NEW JERSEY 



4166 



NEW JERSEY 



NEWiJERSEY 



Center 

 of 

 Population 



onoressiona 

 Districts 



First State House 



1670 

 I860 

 1850 

 1840 

 1830 

 1820 

 1810 



Jersey City 

 in IB20 



Trenton 



Battle 



Monument 



24.7- 



Increase in 

 Population Per Sq.ML 

 By Decades 



West 

 Jersey in 1677 



Government and History 



The Government. The present and second 

 constitution of New Jersey was adopted in 1844 

 and amended in 1875 and 1897. Amendments 

 may be proposed in the senate or general as- 

 sembly and must be adopted by two successive 

 legislatures and by the people. They may not 

 be submitted to popular vote oftener than once 

 in five years. The question of woman suffrage 

 was voted upon and defeated in 1915. All male 

 citizens of the state residing one year and five 

 months in the county in which elections are 

 held have the right to vote. There are direct- 

 primary elections for the President and all 

 state officers. 



The legislative department consists of a sen- 

 ate of twenty-one members, one from each 

 county elected every three years, and a general 

 assembly of sixty members elected each year 

 and apportioned according to population. The 

 legislature meets annually. 



The executive power is vested in a governor, 

 elected by the people for three years. A treas- 

 urer and comptroller are appointed by the legis- 

 lature, and the secretary of state, attorney- 

 general, prosecutors of pleas, clerks of the 



supreme and chancery courts and various com- 

 missioners, including the superintendent of 

 public instruction, are appointed by the gov- 

 ernor. The governor may not succeed himself. 



The judicial department is unusually compli- 

 cated. The highest court is the court of errors 

 and appeals, consisting of the chancellor and 

 justices of the supreme court and six other 

 judges appointed for six years. Other courts 

 are a court of chancery composed of the chan- 

 cellor and eight vice-chancellors having terms 

 of seven years ; a court for the trial of impeach- 

 ments; a prerogative court; a supreme court; 

 circuit courts; inferior courts. The supreme 

 court consists of a chief justice and eight asso- 

 ciate justices appointed for eight years. 



Local government is by counties, cities, town- 

 ships and boroughs. Cities and towns are re- 

 quired to have local boards of health and may 

 adopt the commission form of government. 

 Child labor laws, employers' 7 liability laws and 

 antitrust acts have been passed. There are 

 stringent laws regulating liquor traffic, but in 

 1915 municipalities were given the right to vote 

 on the liquor question. 



