New-York tribune., 1879-05-23
THE LEGISLATURE.


highest court.
THE LEGISLATURE.
The first verdict upon the work oi a Legls-
lature is almost invariably one OF dlsappoin'-
ment, for it is inevitable that much shall be
done which ought not to be done, ana tbaJ
much shall be left undone which ought surely
to have been accomplished. The Legislature
of 1879 is no exception to tins rule. The list
of important bills which have failed is indeed
little disheartening, and in reading II the
average citizen may forget that the record oi
the Legislature has not been stained ny any
scandal, that many jobs have been defeated
and some excellent measures carried.
1t is disc0uragiDg to citizens OF NeW-lorh
to find that q number of very important
measures affecting our municipal expenditures
and taxation have failed, and yet, IN their
disappointment, they must not hegiect "
place the responsibility where 1t belongs. III
is true that Mr.. Strahan's bill to reduce
salaries in the City Government, Whlch was
expected to save S2O00,000 q year. did not
become law; but it is also true that the
provision TO reduce policemen's salaries TO a
reasonable figure, which would have saved
more than onc-third of the sum named, was
defeated in the Senate by the cast
ing vote of the Democratic Lieutenant
Governor. II is true that both of MIR. var
NUNS bills for the reduction of taxation anu
retrenchment in expenditures have talleo' pi'
this result it is charged, is due to the MI
clustering on the last nj yht of the session o.
two Democratic Senators, one of whom was
appropriately enough, Mr.. Ecclesne The
Throop Civil Code failed to become n law,
but that was because Governor Robinson in
terposed his veto. Among other bills whose
failure is much to be regretted were those
providing for "a revision OF assessments on
New-YOrk uptown property, reforming the
present system of street-cleaning creating
State Board of Health. and authorizing the
issue of fOur-aDd-a-half per cent bonds by
our City Government.
Among the good deeds Of the Legislature
of 1879 must be reckoned the thrOttliEg of
the Broadway Railroad jobs, which made their
appearance under the guise of General Laws,
and OF Mr.. Laugbein's bill to destroy Central
Park. The Legislature has constituted a
Commission for the Revision of the Tax Laws
of honest men, and. taken altogether. of men
of good ability; II has refused 10 include in
the number 4r Thomas j. Creamer, in spite
Of the efforts OF yenal men OF both parties in
bis favor. 1t has passed the Constitutional
amendment for biennial sessions of the Leg
islature-a long step toward legislative re-
form. 1t has worked practical change
for the better in two Of the city Of
fces--thOse of the Register and County
Clerk-by placing those officials upon salaries
and turning the fees into the city treasury
and it has put the salary of Il third-that Of
the Commissioner of JurOrs-upOn business
basis 1t has passed the bill to protect heads
of departments in our municipal government.
so far as possible, against arbitrary and unjust
removal it has done all in its power to pre-
serve lower Broadway and Nassau-st. from
destruction by elevated roads, and, if the Gov
ernOr consents, has succeeded IT has also re-
spondcd to the demand from this community
for chance at reform i'll the tenement-hOuse
system by passing without serious amend
ment, the bill presented for that object When
the catalogue OF It's faults Is read, let these
things be set down to its credit.
Let il be also remembered that the Legis-
lature of 1879 made itself famous by passing
an Apportionment bill which was so fair that
the minority were actually satisfied, and that
in dolng this the Legislature repaired a sin
of omission of which three former Leeisa-
lures had been guilty. 1t should be Iemem-
bered, too, that the whole record of the body
is remarkably clean. There has been cOmpar-
atively little jobbery, and there have been no
scandals save now and then the offensive erup-
ton of an individual, which had no general sig
niicance like that OF Mr.. Sessions during the
last few days. The Legislature of 1879 will
compare favorably, in morals, with any OF its
predecessors. AT the same time, the record of
any Legislature for usefulness is, in these
days. Il strong argument for biennial sessions.