New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-26
ALBANY.
Y TREASURES BILL,

THE COUNTY TREASURES BILL.
IFS PASSAGE ny THE ACCOMMODATIONS OF COR
RUPTIoN UNsUsTAIHED - OBJECTIONS TO THE
Bill.
IFRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT THE tribune
Albany, Feb. 2J.-The Assembly consumed the
entire session to-day in discussing the County Treas
urers bill. which up first in the order OF thrd
readings. The main provisions of the Dill nave
already been published. 1t was drawn IN accord
snoe with the suggestions contained ID INC oo'
errors message and the Controllers report ana il ue
signed to put stop TO the practice which mas lohe pre-
vailed among County ITeasuTerso % retaining III uen
own bands the moneys collected on the 0''''e '"A
and loaning it out TO banks, which pay interest
,be,eon IN the Treasurers. The bin authorizes the
Roard of Supervisors of each county to designate
3 tbe hank in which the money shall be deposited
which hank is required to open an account with the
State Treasurer who is authorized TO draw on 1t for
that norton OF the taxes belonging TO the State as
often and under such regulations as the Controller
shal prescribe The bill also prohibits the reGlec-
lion of any County Treasurer until three years after
his term of office shall expire.
Messrs. Miller of Herkmer, Alberger Veddcr,
Melvin, Petty and Others opposed the passage Of
the bill on various grounds, the chief of which were
that it gave to the Supervisors the power of select
ing the banks in which the money should be de-
posted and prohibited the reelection of Ireasurers
The latter provision declared by Messrs Vedder
Miller and Melvin to be, in their opinion, clearly
unconstitutional. MeSsTs. Alvord Weed, Hammond
Goss and others strongly urged its passage During
the debate circular purporting TO be issued from
the Office of The Rochester Union and Advertiser was
distributed around the chamber by the pages, in
which it was stated that a combination had
been formed among the County Treasures to
"A
been raised for that purpose, and that
the public would he justified in declaring that every
member who voted against the bill had bis bride
in lis pocket" THIS miserable attempt at intlml-
dation" rs the opponents of the bill called it, in
stead OF decreasing rather increased the violence of
theiropposition To H. Mr. Beecher Of ChenangO read
aletter from the Treasurer of that county abiding
10 this circular and expressing his opinion that
there was no truth it at any rate he knew moth
ing of any such combination. and had never been
approached with any proposition to subscribe money
to defeat the bill. The final vote on the bill seems
80 indicate that the alleged corruption fund "
had no real existence, or else that the
present Assembly is less couupube than
most Of It's predecessors, for the bill
passed by a vote Of "a to 30 Mr.. Lincoln proposed
a. a compromise that the law should not take effect
until the lst day of January 1876, not TO inter
fere with Treasurers elected last Fa bat his motion
was voted down, % to 60. 4 motion by MIR. Melvin
TO strike out Kings County from the operation of the
law was also voted down by large majority, as was
motion to strike ont the 10th section, prohibiting
Trcasurers from being reelected for tive successive
terms. Mr.. Miller declared that the bill was solely
in The interest of the Albany banks. which coveted
the deposits that are now distributed among the
country banks