New-York tribune., 1873-05-20
THE NEW CONSTITUTION.

The Assembly Is apparently resolved to
adionrn without taking action upon the pro-
nosed constitutional amendments; and as it is
very well known that Gov Dix does not pur-
nose calling an extra session to consider them,
failure to take them up Immediately Will
postpone for at least another year reform
mon the necessity Of which all parties are
pretty well agreed. The amendments must Do
accented by two Legislatures and then SUD-
mitted to q vote of the people, so that even
If they should pass the Assembly this week
(they have already passed the Senate) they
could not take effect before January,
1875 We have already reviewed them
at considerable length, and have SHOWN
that they make some admirable notifications
of the organic law Of the State, and touch
some of the abuses and impertectlohs oI our
present system which are matters OF universal
complaint. Important PROVISIONS are maze lol
the purity of legislation and the punishment
of bribery. A blow is struck at some OF the
commonest forms of legislative fraud py au-
thorizng the Governor to veto separate items
of an appropriation BILL The composition OIL
the executive branch of the Government Is
greatly changed for the better, their general
tendency being to simplify the administrator
of public affairs, and concentrate respohslon-
ity. The greatest evil of our political systeh'
however, and the source of most OF the cor
ruption in public life, is special legislation
and this the proposed amendments are de-
signed not indeed to prohibit but to curtall'
We should have been better satisfied II the
authority to pass special acts had been alto
gether taken away; but O long strlde Will
have been made in advance when the charter
ing of all railroads and the governing OF all
cities are required to be done under general
laws, and the granting of exclusive privileges
to private persons or corporations Is rendered
impossible. These things the new amend
ments propose to do, and we need hardly say
that such a reform would be the seyerest
possible blow to the corrupt lobby.
The article in relation to the government oil
cities derives especial Importance from the
history and condition of our own new cnar-
fer. That instrument exhausted almost an en-
tire session of the Legislature, and about once
a day some Tremendous blunder is discovered
in it. In the course of another year it Is not
improbable that the people will clamOr for
new one, If the constitutional amendments
arc to give US one uniform and well consld-
cred scheme of municipal administration, 1t is
of course important that we should know 1t
at once, before we are plunged into fresh dis
putes and trickery over this fertile theme OF
mischief.
The Legislature has not so good record
that it can afford to neglect any opportunity
for useful work during the few days which re-
main of the session. Nor can we imagine any
reasonable excuse for refusing to act upon
this very important matter. No debate is
called for; indeed no very close attention to
the amendments is necessary; for their accept
ance now will not be final it will only be
equivalent to referring them for further con-
sideratiOn to the next Legislature, where they
can be discussed at leisure and amended as
far as there may be need.