New-York tribune., 1878-05-15

sentees are to be recalled, and all "pairs " are
to be declared "off." The campaign is to be-
gin in dead earnest with Mr.. Wood trying to
crowd Mr. Potter out of the position OF chief
| mOurner.
When Recorder Hackett threatened to upset
| the Aldermen's apple-stands, he must have
known that a storm would follow; but IL is
doubtful whether he was prepared to nave an
| investigation into his sanity proposed by the
President of the Board, and upon this tounda-
ton built up the speech which Mr.. kODerts
delivered Yesterday. Besides charging the Re-
| cOrder with rushing to the rescue OF the lweeo
Ring, aud growing rich on its plunder, the Pres-
ident made delicate suggestion that the he-
corder should have presented himself to the
| Grand Jury as one of "the foul smells ana
"nuisances needing to be looked after, ana
alluded to him as " a new edition of Jeifreys'
| He was "either mentally incapacitated for
| his position, or his ignorance of law and in
iiImities of character" disqualified HIM.
| His filings at the Board were Indecent
and the Board was requested to notice that
they were "not uttered in a bar-rOom dis
" cussion," but on the bench. But Mr.. Rob
|
| street distractions than the sanity OF Recorder
Hackett This was "despotism i'll the bud,'
against one million people to-day, against
"forty millions tomorrow" Eight Aldermen
drank all this in and believed in it; but
| there were ten just men there who saw the
| absurdity of appointing Aldermen NO inquire
into the mental condition of anybody.
The frankness with which the Russians
have spoken Of their mission to this country
ought to set at rest the suunises that
almost every shipyard is the scene of a
dark plot against the peace of ma
tions. Captain Semct5chkn has declared
| that he has come here to purchase
or order vessels suitable for the Russian navy,
and that the seamen on the Cimbria are
intended to man them. He holds that Russia
has a perfect right in time of peace to pur-
chase vessels and fit them out in American
| ports, manned by her officers and seamen lie
observes that Russia procured here the mag
nifcent frigate General Admiral, and
no doubt concludes that as trade
is dull we are not averse to further orders. Ii
there is anything wrong in all this our Gov
ernment should say so, at least informally.
As the scope of neutrality laws depends very
much on the disposition of the authorities
and the Interpretation they give them,
! there is now decidedly need for "more
"light"-The inducement which the Rus
| slams have to engage in maritime war
fare with England is undoubtedly very
| great. The enormous damage which
the Confederate cruisers inflicted on our COM
merce measures only in a small degree the in
| jury, direct and indirect, a small number Of
cruisers might infict on British trade.
The most conspicuous incident of yester-
DAVIS session of the Legislature was the de-
feat of the AppOrtiOnment bill, making now
the third time since the census of 1875 that
the Legislature has attempted to fulfil the
duty imposed upon it by the Constitution,
and has failed in the endeavOr. The respOn-
sibility in the present instance is not in the
least doubtful. The Democratic MEM
bers of the Assembly voted sOlidly
against concurrence in the amend
ments to the bill made by the Senate
and accepted by. the Assembly Conference
Committee, and the votes of a few Republi-
cans, who were mostly influenced by local
considerations, reinforced the Democratic pha-
lanx, so that it was able TO kill the bill.
If, therefore, the Democratic press sets up the
CRY that a Republican Legislature has again
refused to perform the duty imposed upon II
by the Constitution, the voters of the State
can easily see how much truth there is in the
charge. The Democratic minority IN the As
sembly has defeated the bill which the Repub-
lican majority in both houses supported That
is the whole story
There is good news for the whole of up
| town New-York in the statement that the bill
which authorizes Commissioner Campbell to
establish high-water service, so that water
way be forced up to the tOp-flOOrs of houses,
has passed both branches of the Legislature,
| and now goes to the Governor There can benO
| doubt about his signing it. The Senate has
| passed the bill for repaving the upper portion
of Fifth-ave.
The agitator for new Excise law has made
his last appearance. The law of 1857 will
last until 1879, at least.
Among other important bills which now
90 to the Governor, is that affecting the Com
| missioner of Jurors. By an amendment
! adopted yesterday in the Senate, the salary of
| the Commissioner was put at $500, instead
of $4,000. The Compromise City Debt bill
goes to the Governor and likewise the bill
taking broken savings bank ont of the
hands of the men who have ruined it, during
the interval before the appointment of re-
ceiver, and putting it in charge of the Bank
! Superintendent. Also the bill restoring TOmp-
kins Square as park. Among the bills de-
! feated were those recognizing the Brooklyn
Board of Charities and the New-York Dock
| Department.
The bill to create a Board of Railway Com