New-York tribune., 1875-05-20
THE LEGLSLATURE.

THE LEGISLATURE.
The adjournment of the Legislature will
probably take place this week, nearly all the
important business being already disposed OF.
Since 1871 there has been great improve
ment in the general character of that body,
and the Legislature of 1875 is fairly entitled
to q share of that credit, such as it is. We
mean to say that the gentlemen at Albany,
since the downfall of Tweed, have recognized
the fact that the people have been watching
them. For this, or for some other reason,
there has been better tone and more dec
orous outside to legislative proceedings. The
times have been unprOpitiOus to projectors and
SPECTATORS in search of special powers and
franchises, and there have been but few of
those attempts to levy blackmai from the
shelter of the Capitol which at former period
were so scandalOus. The increase in the
compensation paid to Senators and Assem-
blymen has placed those emplOymcnts within
the reach of honest men in moderate
circumstances, and it is to be hoped that in
future a larger number of that class of citi
zens will be chosen to 60 to Albany. To the
credit of the voters Of the State it should be
more generally known that every Legislature
has contained fair proportion OF incorrupti-
BILE men, though commonly they have been
minority.
If tho present Legislature has done little
work of special excellence, it has been guilty
of little Aagrant wrong. The fact that the
Senate is Republican while the Assembly is
Democratic. has prevented the partisan legisla-
ton, which for twenty years back has been
such monstrous evil at Albany. The messages
of the Governor, and the exposures of the Canal
Ring in THE TRIBUNE which followed, have
at least exerted q restraining influence on
tho appropriations for the maintenance
of the canals, and the power which the
Governor has under the amended COnstitu-
ton to veto any Objectionable item i'll an ap-
prOpratiOn bill has also promoted economy.
The taxes for the fiscal year 1876 have been
brought down from four to four and half
million dollars below those of this year.
Part of this economy, however, is fictitious.
BY providing for the payments for new work
and extraordinary canal repairs out of the Canal
Fund, instead of levying tax to meet them,
az the custom has been hitherto. and by re-
ducng the income of that Fund by lowering
the tolls, it hardly admits of doubt that the
revenues of the canals will fall short of meet
ing tho charges for ordinary and extraordinary
repairs and interest OH the Canal Debt III
case of deficiency the sums required to pay
interest will have to be borrowed ION the
"credit of the sinking funds" and thus be-
come an addition to the Canal Debt. The bet
ter course would have been to impose the
usual tax for extraordinary repairs, which
would not have been heavy one.
New-York City, fortunately, has been but
little disturbed by the course of legislation at
Albany. After q long experience of the de'ls-
tating rule of King StOrk, we are well salts
fed to take King Log for change. Rapid
transit, of course, we shall never cease To pray
for BY successive laws the Legislature has
now removed nearly all the obstacles which
have impeded the undertaking of the work by
private capital. 1t now remains to be seen
whether capitalists are willing to embark their
wealth in the enterprise. The completion
of the Brooklyn bridge, which is now as
sured has an important bearing on the prob
lem. 1t seems to us that rapid transit rail-
road, closely connecting with the Brooklyn
bridge and economically constructed. ought to
pay well. If we correctly interpret the acts
Just passed, the legal hinderances in the way OF
this great and necessary work are now re-
duced to minimum. We shall be glad to
see something done towards realizing that
about which all of us have for so many years
been dreaming.
We cannot say that this Legislature has
brought out any young men who give I'M
cquvOcal signs of future eminence. In spite
of the inOrdinate quantity of "Tom and
"Jerry" which has been decanted IN the AS
sembly, the course of things has been very
humdrum. The Governor has been the main
dependence for any excitement, and he GER
tainly has failed to receive anything like
unanimous support in his aggressive move
mentS.