New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-19
TILE GnrERNnRS MEASAGE.

The Constitution of New-Y York makes it
incumbent upon the Governor "to commune
"cate by message to the Legs allure at every
session the condition of the STATE and to rec
@ommend such matters to them as he shall
"ludge expedient." 1t is unnecessary to point
ont the wisdom of this provision. But it would
seem to be necessary to call attention to the
fac that a GOgernOrs recommendations IN ms
animal message, no matter how wise and
timely they may be, are not unfrequently dis
regarded by the Legislature. AZ rule fol-
lowing the reading of the message, motion
prevails to refer it to the Committee OF the
Whole. Then every day for a week it is an
nounced under the head of unfinished business
and becomes the text for considerable oratOry.
Your new member, fired with an ambition to
land with one bound at the forefront OF states
manship is very apt to take the floor Oh the
Governors message and deliver Il long but
unlmportant speech. After these elocuuOnary
efforts are over some old member is accus-
toned to move to discharge the Committee Of
the Whole from the further consideration OF
the message and to refer the several matters
to which it lelates to the appropriate standing
committees. Nine times out of ten this motion
ureyails and the result is that the message, as
a whole, never comes up again. If the COM
mittees did their duty in regard to the portions
Of the message severaly referred to them, there
would he no fault to find with this final dispo-
sition of leading State document. But some of
the committees never give the slightest atten-
ton to their share of the message.
To illustrate. Governor COrnells message to
the last Legislature contained a number of rec
concentrations of the first Importance. He
urged the revision of the laws relative to as
sessment and taxation. He protested that the
school district Libraries of the State should not
be permitted to deteriOrate or waste away, and
suggested that a change from the district sys
tenn to that of town libraries might be advan-
tageously made. lie called particular attention
to the disgraceful condition of most of the
county iails and poor-hOuses, asserting that
with few exceptions these institutions are
"diScreditable to the communities responsible
for their maintenance" He pointed out the
inefiiciency OF the general drainage act. He
suggested that severer penalties should be i'm
posed upon those violating the laws touching
lotteries, and that the duty of various officers
of the law in relation to lotteries should be
made more specific .and imperative. Such were
some of the prime recommendations of Gov
ernor COrnelfs last message. 1t will be gen
orally conceded that they were recommends.
tons that deserved the respectful considera-
ton of our law makers. And yet the discred-
liable fact is that the Legislature turned a
deaf ear to nearly all of them.
Nor is this all isolated case. IT has become
the fashion for Legislatures to lay the Cover
nors message on the table and suffer 1t to re-
pose there practically undisturbed. But it is
fair TO presume that the men who drafted the
State Cousti ution. when they provided that the
Governor should RECOMMEND to the Legisa-
ture such matters as he shall judge expedient,"
took it for granted that the Legislature would
feel constrained to give such recommends
tons their respectful attention; that no Senate
or Assembly would, in effect, snub Governor
by leaving his recommendations severely
alone. AS it is we take the liberty OF suggest
ing to Governor Cleve and that lie recommend,
among other things, To the Legislature of 1888
that his message be not only referred to but
carefully considered by the standing commit
tees among which its parts are distributed. 1t