The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-08-02

the House or Senate submitted anything; when at
length, fearing an adjournment might eHsue without
accomplishing anything demanded by the people,
Senator Vanderbilt arose and presented the petition
Of "John Vanderbilt" q citizen OF Kings county,
asking that the constitution might be amended as
to permit the canals to be completed in the Of
some four years. Senator Pierce, more courageous
even than either Conger Jones, or Cornell, inter
derbilt's own petition, by himself. The House Of
Assembly being compelled now to act specifically
upon an amendment OF the constitution, could resist
no longer The current Of popular opinion had be-
come irresistible. Loomis yielded, but put into the
hands of West proposition to amend, entirely diff
ferent from the one sent down from the Senate.
Now that they could no longer resist the current,
their only method was to turn somerset and also
propose to amend the constitution. How much Gre
dit they received and how much they deserved is
fully demonstrated in the resolutions finally adopted
Having disposed Of the great question, the Legis-
lature proceeded to the consideration of matters
which remained unfinished and Others brought in
anew. Many good laws have been passed, which are
OF advantage to almost every county in the State.
Among the important public acts are the Pacific
railroad charter, the Niagara ship canal levying
three-quarter mill tax to prevent State reputation,
to consolidate Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and Flush
ing the ten hour law and many others relating both
to the people of the city and State. of use and i'm
portance. The Supply bill occupied the Senate some
ten or eleven days. That time was well spent. As
1t came from the House it contained an unprecedent
coming from the extraordinarily economical Mr..
LOOMS, it was filed with donations to almost every
individual connected with the departments Of govern
ment. The Senate took up the items, we saw
by the daily debates, with care and deliberation
The treasury was empty, and a resort to d-
rect taxation became indispensable. To increase
that tax, in order that a horde of political pau
pers might thrust their hands into the trea-
sury or even to dispense State charity to hospitals,
dispensaries, or even orphan asylums, was not con-
sidered prudent, under existing circumstances. The
people aremainly indebted to Senator's Conger Pierce
and Babcock for saving the State more than one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which they
caused to be stricken from the supply bill it came
from the House. Had the same spirit Of economy
prevailed during the regus. session, direct tax of
one hundred thousand dog- for the Cayuga marshes,
and half much more for other local purposes up in
Essex and Clinton counties. would not now be neces-
sary to be imposed. Those appropriations might
easily have been deferred year or two, until the
necessity for direct taxation no longer existed.
Upon the whole, though extra sessions are always
regarded with prejudice, and the late one had org
Dally the effect upon the masses Of the people,
nothing else been accomplished except the settling
for ever the canal policy, OF having taken the public
works out of the hands of unprincipled political
hobby-riders the time and money spent were most
judicious and satisfactory. Had the entire sixty
days been occupied in settling that question, to
the people would put their laws in their pockets will
ngly pay all the expense Of the extra session. and
say amen to it. We therefore award credit to Go
Seymour for calling the extra session, but
think that himself and his constitutional advisers
will be the last set of individuals destined to reap any
advantage from it, because they never can shake off
an impression which the people have imbibed. that
they resisted the measure of completing the canals,
which was adopted with every legislative and other
expedient in their power.