New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-06

Pacific Mails enormous checks, and who had
so much influence in Congress. favor US with
an original line of defensei
2 In the Pennsylvania Legislature yesterday
the Republican Senators resorted to an inde-
fensible partisan trick to reduce the Demo-
cratic majority on joint ballot. The indepeno-
ence of few Democrats who opposed the law
of retaliation prevented the members OF that
party in the House from following the bad
example set by their opponents in the Senate.
IF there were more earnestne3s and sincerity
in the advocacy of the Civil Rights bill by the
Republican members Of the House of Repre-
sentatives, the bill-whetber right or wrong
expedient or inexpedient- might perhaps have
been law long ago. Too many OF these mem
bers say one thing in their speeches on the
stump and another in their votes in the House.
Such scenes as that Of yesterday make some
noise, but do not better the prospects of the
pending bill.
Not the least valuable result OF the Inter-
collegiate contest which is to take place al
the Academy of Music on tomorrow evening
will be the expressions OF views winch
it will probably elicit from Leading edu-
Gators as to how the plan of such contests
NAV be improved. The distinguished Presi-
dent of Princeton College, the Rev. Dr. Nc
Gosh. opens the discussion of this subject in
an able and interesting letter printed on the
third page of tO-day's TRIBUNE.
The political year opens well with the plat
form and nominations of the New-Hampshire
Democratic Convention. The platform is
good one as platforms go, each resolution
being to the point and lacking the rhetorical
fourishes usually characteristic of such dOcu-
ments. The declarations in favor of an hon
est currency and against sham financial legls-
lation. against third Presidential term, and
denouncingethe Administration policy In the
Louisiana case are particularly timely and
commendable.
The curious suit of LANCE against Judge
Benedict for false imprisonment in sentencing
him by fine and Imprisonment. when the law
authorizes only fine or imprisonment, gains
additional novelty from the fact that the
decision holds the sentencing Judge responsible
in any damages jury may give. The case
was SO novel that when first argued the only
authority which could be found was of suit IN
which William Penn figured. The decision
now made virtually holds Judge responsible
for errors in exceeding the law in sentencing
persons tried before him.
Some apprehension exists that the Board or
Police now investigating the Detective Ofioe
will fail to do its whole duty in this important
matter. We do not share tnfs doubt, although
we allude to it here, because we are con-
WINGED that the majority of the Board are not
ignorant of the utter rOttenness of the Bureau
The evidences of inefliciency and of cOrrup-
ton are too numerous to leave the Board any
other alternative than the uprOOting OF the
whole force. The Detective Office is at once
the weakness and the dishonor of the police
organization, and the marked reform which
began when Superintendent Walllng came In
cannot be complete until new direction and
better organization are given the force. AT
present. however honest its members may De,
it is under such general suspicion as wholly
to destroy its efficiency.
No less than II out of the IS gentlemen,
members Of the Legislature. who had prevl-
ously seemed to dodge the new official oath
prescribed by the Constitution. by going out
of their way to take the old one, on yester-
day needed The TRDUNE's warning, and
manfully took also the new oath. We await
that possible action of others before re-
publishing the remarkable list which has
already appeared in our columns. and with
which we hope to make the voters of the
State reasonably familiar. No man who has
made haste to take the old oath in order 70
escape the new one, need fiatter himself with
the idea that the people will for moment
regard the objections urged to the new oath
as other than frivolous. A public pledge
as to the action a candidate will pursue
if elected. and a private promise made to an
individual to influence his vote, are totally
different things Nearly all members of legis-
latve bodies rightly make the one. No man
who has made the other has any business in
this Legislature, since it is the judgment Of
the trainers of our Constitution and of the
people who overwhelmingly adopted it, that
these private promises to- affect individual
votes mean simply and solely private corrup-
ton of the public service.