New-York tribune., 1882-02-27
TIE 1EGJSLATJYE SITCATlON.

on this subject of the organization OF the Leg
| islature and apply common sense to the con-
| sideratiOn of it for few mOmentSf lhere
| has been good deal of loose talk for some
| time past about Grades" "deals, bargains"
| "treachery," corruption" and all that sort or
| thing, The Democrats, always ready to howl
| "thcre's cheating round this board" when to
| the four aces they have in their sleeve some
| honest person throws down n fifth, have been
especiallv boisterous in their charges OF treach-
cry against Tammany, and of making cor
| rupt "dealr against Republicans. Some OF
| the supersensitive Republicans who sniff
| conspiracy and begin to draw their skirts close
| round them if ever an irreligOus person votes
the ticket, have also been severely exercised
in their minds because of dreadful suspicion
that the Tammany men, had some understand
| ing with the Republicans before they voted
| for the Republican candidates for clerks and
empowered the Lieutenant Governor to ap-
point the committees; that there was, III short
what the politicians call IDEAL" 80 there has
| been much lofty indignation on one side and
some plaintlve wailing on the other over TINS
| business as though some great wrong had been
done or some scandalous political immortality
practsed The political strect-walkcrs OF the
Democracy are shriebing over the assault
unon public virtue and a half-dOzen Repub-
! lcan old maids, who labor under the deluson
| that the only way to maintain their own rep
utation is to squeal whenever there is an lntl-
nation that something improper is In The
wind. are adding their melancholy gabble to
| the uprOar
Well, now, suppose we examine the facts
for n moment and discover if we can the
cause of the disturbance. And it may be well
in the first place to follow Carlyle's advice and
"divest our minds of can't" The situation in
the two houses of the Legislature may be
simply stated; in each there were and are
practically three parties, one OF which is
| balance of power Without the consent and
aid of the balance of power, neither of the
other two could do anything, and, of course,
| the public business must be at a stand-still
| This was the deadlock. In view of it one of
two things must be done; either the balance
of power must make some arrangement
with one of the other two parties
to organize and proceed to business,
or the Legislature must remain unOrganized
and the business of the State undone until
after another election. This was no new thing
in the history of legislative assemblies
IL mas O1ttn Udppcntu Dtiolt. Ahu "HtthCi
bv "bargain.r deal "trade' or "coali-
| ton" it has always ended by the balance
of power uniting with one of the other two
| parties in the triangular contest. There is
| usually an understanding by which those com
: posing the balance of power receive some con-
| sideration, either in the way of concession
| upon some principle involved, or the granting
| of some official position. In the present in
stance it is charged that the balance of power,
before supporting the Republican nominations.
| stipulated that it's members should have
| tain committee appointments and be permitted
| TO name some OF the subordinate officers. The
charge is based upon mere suspicion; there Is
no proof of it, and the Republicans deny it
| absolutely. But suppose it were true. Has
| there ever been such a complication that was
not solved in precisely that way by an un-
| derstanding between two of the three parties
to their mutual satisfaction and advaDtageY
In every such deadlock two must combine,
| and there is no record OF balance
of power that retained its organiza-
| ton so long as this one has, melting into
either of the opposing factions without some
| consideration for it.
| All the talk about Republicans disgracing
themselves by making deal" with Tammany
| is sheer nonsense. 1t is especially absurd for
Democrats to pretend to be shocked by it,
for there is in the first place no proof of any
understanding whatever between the parties,
and if there were it would have been precisely
what the Democrats had been trying for six
weeks to accomplish and had only failed
through their own Overreaching and dishon-
esty. The Legislature was and is Democratic
L. lo1 IN .bn
ton. Tammany asked certain things for itself
| in the organization; they were refused; the
deadlock followed. 1t was simply question
which OF two Democratic factions should have
certain places. Unable TO agree with each
other, the Tammany men empowered a Repub-
lcan Lieutenant-GovernOr to effect the organ
zation of a Democratic Senate. lie did it.
| Nothing was more natural than that he
| should crafty the wishes of the Tammany
men rather than of their opponents. No
sensible person could have expected him
to do otherwise. The public business never
could have been reached except by Tam
many's combining with one OF the other
of the opposing forces For Lieutenant
Governor HOskins to have used the power in
trusted to him to put the committees in Re-
publican hands would have been the height of
folly The logic of the situation constrained
him to make the organization Democratic, and
he simply gave it the Tammany instead of the
Tilden colors Under the circumstances be
could not have done differently. The conduct
of the Lieutenant Governor and the Republi-
cans generally is not only above criticism in
the matter, but worthy of the highest cOmmen-
datiOn.
But they say Talnmany is a corrupt and mis-
chievous organization, and that the Republicans
are guilty of great wrong in doing anything