The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-09

their respective positions in the war now being
waged against the administration. Schurz paid
his compliments to one of our c0ntempo-
raries, which he designated as the metro
politan organ of the administration" and
whose statements in regard to himself consti-
tuted, he said, one of the most remarkable
cases of cumulative, intrepid and shameless
lying that ever disgraced American journal
ism. That will do, Master Karl.
The Legislative Cemmistees-The Middle In
tho Senate and the Prospect In the As
sembiy.
The groundwork of legislation is laid in the
standing committees of the two houses. 1t Is
at all times important that these committees
should be composed of competent and incor-
ruptible men. 1t is especially so in the pre-
sent session, since, while the republican party
has more than two-third majority in both
branches of the Legislature, it is very ques-
tionable whether the honest reform party has
working majority in either. The measures
introduced in either House are sent to the
standing committees to be considered and per-
fected, and the common and easiest method
known to the lobby to dispose of Objectionable
bills is to get them ''smothered" in committee.
Unless there should be two-third majority
honestly disposed to keep the committees up
to their duty, to reverse their decisions or to
force bills out of their possession, the
business of the House Is virtually at their
mercy. Experienced lobbyists always work
with the standing committees, and hence
the desperate struggle invariably made by
jobbing members to obtain prominent posi-
tions thereon. It is easier to buy seven or
nine members, or majority Of them, than to
purchase eighty or ninety, and hence the
''killing" department Of the protested lob
byists' business is transacted in the standing
committees. Time and again those conversant
with Albany business have seen bill, favored
perhaps by majority Of members, but objec-
tionable to the ''Rings," boldly smothered in
the committee room, despite all the efforts Of
it's friends to rescue it and to bring it in any
shape before the House. A chairman of
standing committee who has been ''seen" will
not unfrequently put bill into his pocket and
keep it there in defiance even of his associates.
Independent of their power to suppress and
delay the bills that are referred to them, the
committees have the shaping Of all measures,
aud can so mutilate them or so entirely reverse
their original object that their own friends
would not recognize them when reported back
to the House. The reprehensible practice of
reading bill the second time by its title only,
prior to its reference to its appropriate COM
mittee, keeps the bulk of the members 10 igno-
rance of its provisions until it comes back
with the committees report, hence 1t is gen.
orally unknown to the body of the House
whether the measure has been treated In
friendly or unfriendly manner.
This session the bills introduced will be
principally of a reformatory character, if the
Legislature should prove true to the principle
upon which it was chosen, and, as q natural
consequence, the "smothering" process will
be the one to which the attention of the lobby
lists and their adherents will be mainly
directed. No great schemes Of plumber will
probably be originated, other than the New
York city railroad jobs and similar local
speculations. Tammany will not be carousing
in the Delavan House parlors and buying up
publicanrepresentatives as cattle at so mach
per head to vote for laws increasing their
facilities of plundering the people. The Erie
Railroad "Ring" will not be carting up money
to the State Capitol to bride the Legislature
to legalize their illegal acts and to grant them
perpetual lease of power. The New York
Central Railroad will not have any little local
bill in regard to way fare to push through by the
influence of national bank currency, and such
canal patriots as Dennison, Belden, johnson
and the Lords will have no solid arguments to
advance in favor of some new contract scheme.
All that these worthless will ask-Tam-
many, railroads and canals-will be to be
let alone. Do nothing to break up their
existing little profitable arraugem snts, and
they will be heartily content. Their money
will be paid out this year to block legislation,
not to promote it, and they have already COM
menced their labors. They will work most
vigorously with the standing committees, and
it was In pursuance Of this policy that they
struggled so violently for Alvord's success and
mourned so bitterly over his defeat. 1t Is to
this end that they have been laborlng, 'drst
with the Senate, to induce the republican
Senators to name their own committeeman,
and afterwards with Senator Woodin to con-
vince him of the merits Of their candidates for
the most important committees of that body.
Our Albany correspondence has shown how
well they have succeeded, at least as far as the
| Committee on Railroads Is concerned. The
simple statement Of thespursuits of the MEM
bers composing that committee is sufficient to
show that it is one not t to be made at this time.
It is notorious that the people demand a
thorough reform 10 railroad management in
| this State This was no doubt one of the
/ a;.oI ;raantiuoa Of tho noliUcal raY0lutiQn