The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-06

The Legislature ind tho Erie Riug-Let
the People Know Who Are tho Corrup-
tionists.
The bill to repeal the Erie Classification
act and to provide for new election of direc-
tors of the Erie Railroad, in July Hext, under
such regulations as will secure fair vote Of
the bona tide stockholders and an honest
canvass, Ia before the Judiciary Com
Committee of the Assembly. The for
mer is composed of Senator James Wood,
William B. Woodin and L. L. Lewis, repub-
lcans, and Senators Henry G. Murphy and
Jacob Hardenburgh, democrats; the latter, Of
Assemblymen White, Smyth, Whitbeck, Lewis,
Burns, Greenhalgh and G. W. L. Smith.
republicans, and Assemblymen A. Hill and
Chambers, democrats. The Erie Ring and
lobby have hitherto been working upon these
committees, rather than upon the whole
Legislature, for the reasons that it is
| easier and cheaper to buy dozen
votes than hundred, and that
favorable report from a committee is sup
posed to be more than half the battle. The
game has been to hold back the bill in the
Senate Committee, and to suffer the Assembly
Committee to report a substitute for the
O'Brien bill, based upon the Hustled stratagem
of simple repeal of the Classification act,
with few sham provisions sounding like re-
form, but in reality framed in the interest of
the Erie Ring directors.
| 1t is evident that the lobby have secured
at least one of these committees. James
Wood, the chairman of the Senate Ju-
dietary Committee, holds the O'Brien
bill in his hands and refuses to
| report it to the Senate. We invite the
attention of the Committee of Seventy, of
President Grant, who Is doing his best at
Washington to secure civil service reform, Of
Senator Conkling and of Surveyor Cornell, the
chairman of the Republican State Central
Committee, to the spectacle that is here pre-
sented to the view Of the honest reformers of
the State of New York. Senator James Wood,
who is recognized as representative ad-
| ministration, Custom House republican, has
been charged with having heretofore received
brides for his votes in the State Senate, and
his conduct has been under Investigation by
a committee of that body, of which Senator
Ames is chairman. The investigation
has now been closed for some time, and
although the report of the committee is unac-
countably held back by Senator Ames, enough
is known to render it certain that Senator
James Wood, while holding seat in the State
Senate, placed himself under heavy pecuniary
obligations to two of the Erie Railroad direc-
tors-Gould and Tweed. And this is the
Senator who now sits at the head
of the Judiciary Committee of the Sem
ate and smothers the bill that seeks
to destroy the evil power of the Erie Ring, to
which he has made himself debtor. There
is nothing more disgraceful than this in the
history of the Tammany frauds. When the
dividends on the fraudulent vouchers against
the city Of New York were traced to
Tweeds banking account he pleaded that
they were simply payments of borrowed
money-advances made by him to the city con-
tractors. But be ceased to exercise his former
powers and soon retired from the position
be held under the municipal government.
When the money of the Erie Ring was traced
to the banking account of Senator James
Wood he pleaded that he had only borrowed
the amounts from the Ring directors. But
Senator James Wood continues to disgrace
the head of the Judiciary Committee of the
State Senate and aids in doing the work Of
the Erie Ring to defeat measure Of justice
and reform.
The members of both the Senate and As
sembly committees before whom the Erie bills
have been considered may be certain that the
smothering of those measures, or their mutt
lation in the service of the Erie lobby, will be
disgrace and ruin to the men who are impli-
Gated in the act. There are some honest men,
no doubt, in both bodies, and we call upon
them to clear themselves of the suspicion
of being in the pay of the Erie
lobby by explaining on the floor of
the Legislature, on question Of privilege,
their positions in the committees. Especially
we advise Senator O'Brien to insist upon the
motion he is said to be prepared to
make, compelling report from the Judiciary
Committee on his bill. Let him put such o
resolution to the test of the yeas and nays
and we shall know the Senators who have the
money of the Erie lobby already in their
| pockets or secured to them in the future
| There should be no further delay in
| the matter. The trick of the Ring
is to force through the Assembly
bill in their own interest, and to send it to
the Senate before any action is taken in the
upper house on the O'Brien bill. This strata
gem can he defeated by such action as we now
recommend to Senator O'Brien. Enough time
has been lost, and every days procrastina.
ton is in the direct interest of the Erie Ring.
Let the Senate be brought to vote at once, SO
that we can see where its members stand, and
| aa-aa;au.. xrLa4La. conntor lamar Wood Mill