New-York tribune., 1867-08-15


as Supervisors.
THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONVENTION
Mr. yEEDER Dem. Kings presented the memorial oi
citizens Of Kings County, asking for an equal nquor
liconso l1w throughout the State.
The PRESIDENT presented communication from the
State Enueer and Surveyor stating that no lands nave
been sold by the "Sacketts HarDor and sarat0ga hal
road Company" the Lake ontario sna c huTsUl ~ n
also states that the Adirondack Company IN DecenI,
1855. had constructed ana put IN p @ for isf!
twenty i've miles OF its rOadand hau hieu Iepo io '
l5S no. ar ] @ from the Secretary of the Commissioners Of
Taxes aaJ Assessment made to the constitutional On
YentiOn appears there are S7lS3o Worth oi PIoli!
exempted from taxation III New 1Ork Olly'
MT HADLEY Rep., seneca presented the report OF
the Committee on the Organization and Powers OF Coun
T6e Committee proceed to state that deemng Il un
wise 10 make changes in the fundamental law OF sae
,InIes nrience mas demonstrated the necessity OF such
Tbf ey have been unable to discover any demand
uecessv for any change In the organization OF te GOV
state which is not within the power Of the legislature TO
make and therefore do not recommend any anenHnent
OF tho existing Constitution IN relation 20 tHoso 10 %
The Committee proceed 10 state they deem IL prudent 10
impose some restraint upon the power OF counties towns
and villages to loan their credit TO corporations Ihey
also believe there demand for increasing the powers
of OF Supervisors III relation 70 INTERNAL affairs
their respective counties, ana they therefore Ieoo
ber snail be in each of the counties State
cept the County OF NewYork) elected IN such manner
and for such period as may & oe PS aTerciss
the mower To iegislate in relation TO local and
inernal affairs of their respective counties and towns
enbeCt however, 10 such rules as the Legislature may
prescrbend ii shall be the duty or the nrst
after the adoption Of this constitution, to prescribe suen
rules ann regulations by general law No county town,
village shall in any manner give any OF us properly OF
ton or corporation nor stOckholder IN any
organic Ion nor shall he guarantee any oDhsa'oh o any
5I2 HeP5EE si,rx I5yTSS FDTSEoF FSTRFRi G1RFR4r
Mr l. TOWNSEND rep, Rensselaer,, from the
Commtee on the Pardoning Power, reported an article
be vested IL the Governor as at present 49,.
The Committee reported IN favor OF ms sec
to the Executive The section recommended Is the bth
5ifers ouiv in details from the provisions on the
same subject in the Constitution adopted in 1922
the state modified as 1t is by our geographical
position. furnishes large number OF cases % OF
application for pardon annually Tor investigation anu &c
OOn aud necessarily imposes upon the oVeIhoT Oh the
State an labor truly formidable The Commit
least possible Of such vast amount OF labor some
think the establishing Of Council for purposes OF pardon
would only tend to increase hs laoors I1e committee
eOnyersed with number Of eX-GOyernOTs, and they
nearly all concurred in the views expressed EXGOV;
Seymour kindly attended at inc Sapltol ana ana
present system ana he stated that although the pos
session OF the pardoning power imposed great labor on
the yet from the nature Of our government
power could not safely be lodged in other hands nor
is responsibilities safely divided An examination OF the
statistics furnished shows that the number OF pardons
ga0ted during M the t st ~ years s S6c mole 3mbe 1
convictions in the Courts OF Record during the past
Of Psrdons from }as and penitentiaries was but
2l49 and the whole number from all places 294 or not
more than in Is Of the convictions The whole mum
Der of applications for parOns during the past IS IS
Bl5; that ii appears less than half OF the applicants
ak or seven Of those convicted in the Of Record
has applied for pardon and one in Is has been successful
jgPsqS s. IISDos, 3 4 i i FEng4 FFIS3lr
The following section accompanies the report Of the
Committee
The Governor shall have power TO grant repreyes,
communications, and pardons after conviction, for all
such condition with such restrictions he may think
proper subject 10 such regulations provided by
law Upon conviction for treason he shall have power 10
suspend the execution OF the sentence until the shall
be reported to the Legislature at It's next meeting when
that body may either pardon the sentence,
direct the execution Of the sentence, or grant further
Mr.. NORRIS Dem. Putnam) offered resolution.
which was referred that the COMMITTEE on the Power Of
ency Of providing laws permitting divorces for adultery
and cruel treatment abandonment for seven year, &c
A resolution by Mr. POND rep, Saratoga directing
that provision be made for paying members OF the Senate
whieserylug members Of court Of Impeachment was
BY Mr LANDON CRep. Schenectady, directing the
Committee TO strike out four years as the term Of sena
tors and insert two years. Laid over.
The Convention then went into Committee OF the Whole
upon the report Of the Standing Committee Town and
County Officers Mr.. Bel Rep JeffersOnj IN the char.
The CHAIR stated the question 70 De upon the amend
meDt OF Air Hadley REP Seneca, creating Board Of
supervisors in each county except the County OF New
York. ~ bc formed in such manner and 70 be vested with
such powers as the legislature shall from time 10 time
Nj ERAsTUs BROOKS Dem, Richmond) said that to
reenact the provisions Of the State Legislature with
spect u the powers Of supervisors TO invite such
corruption as already existed He had belief special
penal ena tments in this matter Unless the Convention
bestowed some confidence ana powers upon local Boards
OF Supervisors reform viii take place. This comforting
of power will tend TO take away the temptation from the
Legislature. They had been busy for the last month in
tearing pieces the reports the standing committees
and it time that they began to do something in
gard % the publication of our legislative bodies
Mr HADLEY Hep., Senecal proposed a substitute for
his previous amendment by which the Board Superv
sors shall have the power over local legislation for the
towns ard villages In their Jurisdiction, subject 20 such
provisions the Legislature may from time time enact
Mr. RUMSEY Rep steubenj offered an amendment bv
which The Legislature may increased local powers
70 the Boards Of Supervisors, and upon cause may
revoke such powers; fOrbldding the Legisla-
ture 70 exercise such powers at the same time Mr.
Rumsey Of those who did not believe IN trans
ferring corruption from the Legislature 10 the Boards
of Supervisors. He believed that there was not
much corruption IN the Legislature as there was in the
third house. This transfer an experiment and he
was unwilling 70 have 10 made without giving the Iepsa-
ture power to revoke IL if II did not work well
Mr.. CORBETT rep, OnOndaga) said the Committee
had thought compel the Legislature 10 leave
the jurisdiction local affairs 20 local officers II left
TO their optiou, they would never confer it.
Mr.. FOLCER Rep. OutaroJ said the object OF this
amendment twOfod, viz: 10 prevent too much
This question Of committing local legislation 10 Boards OF
supervisors had before the Legislature at every
session. 10 regarded OyerhrOwing our theory OF
government by committing legislation 70 a single body Of
men, without the checks OF second body and a veto
power Strictly speaking local legislation very cir
cumscrbed. For instance there were a score Of bills in
troduced az the Last 10 enable churches 10 sell
real estate al OF which might have been settled by gen
eral laws They In under exceptional clauses; but
should not thus have been admitted
Mr.. GREELEY (Hep., Wesfchester) rejOced that they
found themselves at last lace 70 face with the question
whether this Convention shall be reforming body
not What the eVll complained o. essentially IL IL
that local privileges asked Of body who have no in
terests 70 be affected by IT, For instance comes
mere win OIL fOr morse railroad His agents say here
arc 500 apiece; those members have particular IN.
terest at stake, and they VIII readily vote for it, the
bill passes through because there local interest TO
prevent It, Now, this could not happen in a body,
ma nov ecruP ~ WAS thTI was elected by the Peo
Dy the people whose interests were directly concerned