New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-27

y
form legislation for this city, were curlously
unwise For the purpose of preventing
consideration of the nine measures unani-
mously reported by the Roosevelt committee,
and made special order for yesterday and
succeeding days, all the Democrats, with three
exceptions, left the Assembly chamber but
finding that they could not break a quorum in
that way, they returned and set out to fill
buster, hooting and yelling and conducting
themselves like mob. Fortunately, how
ever, by the determination of the Repub-
licans, the Democratic mob did not sue
coed in its purpose. The bills were advanced
and their speedy passage is assured.
If the measures to defeat which the minority
in the Assembly resOrted to such extraordinary
tactics were partisan in their nature, it would
explain the conduct of some of the more SEN
sible Democrats. Nothing better could be ex-
pected from the majority of the members of
that party. But the bills involved no partisan
principle. They are the product of the special
investigating committee which exposed many
startling abuses in the city government The
bills provide for the correction of those evils as
far as that can be done by legislation. They
will. if they become law, save this city annually
that money into the city treasury it will greatly
lessen the fund available for Democratic cam
pagn purposes. county officer, on salary of
$50, 900 for three years only, cannot contrib
ute $50 900 in one campaign for the use OF his
Hail." as was done by the Register in the last
canvass. Hence, the Democratic members OF
the Legislature, with most astonishing una
nimity, array themselves against such legislation.
They apparently believe that these measures,
like the Civil Service bill which they opposed,
will be injurious to their party.
Retrenchment and reform, when made appi-
cable to Democratic city Office holders, are, of
course, unpalatabe to the representatives Of
the Democratic halls" in New-YOrk and
Brooklyn. But there ought to have been
enough rural Democrats in the Assembly Of
sufficient intelligence and independence to save
their party from the disgraceful exhibition it
made of itself yesterday. The absurd claim of
an unfair ruling by the Speaker in the interest
of wise legislation, even if founded on fact, did
not afford the slightest justification for the
desperate and discreditable efforts made yester-
day to delay the passage of these bills.
1t is clear that the aid of not more than two
or three Democrats in the Assembly can be ex-
peCUcu Ill DCdil VI ICHCusil lCSlSI''lIoh LOi Illo
notorious abuses that exist in the government
of this city, The bills before the Assembly
Yesterday require no discussion. They aim to
correct evils the existence of which no one
denies. Had there been no recent investigation
to prove effectually the need of such legislation,
it would have been the duty of the Legislature
to pass these bills.
There is no higher nor more pressing duty
before the Republican majority in the Legisla-
ture than that of legislating for the benefit of
this ill-governed city. The Democrats in the
two years they were in power at Albany, failed
to pass a single measure of relief for New
York. But they added to the burdens of the
city by enacting such laws as that transferring
prisoners from the TOmbs to Ludlow Street
JAIL To repeal that law is the purpose of one
of the bills considered yesterday. There are
Democrats, however, who favor these reform
measures. They have assisted in the work Of
the Citizens Committee, and will be repre-
scented in the mass-meeting tonight at Cooper
Institute But, unfortunately, they seem to have
little influence with the members of their party
in Albany. 1t is work which the Re-
publicans, with few exceptions, appear TO
realize the importance of. They will do well to
continue to press it forward i'll every honorable
and legitimate way, regardless of the character
of the opposition, until substantial relief has
been afforded the city. AS New-York pays
nearly onehalf of the State tax it is entitled to
this cOnsiderate treatment by the Legislature.
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