New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-17
ALBANY.
THE ADJOURNMENT QUESTION.

"BUNcOMBE" IN THE neutrality-suspicious. ro
THE "HUNpRED DAYn RULE-APRIL 30 FIXED
FOR THE END or THE SESSION.
IRON THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRTBUsEl
ALBANY, April l6.-The question of final adjourn
ment occupied the attention of the Assembly at the
opening of the session this morning and afforded an
opportunity for the usual display of " buncombe."
The trainers of tho present Constitution Of this State
inserted in that instrument many questionable pro-
visions, experience has since demonstrated, but
the provision fixing the pay of members aud limit
Ing the time Of payment to 100 days, perhaps as
silly thing as was ever made part of the organic
law of any community II has not only been
the fruitful source of corruption in the Legislature
by preventing its members from getting fair re-
Enumeration for their from tho State, but 1t
has been the means of instillng into the minds OF
the people the absurd notion that the legislative
business of the State of NewYork might be, and
ought 10 be- transacted within period or one
hundred days. Every Legislature from lSio 10 the
present time has stood in fear of public odium and
popular wrath each moment that it has prolonged
the session beyond one hundred days. The interests
of party have been brought into the question OK ar
gument and made paramount
The question has been and Is now, not what the
welfare of the State requires not the neeessies Oh
careful and we-considered legislation but what ls
to be the effect of long short session upon tho
party in powers As was stated by Mr.. Alyord in
discussing the question of adjournment to-day, the
legislation required for this State IS three times as
large as it was when the present Constitution was
passed. and what might possibly have been excus-
able in the limitations imposed i'll 1915 was absurd
and ridiculous now. He took the ground, as did Mr..
Alberger that it was the business of members to go
and do their duty faithfully until the work they
were sent to do finished regardless OF the time
it took, and when they had completed their labors
then they should adjourn.
IL is striking illustration, however of the false
notions now prevailing on this subject that, with
the exception of Messrs. Alvord and Alberger, no
man in the long discussion to-day uttered sensible
word on the question. The Republicans thought
only of what was for the interests of the response
BILE majority while the Democrats, not to be out
done in buncombe." wished to adjourn even before
the day fixed by their opponents. The final result
of the long and wOrdy strife for political capital
was that the Senate resolutions fixing the day of ad-
journment sine die on the oath of this month was
amended so as to make it tho 30th and then passed
The Senate is not likely to concur in the amend
ment having secured its quota of party capital"
IN the passage of the original resolution, and the
two Houses will probably jog along till about the
10th of May. This will make q session of l2j days
less time than is usually consumed by the Legisla-
ture of Massachusetts, which has less than half the
number of bills to consider that ordinarily pre-
scented to the New-York Legislature.