New-York tribune., 1885-10-19
PRICE THREE CENTS.
HILLS EXTRAORDINARY ACTS
REFORM BILLS DELAYED AND KILLED.


SIGNED HURRTFDLY IN DEFIANCE OF PROTESTS.
lFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNg.l
ALBANY, Oct. 1s.-If Governor Hill had been
true to his trust he might have made more for.
mldable showing in his letter of acceptance in
enumeratng the important measures enacted"
by Republican Legislature. The bill TO provide
for and define the public or legislative printing
wmch without furnlshIngany reason, hc refused
10 sign, was most important reform measure. 1t
would havo saved the State largo sum of money,
and, as has been shown before, it would have been
| of incaculable advantage III the way of wise and
clean legislation. The bill to make the Register Of
Kings County r salaried officer which, to please
Boss" Mclaughlin, tho Governor vetoed, was
very important measure. Had it become law,
however tho Governors intimate friend
and supporter w. II. Murtha-the chairman of tho
Kings County Democratic Committee last year
who is running for Register in Kings County,
would in the event of his election only receive
salary not to exceed 900 instead of fees amount
ing to probably 100000. When the Governor
vetoed the bill Mclaughlin had doubtless already
told him that Murtha was to be nominated fer tho
Office The same IS true of the bill 10 make the
Kings County Clerk salaried officer, which bill
tho Governor vetoed. Mr.. Rankon, whom Boss"
Mclaughlin has named FOR the oGicc, in the hope
of being elected, can now afford to pay the usnal
bill become law and the fees been turned into the
County Treasury, it would have deprived the Gov
ernOr of many thousands of dollars for use ia his
canvass ia Brooklyn. II Will be impossible now to
make any change i'll the method of paying the
County Clerk and Register in Brook
lyu until the terms of the next in
cuml e2ts expire. II this way tho Governor
has deprived the Kings County Treasury Of
100000 or 100000 at least, for the benefit of
" Boss" Mclaughlin and tho Democratic campaign
fund. Tho veto of the Brooklyn Bridge bill was
another eilort in tho same direction. The approval
of a number of old Tweed claims against the city
treasury of Ncw-Yor1 will be great help to tho
Democratic campaign fund in the metropolis, as it
is well understood that the holders Of those CLAIMS
| lcgaIZcd by tho efforts of "lIm" Canpbcl and
Others. pay percentage for t,s benefit of the
Ton cause.
Another highly important reform measure which
Governor Hill refused to -gl. without Offering any
reason introduced IN the last Assembly by Gen.
era! Curtis. This bill governed the question If Stats
| contracts. General Curtis was n member OF tho
committee which investigated the armory frauds
TO which Governor Cleveland called attention in
1854 He found that these frauds were due to the
loose system by which tho work donc
although member Of Governor Hills staG was
found ut fanlt. Tho Governor however, never
took any notice of this fact and what is more, he
killed the bill designed to prevent tbs lrrelcc
of such frluds. Referring to this bill recently,
General Curtis, IN reply to Inquiries, said: Il
learned in making al investigation, under orders
| If the Assembly of i H. that there was law
requiring representatives of the State % let con-
tracts for materials supplies labor to tie lowest
bidder, and that those which cane under my OBJ
selvatOn had been let without adycrtiscm Mt, and
generally without competition, at cXtrava CAN'T a2d
runOus prices VcrJ early in tho session OF 1856 =
bill was aSsIgnodto by the chairman of the Ways
aud Means Co3mittee, which bill required large
appropriation with instructions 10 ascertain If the
same came wit!n tho provi5i0 OF ths Law authOrz.
! ing thu State officers 10 make the GO tract for
which this bill was to provide th; payment [
found pn Investigation that tie contract for which
tie bill proyi led payncnt had boon lot YiaOu. 1d
yerscpeut or pubic Aotic and that t..is was tie
usual way of ett'ng such contracts. Believing
that tie interests Of the State wOld be best served
by having all her financial transactions subject 10
| o7er comp tition prepared the bill referred 70
No. 139l to remedy h" defect exis' 'n- IA the laws
as tA,y stood Thil bill required contracts ~
O2icors or representatives of tho State, where the
su to h. expended cXccc led $j00--cXcept fer re-
pairs occaSIOlel by accident or the aeucIts-to 90
advertised for thirty lays. and let sealed pro-
p)sa5 to the lowest res yO1Sbc bidder: and that
f)r contracts for Is, amounts than SJJ0-cr for
extuor lmary repairs "A detailed statement sf tho
necessity for th5 expenditure ahoud be forthwith
.ilei with the Controller Of the State"
THIS bill would have placed the State authorities
the same footing rs the local authorities Il tie
city If New-York aaI in other nunici. alt;es.
instead Of peruitI:s the purchase of supplies and
the letting of contracts without any coAp2t;'ion
whatever. Tie bill was 81 clearly il the public
interests that tho m3mbers of the Ways ald Means
Committee expressed astoIish"ent to find that
suck law did not exist already. T!.a records
show that every member of tn; committee lIclId-
icg such DeiG1rats rs Ely Of 0tscgo. ana JOHN
son # W3stchcStcr, voted TO make favorable
report Oh the bill. II passed the House anaaia)i,iy
and to accomplish that II was twice advanced 0ut
Of its Drlor by ulaalAous consent. II c's0 pc''tJ
the Senate ualaimoa,lg In fact, there was nothing
to BE- sal against tn, bill except tina. it doprvod
the reirocratlc State officials of the power 70 ex-
pend any large Of money without public con?c-
tition. General Curtis appeared before the Cow
ern0r and oXplllIcd tEc Importance OF the ball art
how il would prevent tho arl0ry frauds. But,
without Offering any reason, the Governor rctdSe0
To sign It.
An thor Important measure in tie interest IF
administrative reform, Which, tho Governor also
killed rcatcl t. the general expenditures OF tao
STATE. 1t was blll also introduced by General
Curtis. II explaining TINS bill to the Govrr"cr,
General Curtis said:
Under the present law tn, Controllers report
Of the Investments aud expenditures oi tho state
makes small pamphlet Of about 10 pa1e'-h.
which there no detailed statement OF tho 9Ape-
diturcs beyond til; salaries of State officers. lhe
annual expenditures Cf tEe State approximate
$1,000, ,0GO As publicity tonds TO economy ahd
intcgrty / b'licv n law requiring the ?uHlica-
tioa III the CutrUllcI's annual rcfort OF CeaHci
statement of all expenditures under each GepaIt,
Incnt, bureau and Institution of ne stato wQui.
cDabc t!.e people t. scrGtlnlz9 the act' ~ tiuf
ropresentatives AID tond e. ecsloniic ;orDlS.
accordingly prepared tie billrefcrred 4, Il meet
| tho objects desired , ~
TbIs bll required theCentroller to puhs, tie 'lc-
tailed expenditures q tie State II tao sa.Ho E.aa-
rer that tie Controller of Ncw-York CITY is low
reouircl TO publish the clty's eXpc;i htureS. But
rs those of Ncw-York arc ten tImos as great as
those Of the Stat2.tho expense of The work OF pub