The daily gazette., 1881-06-29
The Alleged Bribery Casea at Al
bany.

The Alleged Bribery Casea Mt Al.
bany.
The investigation into the alleged |
bribery cases by the committee Of the |
New York Legislature has ended as
such Investigations usually end. The
charge made by Bradley that Sessions |
gave him two thousand dollars to vote |
for Mr.. Depew as Senator of the Uni |
ted States has not been proved, al
though. Bradley turned over the two
thhuaand dollars he alleged that Ses-
sions had given him to the Speaker of
the House. Bradley swore that he
| got this money from Sessions as the
| price of what was to be his vote. Ses-
sions swore that he never paid Bradley
a dollar; that no money whatever
passed betVeen them. He admitted
that he urged Bradley te vote for
Depew, but only on the ground that
Bradley's constituents desired that he
should turn down CoEkling. As the
interview was between Bradley and
Sessions, no other person being pres
emit, the allegation and the contradic-
| tion balanced each other, and the COM
mittee rose from the investigation no
| wiser than they were before. The one
fact elected by the investigation was
that Sessions had been professional
!. lobbyist for years, but it does not apo
pear to have hurt his standing with
his fellow-members, or, at least, with
, | that wing of his party t, which he has
attached himself in the pending sena-
] torial contest.
ell There 10, moreover, almost always q
Il in, lAuiSI OF ttnaa ~
the hind. They do not like to push
!. matters 700 tar, lest, in doing 80, they
!. | unear6h other scandals, not dissimilar
a by which either sope Of themselves O
their friends may be badly damaged
d The abrupt cessation Of the Investigation
: without examining other well-knowI
: lobbyists prowling about the capitol an,
the Delavan House has been made
subject Of remark. But 1t 10 difficult Il
Q see what good could have been accom-
plished by extending tho session of th,
committee. In second case Mr.. Stra
han testified that an attempt was ais
Z: made TO bribe him; not with money, bu
10 with federal oface-the condition be
is ing that he should not vote for Mi
= C0nkling. Forthwith comes fOrwar
: Mr.. John l. Davenport, carries back th
! alleged interview TO tune wheh 1t w
Ut 1 not certainly known that Mr.. C0nklin
Il would seek re- election, and affirm
that the tender was not made with th
n knowledge OF President Garfield, but o
o. his own responsibility.
nm 80 nothing could be done with th
case, and as legislative bribery 10 mad
by New York statute,Ia penal offens
or II is obvious that where only two me
n. are concerned. the man who bfibes wi
perjure himself rather than take tho Ri
. Of the State prison. The New Yo
TO Journal of Commerce regards this vi
to rupt termination of case that for
10 short time creaJed the greatest exclt
- ment at Albany as highly encouragil
IL to lobbyists engaged In such practice
ut 10 we'll as to those whom they sucees
IA II. .bribing. 1t can find no remedy
correcting this great evil except such
NO may be had through the voters choosil
he honester men TO represent them.
IL the other hand, the New York 8,
!. wonld remit these bribery charges
an the closest and most patient scrutiny
he the grand Jury OF Albany county, th
be they may be probed TO the bottom. It
~ sirni6cant nevertheless, and 1t sho,
the degradation into which politics b
q fallen, that none Of the New York .
ow psrs anticipated any other terminate,
an TO the work Of the committees. - Ba
Sun.