New-York tribune., 1872-04-03
A REFORM LEGISLATURE.


Tho Ieos,oture which was elected in the
h;oht of the Reform movement has now been
three months in session. 1t began with pro-
fessiOns of more than ordinary VIRTUE IL was
TO sweep away all abuses, stop all e1traVa-
gance, punish all thieves, and abolish bribery
40 far as human efforts could accomplish those
results. On the very first day of assembling,
bills were introduced to destroy certain OF tho
worst scandals of the old system, and credu-
Ions citizens believed that the Golden Age
was to come again in New-YOrk before the
end of the week. It seems to be time now TO
look back at what has been done. The Erie
Classification Act was the first measure at-
tackled, and it ought to have been one OF tho
easiest TO destroy. Yet it held out until the
Erie Ring had been broken up by the scheme
of Gen. Sickles, and there was no further
use for the Act, and the repeal was carried
at last only when opposition was Withdrawn
through causes with which the Legislature had
nothing whatever to do. There is good reason
to fear that if Jay Gould had remained in
power our Reform Legislature would not have
meddled with the matter at all, or at best
would have given the wrOnged stockholders
| scanty measure of half justice. The charter
| has been patched, and cut, and amended, with
out intelligent purpose, and after ninety days
still hangs imperfect between the two Houses
because there has been no earnest and patri-
otic resolve to give this city an efficient and an
honest government. Nothing has been done
| to relieve us of unworthy executive officers
Mr.. Hall still fills the Mayors chair. and If
| Tweed, Connolly. and Swceny, and Terwilliger
arc not still In place it is because the press
has driven them to resign. In word, the
abundant promise Of last November has been
followed by wrctched and beggary per-
fOrmance.
And the Legislature has done nothing either
to purify itself. 1t retains as Chairman Of
| tho Judiciary Committee o Senator who is
proved by q formal investigation to have
been bribed by Jay Gould and William NJ.
| Tweed 1t retains him in defiance Of the re-
port of the Committee appointed to inquire
into his case, and in defiance of the general
sentiment of the people. A resolution for his
expulsion has been offered, but the Senate de-
fers action, and the impression is almost uni
versal at Albany that the resolution will
either be postponed until the end of the ses-
sion. or, if vote must be taken, that it will
be defeated. Has Senator Wood done no
worse than his brother Senators that they are
afraid to turn him QUIT Are there Others
whose unsecured and unpaid loans from Tam
many and Eric must be exposed if this man
is to be made scapegoati Then the IVth
Senate District of this city has been unrepre-
sented at Albany all Winter, because
the man who was chosen by the
voters of that district was q scamp,
who cannot show his face at the Capitol, and
the Senate lacks virtue to declare him unseated
and let better man come in his place. 1t
may be said that the voters Of the IVth Dis
trict, who returned William M. Tweed after
his frauds had been exposed, are not entitled
to our commiseration, especially as Tweed
serves them and serves the public much more
effectually by staying at home than he ever
did by going to Albany but the honor of the
State, the credit of the Legislature. surely
ought to count for something; and Tweed's
vacant chair in the chamber, Tweed's name on
the roll of members, should fill the Legisla-
ture with o sense of shame.
There are some days left. Will the Reform
Legislature 60 to work in earnest and save
its reputation