New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-09
THE ASSEMBLY,
discussion.

Tho Assembly of the State of New-fork
ooDs;s+s of one hundred and twenty-elght
MANNERS. Each member represents, upon an
average. a constituency of thirty-fiyo thousand
Inhabitants and six or seven thousand voters.
constituency of that size ought to furnish
scores of men qualified to perform with honesty
and intelligence the duties of member of the
Assembly. Yet it is incredible to persons
who have not actual knowledge of the
facts with what little wisdom and what
great dishonesty the Empire State is gov
erned. In such Assemblies as we have had
of late years twO-thirds of the members make
a practice of selling their votes and half OF the
other third are the unconscious tools OF the
lobby. Indeed, we consider it exceedingly
doubtful if twenty men are sent to the AS
sembly who are not, by reason of knavery or
simplicity, unsafe representatives.
On the other hand there resort to Albany
every Winter from fifty to two hundred gentle
men, not members of the Legislature, but who
have the same knowledge of legislators and
the same faculty of manipulating them that
an experienced gambler has of cards. These
constitute the lobby. The knaves in the Legs
lature and the skilled talent" outside imme-
diately unite. The state of things then ID
that the unpurchasable members, including
the inexperienced and incapable are left in
helpless minority. They find their position
very uncomfortable one. They are as much
out of their element as a clergyman would be
at primary meeting in the Sixth Ward.
From the above facts we deduce a maxim
of wide and general application. He oho seeks
a denomination to the Assembly is to be looked
upon tcith suspicion he who asks for a third
election should be required 10 show that he
is honest and has rendered great services.
We know of very few Assembymen
who are thus qualified for third
term. We know of several who have sue
ceeded in obtaining it who would have done
| less injury to the community had they devoted
their undoubted talents to the professions OF
burglary, forgery, or stock gambling with other
peoples money We beg those of our
readers who live in districts where members
of either branch of the Legislature are candi-
dates for third term to scrutinize their
claims very closely. If it is not practicable
to do this the safest thing to do
is to vote for the opposing candidate.
To tell the truth, legislation at Albany is
swindling operation. Everything is taxed
which will bear tax. Anything can be
bought through, though of course it would be
money lost to pass bills which the Governor
would be sure to veto. Great corporations
such as railroads. gas companies, insurance
companies &c, are systematically black
mailed. Could these things happen II
majority of the Assembly con-
sisted of honest and intelligent men 7
Luckily for the last two years we
have had Senate containing bare majority
of honest men, and in spite of the inexperi-
ence and stupidity of several of that majority
the Senate has been powerful check on
corrupt legislation. The Governor has also
been instrumental in arresting the progress of
Jobs. But even the Governor cannot always
detect the schemes which are concealed under
very harmless looking phrases. Honest com
mittees are indispensable, but they cannot be
made without we have honest and capable
men to make them of.
If we were asked to specify some Of the
men who are unfit to go to Albany. we might
name nearly the whole of tho delegation from
this city. We shall save time by naming the
three men only out of the twenty-One who
were of any considerable service to the State
and city-Speaker Cornell, Joseph Blumen-
thai, and Charles Crazy. All the rest were
either Indifferent or absolutely bad. OF Kings
County we could hardly speak 80 we'll
The State could spare Mr. Hustled better
than Westchester, but Westminster could
perhaps do without him. ST. Lawrence,
we see, has rejected Mr.. Rose and again re-
nominated Mr.. Lynde 1t would be better If
the opposite course had been pursued. But
what better can we expect from the county
that inflicted on us a Gleason for so many
years 2 1t would be tedious to continue this
enumeration. Suffice it to say that we expect
but little from the Assembly Our hope is in
another honest Senate, and that we can hardly
fail to get if the men we have demonstrated
to be bad are kept at home