New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-23
NEW SAXTON BILL PASSED.
AMENDED BY THE SENATE AND ADOPTED
BY A PARTY VOTE.
Mr.. sAxroN vENoMoUsLY AssAILED By DEMO
CRATIC SENATORS FOR CONSERVING TA
AMENDMENTS URGED BY THE REPUB-
LICAN CAUCUs-HIs DIGNIFIED
REPLY-A WARM DEBATE.


Albany, April 22.-The Republican Senate TOT
the second time this session has passed Mr..
Saxton's Ballot-Reform bill. 1t has done SO in
spite of the bitterest Democratic opposition,
which grows stronger as Governor Hill perceives
that popular indignation over the monstrous
tyranny of the veto may yet him int
signing really good and useful measure. When
that INSCRIPTIONS official signifed last night his
august intention of approving the compromise"
bill, conceived in his own brain, and fashioned
by the cunning hand of his private legal adviser,
he knew well enough what the intimation i'm
piled. 1t implied that he was forcing the Re
publican ballot-reformers to an absolute surren'
der of some OF their best convictions; that ~
the open use of threats he was compelling them
virtually to abandon cherished principles, without
the minutest concession on his own part.
Mr.. Saxton, who is of the frankest as he
is the most earnest Of reformers, was persuaded
to accept the measure, not because he thought II
a good one, but because, as he told the Senate
to-day it the best the Governor would leu
the people have. lie promised to'do his utmost
to secure its passage, and asked TO have 1t iald
over until to-day TO give his associates time 70
examine it, For this he has been maligned with
venom that would be unreasonable in any case.
and that in his case is simply outrageous
The Republican leaders. naturally enough az
caucus held last night decided that there could
be no compromise where the concessions are all
on one side They discovered that the . COM
promise" bill had been ingcniously framed TO con-
ceal some deeplaid Democratic schemes for getting
al voters and to perpetuate by law the frauds
that are now carried against the law Cnde-
tered by fears of the taunt that they were try.
ing to put the Governor in hole" they actually
- h. hard 70 rpfu 70
themselves Mr.. Saxton, recognizing the force OF
their objections offered to have the bill modified.
and courageously presented the amendments In
the Senate this morning himself.
The result was the most exciting debate OF the
session. and the most significant display Of Demo
cratic spite at the defeat of an artful plan ana
iubilation over the chance that the Governor may
vet find preteXt for cheating the people out OF
nuch-needcd reform. Mr.. Jacobs. OF Brooklyn.
whose friends think he ought by right to lead
the minority, has rubbed elbows with The Cover
nor long enough TO have acquired an accurate
knowledge of his thought any given subject
The Senator has kept pretty quiet so far tins ses-
sion: but when he fully realized that the Dill was
not TO 20 through precisely as the Governor de-
sired he arose in wrath on the Senate noor ana
sought TO strike terror 10 Mr. SaXtons soul oy
askinQ that gentleman what he meant last Friday
| by announcing, on Dendu VI hio "oo'~i"~S' N-~'
the bill was satisfactory to all parties
| Il never announced that protested MI
Saxton. in astonishment. l simply said
| ,houobt the bill was the best we could get, and
| that I should present it, and endeavor to get
| it passed
On this Mr. Jacobs drew out OF his vesc
| nocket n Ginning containing Mr.. Saxton's letter
| 70 the committee Of the Balot-Reform League.
which The Tribune published this morning. This
letter 1lr. Jacobs read with denuncatory en-
nbasis When he reached the sentence in which
Mr. Saxton describes the bill as embracing every
nrincinle for which we have been long con-
tending" he raised his voice SO that the Gov-
srnor himself if he had been listening might
have heard it, at the other end of the CAPITOL
you will notice." said Mr.. SaXton, mildly,
that that letter refers solely TO the question Oh
separate ballots
1T says the bill contains every principle for
| which you have been contending,' shouted MI.
| Jacobs shaking the clipping at him
AS to separate ballots, yes but SO far as that
GOES I do believe that the bill. while it
doesn't do every thing, would be very long step
| in advance of the present statute" his, Of
| course is faint praise
| You said in the letter that you would usa
every honorable effort TO pass the bill unamended.
You must have known that Republican caucus
was to be held upon it when you asked us last
night to let it go over until to-day.
Il knew nothing OF the kind.
"Theu the Senators must have taken you very
little into their confidence
Il had not heard that there would be a caucus.
Simply wanted to give my colleagues a chance
to examine it.
or course such a close friend Of the Governor
as Mr. Jacobs not to be pacilied By any such
straightforward explanation. and he began TO
abuse Mr. SaNton for wickedly embarrassing the
Governor by acting on the expressed convictions
Of his Republican associates, instead of trucking
70 the designs of the arch-schemer in the EXecu-
tive Chamber. Mr. Jacobs's confession, however.
that he did not believe in balot-reform i'll prin-
ciple shows Just how much his opinion IN the
matter was worth. You have deuded the sharp
Governor of the State into corner, he said. In
a rhetorical wndup, but fortunately you dld
not get him into "A hole. You VIII lind yoursen
in much bigger hole than you ever dug Tor
him, or than you ever found prepared for yourself
in the past. | believe the Governor VIII be
equal TO the emergency, repudating this infamous
trick upon the people, which is designed 10 destroy
every attempt at ballot reform, and To Dulld up
the wayering fortunes of the Republican party
upon TIE failure to enact law whlch mlsns
hiring honesty into the election of many of our
constituents
IT, is instructive TO compare with this fiery
defamation Mr. Cantor's righteous wrath against
the Republicans for being hndered by suspicion
Of the Governors craft from going straight aheAo
with the consideration Of the measure on AZ
merits.
Wien the matter first came up. Mr.. Saxton
said
I may as well explain something about tnis measure
There were recollect three objections uiscu W VA"
o,.rnor To the bill which he vetoed one oi ucin was
. ., the manner OF elccting the baliotcerhs' IhAs
ras [ think entirely ob,iatcd by the amehui'eh's haos
IN this bill as IL originally came from the eohi'tee
Another objection was that the bill provided Tor ballots
,Ir,ng m. name, Of more candidates FOR particular
office than there persons 10 be elected That Is
no objected to what is commonly called the blanket" "
Inllot the ballot adopted in Massachusetts, In Rhode
island and Indiana and various other States. The
;overnor insisted that that was unconstitutional OF
cour IL is not necessary for me to 90 into mis- reasons
thought his arguments were composer oil sueh stuu
Of and Wer rely