New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-07-11

| A Gard. a3
| To tie Editor " The N. " Tyi1rns
SIR: In your semi-weekly issoe Of Jmea
Hnd an article under the caption Of This Late Legb
ature" in which you comment upon tho vote> Of Uns
members Of Assembly upon the Paid Fire Depsrtmes
bill and the Health bin. As my name appears aNous
the delinquents in several instances permit me to &c
rect some misapprshensions which the article In qus,
ton Is calculated to produce as 70 myself ~.
was in favor Of the Fire BILL and lost no opporanit
to aid in securing its passage 1 do not now renes
Der why my name Is not upon the journal upon the vo
to put this bill forward, but presume was engsgedb
committee, as our committee (engrossed bills) W
somewhat crowded with business at that time. Bal
voted for the bill upon its final passage cannot
seems to me- be suspected Of any hostility to II. Ivu
not aware, nor do believe. as your article inmat~
that the bill was in danger Of defeat at any time.
! You next mention the Health bill. When the vcA
WIS taken upon this BILL was necessarily absent
nv home in Ontario County-so reported at tie tim
by the excellent reporter for The ErenisS Journal,
sbouId have voted for the bill had been able TO h
present when the vote was taken.
should not have noticed your article had voa me-
toned the faot-wen known and reported .ins-
of the necessary absence " myself and efhs AndAl
or corrupt motives. You say: rs kopsl
that the absenees would be present Oh the laird r
ing and secure its passage But Mr.. Boole with Y
active lobby went efficiently TO work TO prevent At
result" You close your article by giving the namesd
those Union members who voted with the Democrat
and add, "Messrs. Cole, Close, Edgerton, Houh
Lefever, Lewis, Mccall. Rankin. Sherman Z. 8. smiA
Squires Tillinghast and Toplif aided the Democrsy
ch.op naoirl feoh
ing to vote. Nearly all Of them were known to bsh
Albany at the time" wish to say right here thati
have no acquaintance with your man Booie-nev9
spoke with him or had any communication wrh hiA
orally or otherwise or with the active lobby
complain of the article in question for thus indicn
inate,y mixing up the names Of those who were uus
vodaby detained from their seats by sickness or cth3
cause with those who might have been present ssA
voted and than insiuuaing that they were nsse
tiating with Mr. Boole thus refrain from voting.
You say, "nearly all were known TO be In Albarya
the time" Why not tell your readers who were tAcs
present in Albany. and who absent The facts wss
reported at the time. Why do you not tell your resdn
that Mr.. TopF excused at that time on acooun!
sickness and that Mr.. Sherman dangerously il 1t
his roomss Or does it better compor with your no.
tions Of fairness to suppress the facts relating to No
be in Albany at tle timer " EDGERIos
Orleans July s. 1906.
1--WE print the above card Of Mr.. Edgerton, and
from what we know Of his character are disposed to
give full faith TO his for his own absence.
lie would, however, have done better, in our opin'
ion, had he confined himself TO his own case and
not endeayored to explain the absence of other de.
linquents. o..
But we are bound to say in addition that Mr.. Ed
gerton's line of defense indicates very loose no.
tons ON his part as to the responsibility OF aegis
lstor. Absence Of member from his seat il
wrong to the public whom he has contracted to
serve and if injury results to that public by reason
OF such absence, in the instance under consider
ation nothing but the clearest excuse will answer.
The Fire Bill and the Health Bin each required
IS votes TO pass them, and the most desperate ef.
forts were made by the parties interested In op?os-
ing those measures Of reform both TO secure votes
against them and to secure the absence of members
who would feel constrained TO vote for them II
present One such absentee was as good for their
purpose as q vote against the bill.
The crowd of inercenary members Of the last
Legislature were in the constant habit of alleging
private business" as an excuse for their absence
during critical votes and it seems TO us that men,
Der who desires 10 stand well with the public 10
bound TO do something more than offer this hack.
neyed excuse.
But Mr.. Edgerton in no way impeaches the &C.
curacy Of our statement that the absentees named
whether Intentionally or not--aided the Demo-
Gratis IN the case mentioned as effectualy as those
voting directly with them. Ed.