The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-01


do no better?
The End or the Session Mt Albany.
The close of the session of the State Legisla-
ture for 1873 demands of the impartial journal
list the setting of good against evil in its work.
ings 1t is always difficult to prognosticate
the success or failure of legislation as whole
but, unfortunately, for many past years, it
was easy to say that the vicious would far
outbalance the serviceable. Legislatures, in
which majority Of the members were abso-
lutely owned by clique of masters, to whom
continued corruption was the necessity of
their existence as power, can be judged
almost unerringly on abstract principles.
That the legislatures owned by Tweed and
his fellows found it impossible to avoid
doing good sporadically is only to admit
that criminals must at times pay that tribute
to common virtue which, according to Roche
foucauld, is the essence of hypocrisy. They
were the crumbs thrown to virtuous human
gudgeons, while the sharks of the 'sring" fed
and fattened upon the fotsam from the
wreck of the good ship Empire State.
When the ''reform" Legislature of last year
met the sharks were swimming in and out
through the ribs of the sunken ship still de-
vouring, and it was no easy task to raise the
vessel to the surface and set her before the
wind The thorough disgust of the people
when, at the close of the session of 1872, they
found the ship floating, it is true, but water
logged, was manifested at the time. With
If orr ata <.c,,
Legislature Of 1873 set to work, and the ere
formers" have bad it all their own way. They
have rergged the ship and bailed her out;
but it remains to be seen whether she can
sail well when the rough, straining weather
comes on
Not to criticise in too niggard spirit, we
may say that the republican majority in the
Legislature have worked with consistency to
themselves, if not with unalloyed benefit to the
people, They have taken care Of their own.
This if not patriotic is human, and fallibility
of this stamp is one of the lame apologies for
weak humanity. The charter they made for
New York city exhibited it's incompleteness,
its crudity, by the necessity they found to
amend it shortly after its passage. But the
result, in good government to the city, we can
only judge when the new state of things has
had time to get into working order. We are
assured from many points that there were
fewer s.jobs' attempted and still fewer put
through than ever but we call instinctively
for the salt box upon this statement being
made. The old leaven Of corruption will rise
for many day, and unless the people see to
it that their influence is continuous the lob
byist will again come down the river with
his spurious laurels upon his brow and
his pockets filled. We may say that we
do not like the term 'sreform Legislature 1t
is one of the signs that long growth of
venality has been rank enough to endanger the
life of the struggling grain of honesty We
wish no more of them. Let us have Legis-
ture meeting to perfect that already under
taken, to widen the path of possible progress
for civilization This alternate pulling down
in hurry and building in haste can never
produce monument of law worthy Of the re-
spect Of the intelligent
On one point our censure is strong and
hearty. We allude to the vulgarity, the lack
of dignity uand gentlemanly bearing which
characterized the closing hours of the session.
The reports of the scene convey to us pain
full sense of the degradation which can over
take body of citizens charged with the
highest duties by the community. The IN
seemiy conduct of those members Of the AS
sembly who, during the regular session, acted
like idiots we deplore and condemn. The
position of the Speaker of the Assembly threat
ening the arrest OF any member 'found blow
ing tin horn," is one that, for the sake OF de-
cency, we hope never to see recorded again as
happening outside of the Cannibal Islands.
Opening of the Public Baths.