New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-04-28
LEGIsLATIvH DECAY.

Mann george w. Patterson, james IL. LAW
renee, Preston King, Victory Birdseye, Rich.
ard Hubert, Daniel d. Barnard. and many
others of equal capacity. No ono will pretend
that our Northumberland We refer to those
OF our sister States as well as our own-haye
for some years back been composed Of such
timber. Able and W right men are still found
in legislative seats, but they are comparatively
few. We doubt whether such debates as the
adoption Of our system of Free Banking, the
More Speedy Enlargement Of our Canals, the
reauthorzaton of Small Bank Notes, &c,
&C., ELECTED in 1888, could have been main
tanned in any Assembly which has been elected
in this State under our present Constitution.
We say under this Constitution, because we
believe the decentralization thereby effected
land which we did our best 10 promote) is
somewhat responsible for the change. In other
times any party contesting the representation
of County like Oneida, Onondaga, St. Law
renee, Erie, Dutchess, &c., was virtually con.
strained to put at least one strong name on its
ticket. II little men undertook to creep into the
Legislature--as little men did and wil-they all
united in placing some person Of known ability,
experience and (quite ofteu) integrity at the
head Of the ticket, hoping to hide their obscu-
rity and insignifcance in his shadow. Inca
pacity and worthlessness now seek place, as
they always did and will; but they present
themselves to the public gaze unscreened and
unabashed.
And, as the quality of our legislators has
declined, the consequence of the Lobby has
naturally increased. We reported the proceed.
ngs of the Assembly through good part of
quaintance of any person who made gainful
business of advocating or opposing the passage
Of bills There may lave been such o person,
but We doubt it, that there were not half q
dozen such, We are morally certain. But
now their name is Legion, their imPudenoe
sublime, while their yoracity far transcends
that of all the horse.leech's dsugh-
ters They will tell you 10 n
dot how -.sHA il will cost TO pass such or
such bill, and how much 10 s,s... IT, the
latter process Qet us be thankfully being
considerably the cheaper. If you will only
tell them conhdentally show much money
there il in this"-that lie, how much its back.
srs will pay rather than be defeated-tbey
while to proceed. Some Of them are well
dressed, have the best rooms at the great
hotels, dispense rea champagne, and will
touch nothing under 500; others are seedy
suckers, who will take a So if they can get no
more. Some live in stately houses that they
have won by debauching legisation others
have nothing that the sheriff can take away:
they are Of all parties and Of none but they
are all leeches On the body polite, who must
be shaken off or the Republic is undone.
Mere denunciatiOn answers no good purpose.
Attempts to make party capital out of the
prevalent degeneracy are simple insults to the
public intelligence. Each party can show,
after its fashion, that tho other 10 the greater
sinner; yet all intelligent men know that the
evil has no possible relation to our current
politics, and that tho venality which poisons
our legislation is sublimely Indifferent to all
partisan considerations AS matter Of fact,
we believe this City was at the late session
little more corruptly md unworthily repre-
sented in the Assembly than any other eighth
of the State; but no section and no party had
anything to boast of. Each party had sent
some good men to that body, but they were
not majority of either side and could eIer-
else no control over their associates nor over
the general result.
There must be q radical change and the
People of all parties must effect it. 1t must
DO first evidenced in the manner Of making
nominations. The present Convention system
is utterly rotten. 1t is a cOntriyance for eI-
alting Mediocrity aud fostering Intrigue. A.
b., small ward or township politician, con-
ceives the idea Of going to the Assembly,
thinking he can "make q good thing of it,"
To be sure, he has neither talent, experience,
integrity, nor any other possible qualification;
but none of these is essential. His first step ia
to secure q delegation from his own township
or ward to the nominating Convention; and
this. by liberal expenditure Of money, liquor,
promises, lies, and an appeal to the gratitude
Of those be has helped in former years, he
effects. With his delegation in hand, he
commences trading with those who have
axes to grind on some other stone
promising his votes for Sheriff, Clerk,
Congress, or whatever may be- going, in ex-
change for the votes Of other delegations for
Assembly. Thus he makes his points or, if
not, some other aspirant, as worthless and
unfit as be and little sharper, does And,