New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-14
THE EVILS OF ABSENTEEISM.

THE EVILS OF ABSENTEEISM.
THE PRACTICE DISCUSSED IN TIE JONI va L,
49," ,,ox .sp SEVERELY CONFERENCE.-THE NAMES
r,r MrMBERs WHO WERE ABSENT FROM
THEIR POST OF DUTY.
tpy TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE.l
.,n.xy lime I3--The vote in the Joint Conven-
...,odav reached the lowest figure 1t had ever
....hsS ON the ballot for Conkling's successor II
.ss 90 and OH the ballot fer Platts successor Vs.
'no,rinc 81 and 62 members absent and paired futy
vO,ss would have elected a Senator 1t was uniVer-
- felt that this abSentceism had reached point
,here halt must be called. The work o1 IeglsA-
,;on ia practicaly completed, and bills go drophg
',,opgh only because the Legislature Is here,
40. because the bills are needed. The Sen
This morning took recess almost
immediately after meeting until Just before
sa hour for balloting, having practically nothing to
do In this state of things the Legislature continues
10 meet dav after day, taking one ballot only and
sdournng: while at the end of the week more than
ons.tnird of the members take their tnp honeward,
oue as if it were early the session instead OF the
middle of june.
II the members could he kept here six days in the
week and a majority could force them TO take say
nix ballots a day, which would not be physical I'M
nossibility a result would be reached sooner than
The most sanguine persons now anticipate y good
srn showed itself to-day, however, in the IinlH-
tence of the members present nj the disGraccful ab-
,enteejsm revealed by the roll call. General Spi-
noa was fortunate enough to be the first To give eX-
preston to it. lie offered a resolution providing
that pairs should not be recognized by the JOINT
Convention, and that no member should be excused
from voting by reason of having paired, and that no
more leaves of absence shOuld he granted.
Judge Robertson at once rose in his place among
the Governor lloskins serving
to-day as President Of the Senate-and said he was
heartily in favor of the regulation respecting pair
ing but the latter portion of the resolution was oh
yionsly out Of order. General SpinOla withdrew the
latter portion.
The point was then raised that the Joint COnvcn-
ton had no powers beyond those conferred by the
statute which created it. General Sharpe and Sena-
tor Forster concurred in this vew the latter adding
that the Joint Convention certainly had power
10 imprison for contempt and therefore could not
compel the attendance of members.
Senator Pitts offered substitute which expressed
the sense of the Joint Convention that there should
be no pairs Senator Woodin objected to this saying
that what was needed was not an expression Of the
sense of the Joint Convention, but an order which
would he respected. Senator Pitts rcoincd that he
took it for granted that if the Joint Convention
pressed such view men Of honor would regard it
as binding.
Senator Madden in brief speech full Of horse
sense said it was an outrage for member, 10 90
home for DAYS al time, and sO prOOng the session.
He had refused all pairs and would continnc TO do
So The LEGISLATURE would soon be without n quo
rum if one Democrat going to count for as much
as two Republicans. This allusion to the triple pair
of Senators Murtla. Mills and Williams provoked a
shout Of laughter.
The two members Of the House who are regarded
a. its most learned men in parliamentary law then
differed upon the right Of the Joint Convention To
compel attendance. cX-Speakcr Hustled claiming
that it had that power and cx-SPeakcr Alvord
denying il. There some further discussion
Of this interesting point after which the whole sub
ject VAS laid over by common consent until to-mor-
row, when some action will undoubtedly he taken.
The best pariamentarians, like Judge Robertson
and General Hustled believe that the Joint Conycu-
ton has an inherent, not "A statutory, night TO
compel attendance, and that if il cannot
compel attendance il cannot preserve order or do
OF the things necessary 10 the existence Of par
hamenary body. While there ar obvious dlilicul;
ties in the way of enforcing a rule, it is believed
that the expression of the Joint Convention viii
keep members at their work hereafter.
The roll Of members absent and paired to-day is as
follows: Senators AstOT, Forster lialbert. Loous,
Lynde. Mills, Murtha. Schroeder. Stevens. Williams
aud Winslow--1l; AsSembymen Andrews, Beach,
Benedict, Bingham, Began, Bowen Browne. Brown
ing. Butler Catlin, Chamberlain, CLANCY. CLARK,
Cleary, Cock, Congdon, Dayton, Dominic, Enge,
Evans, Tanning. Gallup. Higgins. Hoffman, Holt,
Jackson. Mccarthy, McDonough. Mollcr, Morgan.
Newton. Niles. Nowlan, Potter Pratt. Raines, Rob
erts, Root, &. IL. Russell u. Russell Seelcy She
don, sheridan, Tully, VI. ii. Tuthill. Waring-l3.
1t only fair to exclude from this list the names
of members like Mr. Duguid and Mr. Brodsky. who
had imperative domestic reasons for pairing.
Senator Pitts said to-day that he believed if the
members had reInained here they would BY this time
have elected at least Senator. II this is cor
rect opinion. the gentlemen whose names have Just
been given responsible for the failure TO elect