New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-18
1T LOOKS LIKE BRIBERY.
SURPRISING STRENGTH BEHIND THE AQUE-
DUCT CLAIMS
RUSHING THE ARBITRATION BILL THROUGH AT
fly TELEGRAPH To THE TRiBuSE.I

ALBANY-TAMMANS HYPOCRISY
tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TNBrNEl
Albany. April lit would seem mat inc ne"
Aqucduct Of ew-York is to be an endless source OF
scandal Almost every Legislature tiat mas had
anything to do with it has diShonored its record If
it had a good one before. The present legislature
despite the protest Of Mayor Grant OF commissioner
GilrOv, Of the Department Of Public Works; OF Con-
trOller Myers, of Corporation tounSeI 'arh' ana "l
all the members of the Board OF Aquednct commits
sioners against the bill creating special boards OF
arbrators to decide upon the claims Of the Aque
duct contractors against the city Of New York. Is
about to pass the measure. The claims amount al
a minimum. to S6,OOO.OOO, but as was Acknowledged
by Mr. Lovctt. the counsel Of O'Bricn Clark before
the Senate Judiciary Committee few days ago, they
may amount to S9OOO.OO0. bill involving New
York City in such an enormous debt As S9oooooo
might be expected to be considered with great care
and elaboration 10y Legislature. Upon the contrary
il has been rushed through the Legislature as though
il were rcasurcCar Of stolen gold. There are all
the signs that the lightning speed with which 1t ha'
been carried through the legislature has been &C
complishcd by the direct bribery of members The
indifference OF the members Of the Legislature To In"
solemn protest against the bill Of the city
officials. printed in today's Tribune and other New
York spapcrs is significant sisn Of the corrLp
ton that must have been prevalent in order 10 bring
about such state Of feeling. Yet il cannot be SAID
that Hugh J. Grant. Mayor Of New York and Official
head Of the Tammany Hall organization, deserves
tho slightest credit his protest. Why is II that
senators Brown KOesch and >tadler. Of the 1ammanl
Hall organization voted for the bill in the senate
Tuesday night and furnished sufficient votes to pass the
infamous measure. if the organization itself did not
secretly desire the bill 10 pass IL had nineteen vote,
and seventeen votes required. Their votes
therefore passed the bill. only Tammany Hall
senator voted against it. namely senator Ives. and
senator. Mr. Cantor. sat on one Of the benches
of he e md / IL
therefore. that Hugh j. Grant a. Tammany Hall
Boss" desired that the bill should pass. but that
Hugh J. Grant. Mayor Of New York and posing as
vrtuous Official. desired the bill beaten.
But there a umpus in the newspapers over tho
matter. and therefore senator Cantor this morning
moved in the senate that the vote by which the bill
was passed should be reconsidercd. Mr.. Cantor
evidently desired 10 impress the public with belief
that his lassitude Tuesday night when the bil
was passed accidental paralysis. lie and Mr..
Ives therefore voted 10 reconsider the vote by which
the bill passed. But d" Boss" Grant was not so
foolish as to throw all his Tammany Hall votes IN The
same direction Senators Brown and >iadlcr did not
vote senator Rocsch -touty opposed the adoption %
senator CantOr's motion. How sad it t.
tee these Tammany Hall brethren differing and
Hoss7 Grant helpless 10 put stop to their disscn.
sion senator Cantor's motion to reconsider was
beaten by vote Of - to - The vote Is given Dee
low, and politicians had better paste it in their hats.
Of New York
Yeas-Me,srs. Ahesrn. Cantor. Fassett. Hendricks.
Hunter, Ives, Jacobs, McCarren and saNton-3.
NsysMessrs Birkett. Cogseshail. Collins Dcane Don
aldsor. Emerson, Hawkins Laughn. O'Connor Robert
son. Roesch. Sloan, Van Goider and Nodder-4.
The attention Of the Tammany Hall Committee
Discipline is respectfully called to senators siadlcr.
Brown and Rocsch and also senator Cantor. be'a
Of his stdpor on Tuesday night.
II comical episode that while the Tammany
ff- ~t,fI
Of the Tammany Hall Assemblymcn wa, exhibiting an
amu-ingy hypocrtca letter from the Tammany Hall
Counsel to the Corporation urging HIM 10 vote against
the BILL Honest John Connolly also caused 10 read
to TIE A. mbls the memorial 10 the l. ,!-li'lrc agan-t
The A1nodIct Clam bill pclaed n> Mayo "rant. ON
iIo-DIcl 'rH"i, corporation. 'D.A.' 'iafn and flc
Aqncduct Commissioners. The Assembly ni,n listened
10 The docuhcnt ith much appl"nt Interest although
the Iammany Hall A.s,nbltInen. ,ln,ulally 'nou-h
laughed loudly, a. though they thought the ocgnent
his Afternoon the Aqueduct Cain b,ll was con
sdcrcd by tie Assembly Committee Oh C!uc,. This
i, example Of the way the bill la, been "cAp-
ditcd.' Mr. AndFus. the chairman ~ Tie committee
morning the city authorities were warned bN tc.c
graph that there W"sd be a hearing OF the Til o.
day. That j., III involving au expenditure ~
over S9OOOpOC by the cry 81 No" f"rh wa, 10 De-
considered by the committee only Two da,-. ~
city OF Ncw-YOrk represented Al the hearing hi
D. J. Dean, First Assistant Corporation Ccun.el ana
by Aquciuct Commissioner SCOTT. The Aqu"fu'i
o'Bren. one Of the Aqueduct contractors. was pro
eii Mr.. Dean made strong argument against ~"
II.
\ speech in favor Of the bn made by Nj.
lOvctt. He repeated the statements he mad" before
the senate JUDICIARY Committee, which have already
been printed by The Tribune.
Aqueduct Commissioner scott said that II III"
Commission had been in fault AT all IL Wa, FOR
being too lcncnt, not too severe.
Following the hearing the Committee on Citics a.
once went into executive session the iii. 81
course the Aqucduct contractor, desired immediate
action on this trihing bill Of $3oo0Ooo. A-,cmDll
man Fish, having been Agu-duct COMM -i"icf
once. thought il would be idclcatc for MIN =" vote
the bill. Mr.. Andris IN" chairman 81 TIE com
mticc. also RETAINED from catching hold OF Ied
hot stove. and declined to vote. Assembly men ilOiS
and llumcnthal. Of New York, ard Sdunf'rs ~.
Rensselaer, County, voted 10 report the b.'
ADV cIscy. But there enough VOC, present 10
report the bill fayOiahly. and these were |-t bf
GARDENER Of Columbia White Of OhonGaga gibbs 90
New York Weed. Of Brooklyn, Hit. Of Albany. ana
Dnkc~p Of New York The favorable report on
the bill VIII be submitted 10 the Assembly :" morrow"
with Assemblvmeh HOag, saunders and Blnmen'hal
recorded ~ d. entiug.
II struck me-" said Mr.. Saunders tonight. - maj
this bill contained too many millions 10 report III
q hurry
How will the Tammany Hall Assenblymcn vote
Oh il