New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-30
THE F1TE OF THE "GR4TZFSp

Legislation at Albany draws reluctantly to n
long delayed close only few days more re-
main to wind mp the business which the Lcgis-
lature is charitably supposed to have been
engaged in for the last five months. Little OF
value has been accomplished, and the closing
hours of the protractcd session are likely to be
marked by neglect of important measures
which ought to be passed. We fear that
needed legislation to reform the abuses OF the
referee and receivcrship systems, winch three
or -four committees have been investigating,
will fail of passage. \ lobby OF lawyers who
live 10y the abuse OF these systems has been
present at Albany for weeks endcavorlng to
amend the proposed measures to suit them
selves, or in the event of failure in that direc
ton to defeat the bills wholly. There is not
only a possibility but probability of
their success; a bold lobby such as this
usually succeeds with Il divided body
such "a the present Legislature. Yet
there is scarcely Il pending measure OF
greater importance than this proposed reform.
1t is one which would he popular with all
classes except the corrupt men CT the legal
pro ession who profit by the abuses Of a neces-
sary system. The great majority OF reputable
lawyers would welcome change, litigants
would be glad to have it made, and most of our
judges-ccrtainly all the upright ones-would
rejoice over it.
The evidence taken in the recent inycstiga-
tions shows concusively that the abuses of the
system against which VIC have so long and SO
often invcighed continue III most fragrant form
The abuses are shown 10 have grown since our
first exposure of them in 1872, and solely be-
a. a. ,ot..
j. contemplated now. The evidence before the
committee is complete Of gross frauds perpe-
trated by INSCRIPTIONS receivers appointed to
important trusts in winding up institutions and
corporations unjustly thrown into bankruptcy
hy the connivance and for the benefit OF cor
rupt officers and to the loss of innocent stock
holders and unsuspecting depOsitors The in
nncncc of politics upon the judiciary in dispOs
in,, of These in pOrtant trusts has been shown
to nave been well-nigh as irresistible as it was
irregular and scandalOuS. The disposal Of
great power to irresponsible persons out Of
sheer good-nature on the part OF Judges is
clearly established as proof, not OF cor
ruption on the part Of the politicians asking,
or the iudgcs making or the lawyers accepting
such appointments, but certainly of the mpor-
tunty of the politicians, the careessncSs of the
Judges and the extreme willingness of the APP
pointecs. II is grOtesque picture of great
charity at other people expense which is
presented before one committee, of honest
John Kelly appealing to gOod-natured and
compliant Judge WestbrOOk for the appoint
ment to a $50, 900 receiyership of Mr.. ONeill,
a brefess balTister whom neither really knew,
on the sole ground that The lawyer was Il
stranger and poor and needy There has been
nothing like it since Tweed presented fifty
thousand tons of coal to the poor of NewYork
and paid for it with stolen city funds. The
"Gratzes.' of the present day disclosed in this
evidence are numerous, and the least shameless
of them appears to have thought his time worth
more than the rapacious fellows of Barnard
and CardozO of the last decade
These developments warrant the passage Of
one of the bills now threatened with death from
neglect Some of them are admirably adapted
to reform these particular abuses. The pas
sage of proper bill would prove that the in
vestigations were not failures after all But if
the Legislature neglccts to reform the system
in the particulars pointed out by passing some
measure, the Investigations will he set down as
farclcal and the Legislature as incompetent.