514 



NEW JERSEY. 



The sum of $10,000 was appropriated for the 

 purpose of procuring marble statues of Daniel 

 Webster and Gen. John Stark, and placing them 

 in the National Statuary Hall in Washington. 



The sum of $75,000 was appropriated for com- 

 pleting and furnishing the State Library build- 

 ing, and putting in order the grounds about it. 



The Governor was authorized to appoint 3 

 commissioners to serve without charge to be 

 called " commissioners for the promotion of 

 uniformity of legislation in the United States." 

 It shall be the duty of said board to examine 

 the subjects of marriage and divorce, insolvency, 

 descent, and disposition of property, and other 

 subjects, with a view to securing uniformity in 

 the laws of the different States upon such sub- 

 jects ; and to meet and act with other similar 

 boards of commissioners appointed from other 

 States for the above purpose. 



NEW JERSEY, a Middle Atlantic State, one 

 of the original thirteen, ratified the Constitution 

 Dec. 18, 1787. Area, 7,815 square miles; popu- 

 lation in 1890, 1,444,933. Capital, Trenton. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, George T. 

 Werts, Democrat ; Secretary of State, Henry C. 

 Kelsey ; Treasurer, George R. Gray ; Attorney- 

 General, John P. Stockton; Adjutant-General, 

 William S. Stryker; Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction, Addison B. Poland ; Commissioner 

 of Banking and Insurance, George S. Duryee; 

 Comptroller, William C. Heppenheimer ; Chief 

 Justice of the Supreme Court, Mercer Beasley; 

 Associate Justices, Bennett Van Syckel, Jonathan 

 Dixon, David A. Depue, Alfred Reed, William J. 

 Magie, Charles G. Garrison, Job H. Lippincott, 

 Leon Abbett. Judge Edward W. Scudder died 

 in February. Chancellor, Alexander T. McGill ; 

 Vice-Chancellors, Abraham V. Van Fleet, John 

 T. Bird, Henry C. Pitney, and R. S. Green. 



Legislative Session. After sitting nine 

 weeks, the Legislature adjourned March 11. The 

 passage of three bills, known as the race-track 

 bills, excited great indignation. The first pro- 

 vided " that the boards of freeholders of any 

 county, board of aldermen, common council, 

 township committee, or other body having gen- 

 eral charge of the affairs of any city, township, or 

 municipal division of the State, in which there is 

 a race track, shall have power to license, for not 

 more than five years, any such race track ; pro- 

 vided, that no race course shall be licensed in 

 cities having over 100,000 inhabitants." It also 

 made it " necessary for the association having 

 this racing to file with the Secretary of State a 

 certified- copy of a resolution passed by a three- 

 fourth vote of the county board of freeholders 

 of the county in which the race course is situated, 

 that the maintenance of such race course is a pub- 

 lic necessity." The second bill provided " that 

 betting, and the practice of betting commonly 

 known as bookrnaking, upon horse races, within 

 the inclosed grounds of any incorporated associ- 

 ation or body in this State, or the keeping of a 

 place or places within such grounds to which per- 

 sons may resort for such betting, shall not con- 

 stitute any misdemeanor or criminal offense when 

 such association or incorporated body is not indict- 

 able for the carrying on of said races therein." The 

 third provided that " habitual bookmaking shall 

 not constitute a disorderly house, maintaining a 



nuisance, or a conspiracy, or any criminal offense, 

 but shall be deemed a misdemeanor, punishable 

 by a fine of $20." 



These three bills were referred to the Commit- 

 tee on Municipal Corporations, from which they 

 were promptly taken and passed by the House. 

 The Senate passed them, and sent "them to the 

 Governor, who vetoed them, and on Feb. 25 they 

 were again passed over his veto and became laws. 

 Petitions asking for their repeal were immediately 

 circulated, mass meetings were held, sermons were 

 delivered throughout the State, citizens' leagues 

 to effect their repeal were formed, and on Feb. 27 

 three bills repealing the race-track laws were in- 

 troduced in the House. These, too, were referred 

 to the Committee on Municipal Corporations, 

 with whom, in spite of rigorous and repeated 

 efforts to bring them up for passage, they re- 

 mained until the end of the session. 



The bill curtailing the power of the Republi- 

 can Mayor of Jersey City took from the mayors of 

 first-class cities the power to appoint the corpo- 

 ration counsel and attorney, and vested it in the 

 Board of Finance, and also gave the board power 

 to reject or confirm other appointments. This 

 bill was passed over the Governor's veto on the 

 last day of the session. 



A very important bill was one designed to 

 enable street or horse railway companies to use 

 electric or chemical motors or grip cables as a 

 propelling power, instead of horses; and also to 

 erect poles and string wires without the consent 

 of, or compensatory damages to, those in front of 

 whose property the poles may be erected. It 

 provides that consent need be obtained only from 

 the township committee or municipal authority. 

 This bill received the Governor'ssignature. 



A bill aimed at the tracks on which winter 

 racing had been practiced was rushed through 

 both Houses, under suspension of the rules, on 

 the last day of the session. This law forbids 

 racing during the months of December, January, 

 and February, under a penalty of $1,000 to 

 $10,000 fine, or from six months to two years' 

 imprisonment, or both. 



Among other bills that became laws were the 

 following : 



Authorizing and regulating the construction of 

 street railways upon turnpikes. 



Authorizing the issuing of $1,000,000 additional 

 bonds for Hudson County Boulevard. 



Making the printing, publishing, and sale of news- 

 papers, the sale and delivery of milk, etc., on Sunday 

 lawful. 



Amending the election law by providing that Com- 

 mon Pleas Court shall sit before spring election to 

 revise registry of election, as in the autumn. 



Providing for the compulsory levying of a tax of 

 three fifths of one mill on each dollar of taxable 

 property for park maintenance. 



Making it illegal to manufacture clothing in tene- 

 ment houses. 



Providing for the erection of a free public library 

 in cities of the second class by issuing bonds to the 

 extent of $50,000. 



Authorizing divorce where either party has been 

 sentenced to State prison. 



Fixing the rate of interest on arrearages of taxes at 

 7 percent. 



Exempting from taxation fraternal and beneficial 

 organizations, and allowing all such orders to do 

 business in this State upon compliance with the re- 

 quirements to report regularly to the Commissioner of 

 Banking and Insurance. 



