The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-24

have leagued themselves with several lead
ing banking houses and undertaken
to effect this stupendous financial opera
ton. In return for their disbursements
the French government has farmed out to them
tho annual revenue accrung from the tobacco
monopoly for the period Of thirty years. In
the present state Of affairs the opportunity OF
paying the war indemnity on terms not Alto,
gether ruinous, and the consequent riddEanc
of the hated conquerors, is god!send to
France for the occupation Of .ier territory
was not only q, grievOus burden and shame to
her people, but 4 sodrce Of constant
danger on Account Of the bitter feel
llnT which has already found vent
In the assassination of German soldiers,
and was apt to result In ruthless oscillations by
the dreaded conquerors.
Tue Doinss at the state Capital-A Lalf
After the Storm,
There was quiet day at the State capital
yesterday, after the storm that agitated the
Assembly on the previous evening. Tho
charter concocted by the seventy wise medi-
"y-S-.I-I Azs-=Tl s-s.-I- y. -jjTs sr-1
ctuo uleu VI tHo FAMOUS relOIu COAmtt1co an
introduced by Mr.. Moulton, of New York, the
notable feature of the proceeding being the
change Of leadership implied by the trans
fer of this duty from the hands Of Colonel
Rush G. Hawkins to those Of Mr..
Moulton. Colonel Hawkins has not been q
success thus far as practical legislator, aud
while his intentions are, no doubt, good
while, in fact, he may be more honest
reformer than many of those with whom he has
brought himself into antagonism-he lacks
every essential Of parliamentary leader.
The lawyers who are watching affairs in
Albany in the interest of the Committee Of
Seventy have advised the transfer that has
now been made, and henceforth the measures
of the Seventy will be fathered and engineered
by Mr. Moulton, in place of the deposed
Colonel.
But will this change of front be any practi.
cal advantage to the patriotic gentlemen who
have taken upon themselves the task Of re-
forming and remodelling our city governments
The vote Of the Assembly on Monday even
ing shows pretty conclusively that a majority
of the members of that House are opposed TO
the interests represented by Messrs. Moullon
and Hawkins, and that the Speaker himself Is in
a minority in the body over which he presldes.
There are unmista kable indications that tho
Senate is of a similar complexion, and hence
we do not anticipate the success of any of the
Seventys propositions. The charter they have
laid before the Legislature is openly pro-
nounced by members to be mass Of impracti-
cable absurdity, and their bill to insure greater
accountability on the part of public officers
has been anticipated by Judge Robertson, who
has already introduced such measure in the
Senate. We may therefore fairly conclude
that, in spite of the deposition Of Colo
mel Hawkins, whose original selection a.
their leader in the Assembly was blunder,
the propositions of the committee 10 regard to
the new city government will be ignored, il
not in the Committee of Cities, at least in the
final action on the floor Of the House. This
being the case, and the city departments
being now In the hands Of honest men, the
best thing the Seventy can do Is to dissolve
and leave the practical reconstruction OF
the government to the State Legisla-
ture. We have already had enough
of experimental legislation, and Of
irregular, irresponsible meddling with the
machinery of government. When fraud was
to be detected and punished volunteer COM
mittee to investigate the charges made against
public officers and to bring to bear upon
them the weight of popular opinion was
proper and beneficial. The people are
no doubt indebted to the Committee
Of Seventy for much useful work In
The JSipssrthlng e official Corruption
although they failed s s.sa;, :.s;:sh tho 70:
reference Of ths politicians. in bringing the
guilty PARTIES to justice. Their mission IL
now completed, and there is no further uss
for their services. Their charter work Is
before the Legislature, and nothing is Left
them but to retire gracefully and leave the
government machinery to run in Its legitimate
channels.
An interesting discussion took place before
the Judiciary Committee on the bill proposed
by Attorney General Barlow to repeal Che law
passed in 1870 by which the directors Of
railroad were protected against suspension
from their Office pending the trial Of charges
brought against them and until final Judgment
should be rendered. With judiciary in the
service of the road this exemption from sus-
pension insured q director against any
responsibility for his acts, as judg-
ment in suit brought against him
might be easily postponed bvond..
the time Of his term Of Office. There
ought to be no opposition to the repeal Of this.
law, which is the one measure secured by the
Erie lobbyist through corrupt means; but .
Attorney General Barlow complexities the
simple question Of repeal by proposing an
unusual and arbitrary provision Of law. by