New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-04-03
THE NEED OF A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVEA-
TON.
LEGISLATIVE CORRUPTION.

LEGISLATIVE CORRUPTION
FRO" =" o''"OnA' ALBANY, March 2s 1867.
Ga LONG q time Inns elapsed since my last writ
fen that hardly know where | left off. Perhaps
that is not material however. 1t must always be Ill
order to EXPOSE official venality and dishonesty ana
whether chronological orderis observed or not III u-
covering the rascaty perpetrated in and around the
Capitol. cannot be of much consequence.
In speal,ing of the low tone of the public morals
the disst and suspicion that attaches to the depart
mepts in the State Hail. and the fragrant corrupions
in the Capitol the immunity enjoyed by the law
breakers of the Lobby might well have been men
toned There is a degree of laxty in the al
ministration Of the laws-crime notorous-ahd
pcisstenly repeated. goes unpunished. ana reploach
is thus brought upon the Judiciary as well as the
other departments of Government. This criminal
remissness is generally chargeable to the prosecuting
officers. rather than the judges or iures who hear
the evidence aud determine what is the punishment
deserved But there are cases in which the Judges
must be accessory to the public wrong com
mitted Three instances of this kind occur
to me now, more especially a. the parties
are seen every day in the halls oil
legislation, and in consultation with members OF
both branches of the Legislature. Fred. Littlelom
Hugh Hastings and Matt. Bemis were sevcrally IN
dicted some years ago i'll Albany, Ulster, and Rens
sclaer CounteS-a for the same oiicnse bI1blns ana
corrnpting members of the Legislature III violation
of the law of the State. No one familiar with the pIac
tees of the persons who are constantly employed TO
promote and Obstruct legislation doubted that proper
vigilance and energy would have secured their con-
viction but never brought to trial and every
Winter sees them pursuing the same career without
hinderance or molestation That theyare so employed
and that money is constantly paid by them TO mem
bers of the Legislature for corrupt purposes Is Just
as well known as that they take pay on both sides,
and pocket large part of the sums intrusted to
their custody
You say YOU are well assured that the Central
Directors stand absolutely free froma alliances, and
will make common cause with no other measure
That such is the desire and intention of those gentle
mcn have no doubt whatever; and am just as GER
tain that the fate Of the Central bill depends upon
the Surface Broadway, and that neither can he
passed independently of the other. And ] will tell
you why: All the more conspicuous members of
the Lobby-HastingS. Van Vechtcn, Barber. Jones'
TO say nothing of Littleohn, Jake Sharp, Beinis,
Richardson and others equally we-knOwn here, are
employed and paid by the Central people to ad
in the passage of the fare bill They are engaged as
middle-nen whose business it is to procure votes by
means of money by the prOifcr Of contingent IN
tcrest in the scheme they support. Most OF these
people have a direct interest in the Broadway Sur
face bill, and in lobbying therefor they blend the
two projects together, and no mconsderable portion
of the large paid and to he paid by the Central
Directors will be expended IN aiding Broadway. All
this is well understood, and if Mr. Keep and his as
socates do not know it, they mOnOpoze all the ~
norance there is extapt on the subject
During all the many years that have been accus-
toned 10 observe the character of legislators and the
proceedings of the body, have never seen anything
to compare with the present assemblages OF repre-
sentatives in point of shamclessncss, rapacity and
rccklessncss of consequences. Their predecessors
have often been noted for venality and greedlness;
but these people sell their votes openly hagge about
the price without pretense of concealment and then
boast of what they have been paid and all with the
knowledge that they are within reach OF the cllml-
nal statute and that feOns cell would be thelr late
If the law should he enforced against them
That the Central is fairly entitled to the relief pro-
vided in this bill have doubt whatever. There
are several arguments in support of this proposition
none of which have heard stated that are wholly
unanswerablc II is trfling and nonsense 10 pretend
that the low rate of fare prescribed in the COnsoida
ton act was in the nature OF contract and that by
accepting it the Company precuded itself from ask
ing for a modification Of that restriction. Bnt
if this were so, the application of the Central
is well founded, for the reason that the Suspen
sion of Specie Payments has so reduced the value OF
what call money. But the rate OF laIc - really
about 40 per cent less than the consolidation act i'll
tended it should be- The fact is, two cents mile
was known at the time TO be less than a fair price
for carrying passengers; but consolidation was n
matter of necessity and the several corporations
now composing the Central could not have com
peted with the Erie and Pennsylvania Central under
the control of seven different and Independent
Boards of Directors. They were compelled to take
the best terms they could ge but, neither expressly
or by implication, did they engage to acquiesce III an
invidious and unjust discrimination, to which no
other road in the State subjected.
The opposition to the Central bill proceeds now, as
il has heretofore done, mainly from residents along
the road Naturally enough they are disinclined to
an increase of fare, but most of them lose sight Of
their true interest in making such opposition If the
restriction on way fare removed as 1t ought TO
be- and the Central had the privileges enjoyed by the
Erie shippers on the line would get considerable
reduction in the price of freight And inasmuch as
most of the farmers in the country through which 1t
runs pay ten times much for freight as they do for
travelling in the course of the year. it is obvious that
reduction in the price of freights is vastly more
important to them than low fares.
But this is not point that intended to illustrate
Ny object is to reveal of the corruptions that
have been practiced and now exist in the Capital
and to invoke the popular Indignation thereupon. If
the Convention cannot correct this great abuse we
shall be constrained TO resort TO q committee oil
vigilance.