Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-05-03
Corruption of the n. Y. Legislature

The charges of bribery and corruption
brought against the last n. Y. Legislature
have been so definite and numerous, as to
excite general attention through lut the
country. Mr.. Thurlow Weed, who proba-
bly, knows what corruption is "a well as any
body. says "the traffic IN votes during the last
and present session was az open as the traffic
IN the cattle market" The y. Y. Tribune
has published the most direct ami unmIstak-
able charges of bribery and corruption, nam
Ins the guilty parties, stating the measures
in which they were bribed and the sums Of
money paid. The n. \. Times says - we
assert that, whenever bills are brought for
ward involving money-bills which it is for
the Peclmidry interest Of indiriduals or cor
pOrafi0Hs 10 haze passed, there are scores Of
members m 10th houses iThO directly or mdir-
ecfly demand money as the price Of thar rsfes
for those bills. They viii vote for them if
paid for tLem-they will vote against them,
if not HarPer'S Weekly says " tnc air
is thick with this talk OF yenality in the Le
gielature, and it is expected the COnrtitu
tioDal Convention will supply some It nedy.
Nobody. probably. will deny that the most
outrageous jobs are constantly presented IN
the form of bills, and that they are passed
or defeated only by the most enormous ox-
penditure of money. These are undoniable
facts"
Mr. George Wilkes, in his paper, the
Spiru Of the Times, relates how company,
of which he is the Secretary, owning large
tract Of land in Lower California, desired
charter from the y Y. Legislature; how the
Albany jobbers demanded 100000 IN stock
Of the company, to divide round, and told
him the bill couldn't pass TIL they gave the
word; he found it couldn't and promised
them the stock Finally, when the session
was yerging to its close. they demanded an
additional bonus Of IS 900 IN cash. assuring
him that his bill could not PASS unless It
was pau At lbtu Outn4ttSA bAth y S~A-
denly securing a charter in the same words
from the Legislature of New jersey, when
the n. Y. Legislature at once took up the
bill and pushed it through both houses
passing IN a few hours, under the tear that
their plumber would slip through their fin
gers, measure which for ninety days prev |
ious had not, with all efforts. made an inch |
Of Roadway.
Such state of things in the Legislature |
Of the great State Of New York, is an alarm
ing sign of the laxity of official morals, which |
is becoming so widespread as to be well nigh |
national. Honest men everywhere must |
hold up such practices for reprobatiOn
must use every means to stimulate the pub |
lIc conscience must encourage good men to
h,ld Office and select all public servants with
more scrupulous care; must boldly expose
and relenilessly follow up every known ease
OF such corruption, or we shall indeed as
people make good the terrible picture de-
picted by the GALAXY, which in some recent
comments on the n. Y. Custom House case
said. =. The public service is demoralized
and degraded year by year. There is no in
ducement, not even that Of security, to the
performance of duty. The temptation is all .
towards dishonesty. - Make hay while the
sun shines =. Let US eat aud drink for to-
we die, these are the maxlms OF Of
fee holders. At our present rate OF descent
along the broad road to destruction, it will
not be long before We reach the point, at
which the most important Offices will be held
by men who will regard an official charge of
venality and corruption as only " one of the
ordinary inconveniences Of Office" Then
we shall descend no lower, because We have
got To the bottom :"