New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-29

corrcyOp CLETEL IND ON stale" BILLS
Governor Clcveauds appeal to Republicans
for tbeir votes rests chiefly on his claim that be
has been rclormer and especially that ne mas
by bis exercise OF Che power oi withholding ms
opproyal from legislation protected locall'l'N
from the cxtravaglut improper OF incnn'id'r-
ate act , of our lc,l. ltors. That Zee, IKE TOW
ornor Cornell and nearly all orr governors
4incc Governor Morgan set this example mas
dome something in this respect mo- one Is as
po,pd 10 deny. But We do deny ttHt bis ACTON
has been such or ha. been influenced lN eu'h
potiyca thaD any Republican can ipd thereon
nrv inst ground for abandoning hiH party ami
.y.tiny la place the Democratic party IN control
of the National Government for loury
Woh,,os rcady had something to say about
C,,ctuor CicyrluudA action win ioi'rohrr To
fine T,mmc of Onicc bill, the Flith AN'hu'
Paving bul aud Other measures but 'at'In'
examination of the volume OF ac,s approved bJ
him. NTH comparison OF his reasons Tor re-
f,,inr to approyc others, Is instructive. Qu"c
c,,ly il, hi, pamphlotWhich is headed Bills dis
aunrnycd.' and which claims To give Ills reasons
for refusing to approve bills we Hli mat he
enumcr,trs four, entitled respectively " Reia-
N,w-Yorl Cuy;" For the relief OF Isaac
piscr.r "RclaliVe to the claim of Mary l..
HIcaLIcv against New-Nork City and For the
raIicf Of Wesley ). Yard" He says he refuses
f. si,n them because they aro barred ~
Limitations" 81 k-ow OF M excuse Tor tne
presentation of such very old claim" he adds.
= The applicant received his salary from Janu-
ary |, 1870, to May l, 1913, he siys. ne
Il. .l.,rf,.
claim is Tor eight months more. II the claim
has any merit, it has been neglected beyond
rc,son.r The claim is barred By the statute
of limitations If the bill has the effect oi re-
-ueviny the claim, it is very Objectionable.
This claim is moro than ten years old aud
ourht moi to be considered Tor that reason
"alone.'
These be noble words, and fully Justify the
Governors action. Bat if we turn 10 tAe bl'Is
which hi, same Democratic reform Governor
aonroycd, we find that on June H. 1851, the
nrpcise day on which he gave ont THESE reasons
for no. reyiying stale claims, Governor Glove
land approved a bill providing for the payment
of coually stale claims matte 10y certain District
Iud0ps for balance o. salaries due between May
I tS13. and December 81, 1870, claims which
Andrew II. Green had refused to pay. Gov
c.nor Cleveland having refused to pay Isaac
Piser his salary because his claim Tor elsht
months after May /, 973, Was stale, he Signed a
bill ON the same day to pay The District Judges
claim, which embraced the same identical eight
months, apparently on the theory that they
were not stale
II vould have been much better if our reform
Democratic Governor had frankly SAID iii
campbell is one of the District Judges who Is
=" TO benefit by this bill. Tim Campbell, 1t Is
true, was one of Tweeds old henchmen' but
= then Tim is a shouter for Cleveland for Presl-
.dcnt. No claim in which such man is inter
"cstcd can be stale. The individual, it Is true,
~ is pretty rotten, but the claim has been kept
from putridity by the sprinding OF reform
- Cleyelaudism. SO sign Tins bill"