T., - ho