The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-06

Warlike Scene At Albany.
The present legislative session has been so
insufferably dull and stupid that the inquiry
into the curiosities and mysteries of the new
Capitol at Albany has proved a pleasant re-
lief. The preposterous charges made against
the Commissioners and others connected with
the famous building destined one day TO hold
the assembled legislative wisdom of the State
have been the spice of the session, and but
for the meetings of the committees of investi-
gation, growing out Of these charges, the idle
lobby and the weary legislators would ere this
have been half dead with ennui 1t was anus
ing to hear that so pious q Christian as
Hamilton Harris had put the big stones of
the Capitol into his pockets and carried them
away; that SO pure philanthropist as Abe
Van vechten had raised to premium the
stock of an impoverished horse railroad by
the transportation of. imaginary loads up
State street hill; that the great champion
of reform in the Senate, Daniel P.
Wood, had struggled into the Supply bill
an unauthorized item of ten thousand dollars
to pay his own appointee as superintendent of
the new building that modest amount of
salary for a years services. The very ex-
travagance of such accusations makes them
the more diverting
But while the comical proceedings called
investigations" of these matters have af-
forded harmless recreation for the idle hours
of legislators and lobbyists, the bearing of
the fiery Brigadier General Batcheller before
Senator Kings committee this week proves
that all persons do not enjoy the fun alike.
There is question of veracity between Gen
eral Batcheller and Major General Daniel P.
Wood, of Onondaga. The former declared
that the conference committee did not insert
the now famous ten thousand dollar item in
last years Supply bill General Wood de-
clared that the conference committee did
insert it-after fashion. That is to say, the
item not being in the bill when the committee
finally adjourned, General Wood asserts that
he ''went round" and got the assent of General
Batcheller and some others of the committee
to its subsequent insertion, if it was all right.
This may be considered the lie circum-
stantial. General Batcheller has branded
this statement as wholly false-the lie direct
So when the two generals met in the commit
tee room on Wednesday last-their first per-
sonal encounter since their wordy warfare
they bit their thumbs at each other in the
most gallant style. General Batcheiler re-
fused to testify before Senator King, who had
expressed an opinion on the matter in con-
t-oversy, and Indignantly turned up his mar
tial nose at the willy Syracuse Senator when
the latter essayed to ask hun questions In
deed, he went so far as to allude to certain
familiarity on the part of General Wood with
the tricks and manipulatlons of the lobby,
and cast into bis teeth his alleged Third
House record Of 1859. This capped the eli
max. General Wood, we are told, "grew livid
with rage" General Batcheller's eyes shot
whitening glances" at his lead-colored antag-
onist. Every one in the committee room
sprang to his feet, and Senator King shouted
for the police. But "the storm rolled onward
and disdained to strike" The livid warrior
recovered his natural color and took his seat.
The whitening hero strobe from the room and
took the Saratoga train. So the doughty
generals parted for the time and peace was
restored. But it is to be hoped that at future
meetings of the committee Senator King will
he we'll guarded by police or United States
troops, and that if blood must flow in the
next encounter between the gallant generals
it will only be from the nose.