Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-26
Legislation without a Legislature.

Legislation without n Legislature.
1t was very curious fact that nobody seemed
to know how the obnoxious provisions in the
bill passed by the New York legislature to amend
the code of procedure got into the bill, and that
members of the Legislature, as well as reporters
of its proceedings, were ignorant that any such
atrocious bill had been enacted. Mr.. Murphy,
the chairman of the judiciary committee, ex-
plains that these Objectionable features were not
in the bill as it was reported by his committee.
Members of the committee Of conference, which
afterward had the handling of it, deny that any
such changes were made there. AS was natural,
there has been much inquiry how these amend
ments were Struggled into the bill, and how it
was Struggled through the forms of legislation
without knowledge of its contents by any of the
members, except possibly few who were in the
secret. 1t now appears that the bill, as it came
to the hands of the governor, never did go
through the forms of legislation. 1t seems to
be conclusively proved that, after it had passed
through the final stages, it was manipulated and
amended by the help of mucilage and ingenuity,
until, from an innocent and perhaps salutary
measure, making some inconsiderable changes
in the formal proceedings of the courts, it be-
came an engine of corruption and intimidation
of SO gross character that even a Tammany
politician would not have the courage to propose
it openly to the legislature.
The history of this fraudulent legislation
ascertained by comparing the statements of
several independent and well informed witness
es, is given in the Albany Evening Journal.
The bill, as it originally passed the senate, was
short and of ne particular importance. 1t went
to the house and returned with amendments.
Mr.. Tweed Immediately moved that the senate
concur. Another senator was then examining
the bill, and as he took it to his seat, Mr..
Tweed's clerk was heard to say that Mr.. Tweed
would give two hundred dollars if that senator
could be got ont of the chamber for a little
while. In a moment the senator was told that
a gentleman wished to see him in the ante
room. He left the senate chamber, and during
his absence it was moved that the senate non
concur and appoint committee of con-
ference, and this motion was adopted. In the
committee of conference seven or eight only of
the sections which the bill now contains were
adopted and reported; one OF two of the others
were unanimously rejected by the committee,
and the remainder of the twenty-five were
neither proposed, considered nor adopted. The
report was made TO both houses on the last day
of the session, was read precisely as it was
adopted by the committee of conference, and
passed. Several senators say they watched it
very carefully, and know that it then contained
none OF the obnoxious provisions. Immediately
after its passage, Mr.. Tweed took the bill aud
left the chamber. What he did with it can be
guessed, but cannot at present be proved. The
next that is known of it is its appearance before
the governor, with seventeen new sections, con-
tanning all the provisions which have excited
the indignation of the bar and the public
throughout the state.
This case is curious illustration of the DOS
sibilities of Tammany law-making. It's not
the first instance of the kind, although it is not
known that an attempt on so audacious scale
has been made before Tammany adapts its
measures to the exigencies of the case. WheI
it wants to pass a bill like that repeating the
registry law, which cannot escape attention and
strenuous opposition, it invests the necessary
amount of money in one or more Winanses and
boldly pushes its projects through the
ordinary legislative routine. But when
it can divert attention from its pur-
pose, it has ways of dispensing with the
Troublesome details of legitimate legislation and
the cost Of purchasing the needed number of
votes. II then chooses the easier and cheaper
method OF quietly adding, by tri6ing expendi-
ture OIL lnh and adhesive material, whatever sec
mons IT wants, to any bill which has already
passed through the usual forms. 1t is said to
be still uncertain whether Gov. Hoffman will
sign the bill, but the character of the measure
itself, even if there were no charge of fraud in
its passage, ought to make it quite certain thai
it could not have his signature.