New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-05-15

not meet with favor in the other branch OF the Lee
gislature. To our surprise and notification this
bill was returned by the Senate with an amend.
ment imposing an additional tax upon the people
TO raise the necessary means 10 pay for the bro.
ken contracts. The bill as it was originally re-
ported was an admission, and such VIC allcgc the
fact TO be, that the surplus revenues Of the canals
with the aid of the mill tax were amply sufficient
10 meet this necessity Of the State without casting
additional burthens upon the people; and we
therefore did not and would not assent 10 1t in lis
amended form. 1t seemed 10 us thai it was sutii-
GENTLY arievnus 10 hccalled upon to pay from The
public treasury $500, 0G0 of damages for the wan.
ton abandonment OF the Public Works by d party
which at this very SESSION had appropriated
&'50,e00 for Their partial assumption, without
coupling with i, the justly odlous proposition to
retax the people for this purpose. While the ne
cesslty lor the mill tax imposed in 1912 appeared
quite problematcal when the true stale oil the
finances became known, we fell that this new
and unexpected exaction could have no iounda.
lion except III the desperation of those who
valnly presumed that the foheS OF the past could
best he sustained by a rccnactment Of them. TIE
vacillaton which so frequently characterized the
majority was manifested on this occasion. The
amendment of the Senate was adopted by the As
semb.y, but not without our earnest remonstrance.
Nothing now remains to complete the cruel pun
poses OF the law but the appearance OF the tax
gatherer at our doors, TO demand from each indl-
vtual his qunta OF the sacrifice thus offered up TO
the Aloloch Of party.
We have not thought it important or consistent
with the public interests either to combine with
one or the other of the factions composing the ma
Ii oNo IN
Wing policy, which, with our diminuiive num-
bers, must have been unayaing. We hope that
our efforts not to prove in any degree factious, or
unnecessarily perlinacious ourselves, have been
manifested. While VIC readily concede to many
members of the majority an Independent, liberal
and patriotic course on several occasions, we hum
bly, claim for ourselves to have adopted and uni
fcrmly pursued prudent and concilatlng path.
We have intended to give every good and benign
measure our support, openly ana lngcnuously.-
We trust we have not failed to meet and resist in
the right spirit, and not always unsuccessfully,
every malign scheme. Ii the present exposures
made by our opponents of their former errors be
true, they were fagitiously improyident and cor
rupt from 1888 to 1889. Ii they were wise and
patriotic during that PERIOD thelrpresent conduct
is preposerous and wicked. But 1t has not been
in our power to correct either their former errors
or TO secure the State against the consequences OF
those more recently committed. We acknowl-
edge submission to the will of the People consti-
tutionaly expressed and fear not 10 trust them
always 1t was enough for the Wing party, when
in power, that the People had undertaken those
works and pledged their faith to their prosecu-
ton. They were prosecuted, and that faith was
preserved. 1t is enough for US, now that the
People have sanctioned the policy Of suspension
and reputation. The whole sub ject returns again
to the People. So long as they shall adhere to
that policy we shall acquiesce as is the duty OF
good citizens. But if other and different sentl-
ments obtain Just ascendency, Us we sincerely
hope, the Wing party will then be willing and
ready 10 ascertain and strike the balance on the
books as they shall be delivered, 10 fulfil every
gagement legally binding on the Stale, to hus-
band the public resources, and 10 devote them
selves to such enterprises, and such alone shall,
deserve and receive the appreciation of the People,
and can be completed without taxation and con-
sistenly with the due extinguishment of the Pub
lie Debt. A Wing administration will come 10
those great duties accomplishing and unprejudlc-
ed, unembarrassed by responsibilities alike for
errors committed in projecting, and for those
which induced the abandonment of the Pub lie
Works.
Changes in the organic law of the State ought
not to be rashly made; yet it is confessed that
some amendments OF the Constitution have become
necessary. In growing country and a progress.
sive state of society such an exigency must often
happen We have seen nothing, however, in the
mismanagcment of financial affairs confessed by
our opponents, satisfying US that the Legislative
power ought to be abridged to the extent provided
for in certain amendments to the Constitution
which have been adopted. The inconvenience
and impracticability of the proposition to submit
to the people, in the first instance, any contem-
plated appropriation Of money, will doubtless be
apprehended by every impartial citizen. Besides
we know ofno public sentiment which has called
for it, or any real abuse in the past history of the
State which iuslifies it. Evils and elnbarsss-
mcnts If the most serious nature must flow from
the legislation indicated by such an amendment.
Had our Constitution contained such d provision
as is now insisted upon, even the Erie and Champ
lain Canals, the chief sources ofrevenue and pub
lie wealth, would never have been constructed
We have, however, no such distrust Of the People
as 10 desire to prevent them from amending the
Constitution, in that respect, as they may deem
expcdient.
There are other suggested amendments of great
importance. The Judiciary is confessedly incom-
petent TO perfect and speedy administration oil
Justice and equity, and portion ofus have con-
sented to several propositions to increase the judi
cial power Of the State, rather than hazard all
hope of change, while others preferred TO wait a
more complete and perfect reorganization of the
Judiciary by the People in convention. Represen-
tstion in the Assembly has become unequal, and
additional responsibility might be secured by sub
dividing the State into separate Assembly districts
of equal population. The spirit of the age con-
dennis the narrow policy which, by a property
qualification, DISTINGUISHES small portion Of the
people. Central power might be proftaby abTidg-
ed, and the power of the People to choose many
public officers now otherwise selected, might be
safely and wisely extended. We have generally
favored these important reforms. Our votes in
regard to the manner Of securing amendments
have varied according to our respective opinions
of the urgency of the People, and OF the proba-
bility of securing the end in the manner prescrb-
ed by the Constitution. Weregret that after dis
cussions which have occupied so great a portion