The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-03-31

CONSERVATION OF THE RAILROAD SwINDLE IN
THE AssEMBLY.-The six city railroad gridirons
were rushed through the lower house at Albany
during the post prandial session on Thursday
evening, in rapid order, with haste and at an
hour which, considering the nefarious nature of
the business, was perhaps quite appropriate, for
deeds like this cannot well bear the daylight
In every essential point thesesix bills precisely
resemble the mammoth Gridiron bill of George
Law, which was rushed through the Senate with
unanimous vote, but was defeated by the vir-
tuous members Of the House, for the purpose of
effecting compromise. That compromise has
now been made by the passage of these six
bills; for we find the same interests and in
many cases the same names, represented in the
six little gridirons as in the one big one. 1t is
unnecessary to say that the principle involved
in all these bills is IDENTICAL fragrant rob.
berry of the property of the city of New York
for the benefit Of few rapacious individuals,
most Of whom are entirely unknown in this
community, and many Of whom hail from dis
tant portions of the State We publish in an
other column the names of the incorporators of
these six railroads; and we would ask how
many of them are publicly known as RESPONSE
BILE men in this metropolis.
Is it not monstrous outrage for the Legisla
ture-composed, as the large majority Of it is,
of men representing every quarter of the State,
and only small minority representing this
city-to plumber the metropolis of its just rights
in this shameless and unblushing fashion. The
Albany Legislature, for years past, has enjoyed
nl0es '".-|~hln reputation for cor.
ruption, ignorance and stupidity; Dus ~
present Legislature, which is black republican
through and through, exceeds any legislative
body which ever sat in the State Capitol for
corruption and infamy of every kind; and both
sections of the republican party-the radical
democrats and the old wings alike-seem equally
devoid of every decent principle, or any pre-
tensions to shame, in their plundering foray
upon the rights and interests of New York.
When the mammoth Gridiron bill passed the
Senate the public were stunned by the boldness
of the scheme, the impudence of its protector,
and the alacrity of that body to adopt it, and
the newspaper press of the city were loud in
their denuncistions of it; but it is remarkable
that now, when these six railroad bills, which
are identical with the Senate bill, have passed
the House, there is not a word of denunciation
or remonstrance from these quarters. It has
been said that the newspapers of the city are
interested more or less in these infamous jobs,
and the statement has met with some credit
from the public. Judging from the significant
silence with which the passage of these bills is
received, it would appear very probable that
the charge is true and that the newspapers of
New York are in the same position that the
newspapers of Wisconsin were shown to be in
a recent railroad scheme in that State-that is
to say, the participants in the spoils.
There is hardly room to doubt that the action
of the House upon the city railroad bills will
be confirmed by the Senate, in which event this
city will be plundered of q large income, suffi-
cient to defray nearly all the expenses of its
government