Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-18
NEW YoRK.s SHAME.

We tnlnk mas IL seen legislature so | corrupt, so venal and so utterly shame less as the body that wound up its work at Albany on Thursday. The press of New York city-that is, the portion | which isnot committed to republicanism through thick and thin-is unanimous in declaring it the poorest legislature that has sat in the state capitol for many years. Fortunately for the state, it has | a governor who is not afraid of welding his veto pen. It is believed that of the mass of bills left Governor Hill will veto nearly two hundred.
 One of the choicest rarebits that will ever bring back malodorous recollections | of the legislature is the ceiling scandal which was dragged into the last hours of the session when Hamilton Fish chair man of one Investigating committee, in a closing speech declared there was mot an honest hair" in the head of Mir Aims l worth, chairman of the other committee. Even the New York Tribune, which can ordinarily swallow any elephant that the republican party brings it on a platter, says "there is room for legitimate fault finding" and that in rejecting the Fish report on the ceiling and adopting the alternate one the republicans of the assembly committed serious blunder." The New York Press, which disputes with the Tribune the title for the most unreasoningly | rabid republican organ. says there is a good deal to be ashamed of in the | record of the legislature, admits that it gave its official endorsement to the dis | graceful Ainsworth whitewash report" and fears that corporate opposition, and not even party devotion-the right thing in the wrong place-intiuenced its action" in denying to 'the people of New
 York the rapid transit legislation which they demanded" It must have been d particularly shameful and responsible condition of affairs that could wiring such Il humiliating confession from so
 hide-bound an organ as the Press. But
 wherever we turn we find similar criti- cisms on the general worthlessness and
 corruption of this precious republican
 assembly. Thus the New York Sun,
 which is not generally squeamish in re-
 gard to corruption that benefits corpor-
 ate interests, says "the legislature ad-
 iourned without honor at the end of d
 career in which the shameful has had
 the upper hand" Rarely" says the
 Sun, "has any legislature left behind it
 a record so unsavory. This legislature 
 was created in dishonesty, and its history should cover the republican party with
 disgrace. Founded upon deliberate violation of the principle that the ma. .jor- ity should rule. proceeding from a re- pudiation of the constitutional provision which requires a new census and new apportionment at fixed periods, the re- publican majority i'll the two houses has made use of it's dishonorable power in a way that should excite the indignation
 of honest men of all parties. And now it has adjourned. and honest men may be glad of it." The World which has pe- : culiar facility for smelling out dishonesty and jobbery, cracks at the corpse in this characteristic way: 1t is the custom
 
 upon the adjournment cf the New York legislature, that the record for venality general worthlesSness and meanness has been strained if not broken. But it must be said in all truthfulness that this state has not had since Tweed's day such q shameless. corrupt and blackmailine body as that which adjourned yesterday It passed few good measures and the evils left behind were hardly up tc former averages. but for willingness tC engage in jobbery and to defend rascal ity in every form this legislature especially the assembly-stands pre- eminent ill tine annals of freebooting."
 The tax vote made out on Tuesday shows that the legislature has imposed the heaviest tax rate since 1875. Tn, , S3.o00,O00 more than last year and than any recent year. Governor Hill vii undoubtedly veto bills involving expen
 ditures of from Sl 100000 to S2,0O0, ,000 In the fight for transit facilities in New
 York city the Philadelphia street ca ,, syndicate has won everything it wanted and other projects, including Mayor
 Grants bill, were all killed. Ex-Senato
 Thomas c. Platt has put through mum Der of corporation and business bills il which he is interested, which are left il 7 the governors hand
 ! And yet. with this record of venality servility to corporations and shameless ! disregard of the public interest, we vii
 be told by the republican press, with al A the unction that would be used in talk ing to the marines, that the republican
 party is the party of the saints, that i, its ascendency alone is there hope fo ' the people and hope for the country ', The republican organs, as a rule, are s " utterly ,hide-bound In their partisan ;, ship, so utterly unable to discern rotter - ness in the putrid corruption of thei s se party, that it would come natural an "A aaSy to fhpm tO nick perfune from th