New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-31
THE WORLD'S FAIR BILL.

Issue was definitely joined at Albany yesteG-
day between the Senate and the Assembly as
to the Worlds Fair bill. The Assembly passed
the original bill on Tuesday the Senate added
twenty-fou new names to the list OF incor-
porators on Wednesday and passed the blll
thus amended the Assembly yesterday struck
out these names, constituting the Senate amend
ment. and the Senate voted not to concur.
The result was a temporary deadlock, ana
conference committees from the two houses
were at once appointed. .,
Two grounds of opposition to the passage oH
the bill have been stated, namely, doubt OF lt}
constitutionality and suspicion OF Its dlsln-
terestedness. The former objection apphes
equally to the original and to the AMENDED
form. THE TRIBUNE emphatically justified
those members of the Legislature who refused
last Friday to vote for measure of which they
knew nothing but its general purport. They
did exactly right when they demanded time to
consider its provisions, and the clamor raised
against them was indecent. We repeat, more
over, what we have already affirmed that
members who have opposed the bill because
they were convinced that it was uncdnstltu-
tional are to be praised for frmness rather than
denounced for obstinacy, and that so long as
they remained convinced of this they had a
COMPLETE answer to make to every appeal to
withdraw their opposition. Moreover, I'VE have
not thought that there was much use IN the at
tempt to overcome their scruples on this point
nor has it been practically important to do So
The record of votes has shown that there were
very few of them The opposition developed
in the Assembly yesterday, which resulted In
throwing out the Senate amendment, cannot
have had anything to do with the question OF
constitutionality, for there is no difference on
that score between the original bill and the
bill as amended. 1t follows, therefore, that
all but two or three Of sixty eight Assembly
men, including eighteen Republicans, who voted
against the inclusion of twenty-four new In
corporators must have been convinced that
politics in an Objectionable form had been IN
troduced into the measure. 1t was not to be
expected that discussion OF this point IN
Conference Committee would fail to disabuse
some minds at least of any such impression
1t is unfortunate that the Tammany machine
has earned a dstrust so general and profound
as to injure and impenl any great public enter
prise. the control of which it has succeeded in
securing But such is the fact, and 1t could
not be honestly or prudently ignored and for
gotten in the popular enthusiasm over the plan
for Worlds Fair. 1t was for the purpose
of taking politics at once and forever out OF
the project that the new incorporators were
added to the original list. Tammany is dis
tinguished by an inherent incapacity to bring
any great public work to completion in thor
ough, prompt and economical manner. We
have no thought of imputing to Mayor Grant
any unworthy design in the selection OF men
to represent the community in this undertake
ing, but experience has proved that when the
organization OF which he is the figurehead sees
an opportunity for selfish manipulation, it is
compelled, sooner or later, by the very laws OF
its being to grasp and employ it.
The Conference Committees which met last
evening failed to agree. When they meet
again to-day they will doubtless be more har-
monious 1t is clear that the bill as amended
in the Senate should be passed by the Legis-
lature and passed promptly. No Republican
ought to give aid or encouragement to any fur
Their attempts to obstruct its passage, but the
entire responsibility for delaying or endanger-
ing the measure should be placed where it be-
longs, on Tammany and her allies.