New-York tribune., 1867-04-27

other taxpayers II their bill was not right in
every provision, it was the duty OF the proper
Committee to make it right and then report u.
Mr. Wilkes is Secretary OF the Company, ana
he took the proposed charter to Albany ana
had il duly introduced and referred. Tbcrc ne
stopped, ~ le should have done. The Commit
tee to whom the bill was referred had rght
to c.lil on him for any explanation they mght
need but they sought none, and he KEPT E.s
Distance, as he should have done.
Bnt certain dicnilaIies OF the Third House.
the self elected patrons and promoters (or otb-
erwise) of lcgislation-yery carly favored nm
with visits and with unsolicited counsel ThW
were willing TO facilitate tlc passage OF piS C'i
for q consideration. SO much OF tAe Coip
pany's stock they required to he made over 10
them, under penalty Of the bills failure. lie
made the required stipulation. 1t was clear
case of "Stand and deliverp and he stooa ana
delivered. Having easily won so much they
struck for more, and he again came dowh.
They told him that the bill would not be re-
ported till they gave the word anu, by most
astounding coincidence, IL wcS MT. Finally
when the session was verging to its close, they
demanded an additional bonus of $4,000 In
cash, assuring him that his bill could not pass
unless il was paid.
Mr.. Wilkes's patience was at length exhaust
ed. Hardly ten days of the session remained ::
he had bled like an OK; his bill was not even
reported in one House and the Lobby, having
digested 100000 of his stock was ravenous
for an additional $4,000 in cash. SO he tele-
graphed to friend at Trenton, sent him
copy of the BILL barely substituting the word
"New jersey for "New York." and his bill
was soon going through the jersey Legislature
The Albany jobbers were thunderstrnck
They supposed they had "a sure thing" az
well as "big thing:' they meant TO pass the
bill: but not till they had squeezed the last
possible cent out of its corpora.Ors. They now
telegraphed Wilkes asking if he would have
his bill passed, and he responded-No; he was
going to organize under New-Jersey charter.
In defiance of this interdict, the bill was forth
with reported and put on its passage; passed
through the House; sent p0st-haste to the
Senate; referred, reported, and passed there
also; 30 that a measure which had not made
an inch of progress in ninety days, until news
came that it was not wanted, was now put
through both Committees and both Houses
within the short space of twenty-four hours!
is there one person on earth who can read
in words of three syllables who does not know
that Legislature and bobby were completely IN
"cahootp in this dirty business THAT the
legislators took their cue from the Lobby,
and were moved by il as a puppet is moved by
a wirc-worker behind the sceDcsf Can any
one doubt that the law makers who thus kept
back nm important measure for ninety days,
till It's passage was no longer desired, and then
passed it with indecent haste, had q clear un-
derstanding with the outside jObbers as to how
their plundcr was To be dvidedf Is there the
shadow of n possibility that they thus Drostl-
tuted their high trust solely for others benefit
and with no eye to their own profit o no!
There is plenty of facts but imperfectly re-
yealed which show this TO be no isolated case
that nearly or quite every bill that came be-
fore our late Legislature which was supposed
10 have "money in it"-that is, which some per-
son or persons could afford to pay money rather
than have defeated-was dealt with as this
was. Hence, the passage of several Horse Rail
roads for this City, where more such would be
a nuisance To all but their stockholders, and
the defeat of every bill for an Under
ground Railroad out OF the City. where
of the convenience to the public would
he vast. but the profit to the stock
holders doubtful, so that they could not afford
to pay dimes where the Horse Railroad men
could richly afford TO give dollars. Hence the
defeat of the Board of Public Works, the
Market Commission, Piers and Wharves bill,
and every other measure calculated to probe
the fearful abuse and rottcnness of our Munich
pal system. Each of these bills would have
passed. but for the fact that those who profit
by abuses can pay far more to uphold and per-
petuate than Others will pay to eradicate them.
Hence, in part, the urgent need of Constitu-
tional Convention. ..r ....,...