The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-17
TIE STATE CAPITAL.
The Constitutional Amendments
Ordered to a Third Read
ing in the Assembly.
What a Clerks Error
Did tor Them.
THE BROOKLYN CHARTER
Adjournment Of Both Houses
Over to Monday.

Over to Monday.
ALBANY, Jan. lo. 1874.
The adjournment Of the Legislature to day over
- Monday next was generally expected and
although, no doubt many people win be ready TO
Scnounce 1t as q bad beginning for a short session.
n cannot be justly looked upon in any other light
than that Of absolute necessity. The large vote by
which It was carried. too, only goes 10 show
that even many OF the members from ''the agri-
cultural districts,n as President Grant would say
we're OF the opinion that an adjournment Just now
WAS not crime at which all ref0rmers should
stand aghast The fact ID that during the last few
days discussion OF the constitutional amendments
has taken up the greater portion OF the time OF
both Senate and Assembly, and bnt little other
ousiness OF any importance could be transacted
pending their consideration. What s more, the
committees have not yet been able TO get together
for any length OF time, their clerks and messen-
gers have not all been settled uDoD, nor have the
new subordinate officers OF the House been APP
pointed by the Speaker. For proper
allotment OF these officers day or so is
required, and. as the pressure or the friends and
influential advocates OF the various aspirants is
almost as great as was that for the chatrmanships
curing the past week, 10 was but an act
u c02r1ty On Tue part VI tHt touSc to dAoW
tho presiding onicer to escape home for
. day and themselves retrieve out Of Albany till
Monday from the botheratlon and trouble OF being
bored to death by applicants Tor places. Next
week, no doubt, the hard work viii begin, and
when it does begin il must be continued vigor-
eusiy if the short session is not TO be- like all its
predecessors, TO use BiberDicism, very long one.
NIGER TIE FENCE.
puring the discussion to-day on the constitu-
tiOna amendments, which were finally ordered TO
. third reading, q discovery was made that by
what was called the carelessness OF one Of the
clerks OF the Senate, certain mistake was made
IN one OF the amendments by which IT was made
20 read 1t should not read. II appears that when
last year the amendments to the seventh article
were finally concurred in by the conference com.
1ittee and q general concurrence as TO the whole
hatch was obtained afterwards, the bill las the
amendments as whole were caledl was sent
% the Senate, where II should have been
re-engrossed and all the amendments made By
the committees properly attended to. The bill
Was not SO engrossed, and SO the section which
prohibits the Legislature from selling, leasing or
eeherwise dispoetng OF the Erie, Oswego and
Champlain canals, contained, when printed ana
0fhclalIy published before the last election the
BlAck River Canal among the Others that should
remain the property of the State forever. 1t viii
e remembered by those familiar with the legisa-
ave days OF 1871 that the name OF some canal was
eureptitiously slipped into an appropriation bill
for State donation of several thousand dollars,
11isnds Of the canal in both houses 10
secure an appropriation failed miserably.
what You win, put into the bill in the engross-
ING room after 1t had passed both houses. There
ere those who believe that some sharp practice
nike this was INDUCED IN when the amendments
refer to were ordered TO be printed: but such is
not the general belief, for the reason that the
DETRIMENr TO THE PEOPLE
m ITS immediate vicinity instead or benefit, as it
= regarded by them as nothing more or less than
waters were diverted in ithe opposite direction,
The neighborhood would have splendid water
power. Under the circumstances il is not probable
shat anybody was 80 intereste In preserving the
Black River Canal for all time to come to the use
fained by in the clause Of exceptions in sec.
0On OF the amendments to the seventh article
q the constitution But the question as to how
means the most important one in connection
with the amendments; for as the section was off,
ciaiy published with the name Of the canal in II,
and the original bill is on file in the Secretary or
States office with the error uncorrected. there
entire batch Of amendments to article = Of which
thls canal mistake is part and parcel,
DO not by reason Of the error, fan to the ground;
whether, Ia TACT, they are not null and void even
now, and cannot therefore be placed before the
people at the next election. 1t is said that the
case somewhat similar to this one, and that the
decision was that q law on file IN the Secretary Of
1sssner the Of each house showed "U tneTe
was an error made In the engrossing, 1t had to
etsnd as flied. The doubts which this error
Aay during the discussion to compel
The House SIMPLY to report progress upon all the
amendments TO article ]. while they ordered the
Others to a third reading, and at the same time
passed a resolution asking the Attorney General TO
Give his opinion as to what can be done, II any
thing, TO get the seventh amendment out Of the
middle 1t is now IN.
The charter tinkering has already begun, and
Inns time ID Brooklyn that comes first in order.
DcnOhue, one OF the Kings county members, yes
ssSas se5es Of to the
contemplated several important changes in
- follows dissection OF title is amended
that the Mayor and Comptroller are
bonds. no awards OF the bonds to be made at less
shan par However, should the Mayor, Comptroi-
ser and Finance Committee Of the Board Of Alder
men consent that they should be awarded below
var they can be so awarded. In negotiating the
loans OF the city the Mayor Is made an
amendment the Departments Of Police and Excise
are wiped out and new Department OF Police is
Aldermen, within thirty days after the passage OF
. the head q me new department whose
CHE OF Police is renewed and that OF s1perintend
ent abolished, which seems 10 be rather a dis.
tlnccon without difference. All the OfEcers, ex-
eept the patrolmen and doorrnen. are removed.
The present Health Board Is also legsiated out OF
once and IN It's stead there is to be department
and upon him will devove all the du-
ties OF the old Board His salary Is
Axed at 5000. There is TO he an Excise Com.
missioner appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen,
whose salary is nxed at $4,000. The present Com.
mission OF Fire and Buildings is abolished ana one
person to be appointed, after the same manner
TIE Excse Commissioner, with salary OF
t6,O00 There Ii TO be a Department Of
CITY Works, with a single head appointed py the
Mayor and Aldermen, at q salary Of $1,000. With
the approval OF the Mayor and the Board OF Alder
men he can divide his department into bureaus.
The Mayor is to appoint the Park Commissioner,
who ie to have no salary, and who shall make
nual reports TO the Common Council, and oftener
u called upon, ana he is prohibited from entering
into any ,
EXPENDITURES NOT PREVIOUSLY GUARANTEED
~ proper appropriations. IL Is provided that all
Mayor and CommissiOner OF CITY Works and pub
LEY anhonnced, with the names Of the bidders.
nne Common Council Is 10 give out all contracts
lnsics" vi as now leaving this power In the hands
o. tne CITY works Department whenever any ex-
frhOrdinary expenditure of money ts re0ufred nv