New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-11

a GENERAL election ought not 10 be encumpeIeu VIZ,
nuestjon which would lead TO the use oil 50 mulls
hboryent forces as have characterized In the pass
ali general elections wherein the liquor ln.et 60
were particularly involved Inc hepuDIc csas,s of
ote fell IN was more important TO the interests 81
the ncople of this State that this question sn9uIu
be considered by itself and that the fa eec.Ions
of State officers should he spared the intrusion VI
such forces as disgTaced the Democrauc Uupei to
| torial campaigns Of 's5 and 49, than that phe
| question of mere cost should control. ....d
The next claim is for credit for having pascc.u
hill fixing the legal rate OF interest az per cen,
instead Of per cent There is no disputing sne
fact that the Democratic Assembly dld pass una u;
| bill What its ultimate fate would nave oeen II III
the Senate there is no means OF deterIplnlng mus
| much as public discussion Of this Dill was snuo
| off by the deadlock initiated and continued oy
| the direct orders Of Governor Hill -
| The next claim for credit is for the record OF
| the Assembly on the excise question. Inc aItl,
! tude of the Governor and his policy as pulsuieu
| in the Assembly are too well known 10 requiL Ie
| discussion In every act OF this winter on t lhe
| part of the Democratic majority in the Assembly
| there is written, distinctly that he VINO runs
read the fact that evgy eoft Of the
| ton 1t would be o. great loss TO the oeleniSSeF
of the canal ring TO be deprived OF the cohtriou-
tions Of the members OF the wh t c ns that the
| Assembly passed a bill authorizing the Boards
| az Supervisors to make the offices of County
Clerk and Sheriff in the deTe9t GO cSuh nnbf nj
| pediency at the best. The Senate, however. ulu
! not refuse to adopt the measure, 1t never came
before
has been made, from fees to salaries, the result
| has not been satisfactory. ,,
{. The next claim for credit is that the Assembly
passed bill compelling railroad corpOfa t +b 10
Assembly is entitled TO all the credit which SUCH
measure deserves. No body Of railroad employees
S Ss 10 M nar 1i interest in the same
1.-THE Governor makes further claim for credit
because there passed the Assembly, without ais
senting vote from either side Of the House, II
resolution to amend the Constitution so as 10
refer contested elections TO courts, rather tlan 70
legislative bodies This resolution passed the Sen
ate by the aid of ten Republican votes. Some
Republican Senators voted against it, on the
ground that the Legislatures ought TO retain
their mmemorial privileges; that it was novel
suggestion, behind which was no great nor lntelii-
The next claim for credit is that the Demo.
cratic Assembly passed a so;caled Freedom OF
ernor forgets that Republican Senate IN 1883
passed similar bill. The Freedom OF Worship
bill this year was prevented discussion In the
Senate, as the Governor well knew, by the dead
lock- When the manifesto says that this bill was
repeatedly urged by Democratic Senators, the mani
festo lies. The bill was called for and urged by
Republican Senators.
1.-THE next claim. il it means anything at all, is
that the Democratic Assembly claims credit for
having killed the bill making appropriation for a
proper representation of New-York State at the
Worlds Fair TO be held in Chicago in 1893. The
consideration OF this bill unreasonably delayed
in the Assembly, and then it was amended and
DaSSpd after
gun, when it was evident to everyone that If
amended at all in the Assembly it would certainly
fail Of passage This bill was defeated beceuse
the Commission, as provided by the senate, was
n reasonably non-partisan Commission, and it was
further defeated through Tammany spite.
The next paragraph Of the manifesto under
takes to give credit to the Democratic Assembly
for bills which were introduced and passed by
Republicans: notably, Senator Saxton's Ballot
Reform bills, Mr.. Ackers bill for State Care of
Dependent Insane. Senator Stewards Police Ma
IL Co ITrix- opcift
tension bill
"The next paragraph of the manifesto contains
q living statement bf the causes and circumstances
surrounding the Senate deadlock. The Republi-
can Senators proposed, under the provisions of the
Constitution to institute parliamentary inquiry
into the management of the canals and appur-
tenances thereof, with view TO determining
| whether the same could be improved, and whether
| the revenues which were now derived from them
! could not be enlarged and whether greater
economy could not be instituted. This inquiry
was to be made by Senate committee composed
of Senators Laughlin, Erwin, Sloan and Sheard, OF
the Republicans, and Senators Cantor McNaugh-
ton and Collins, of the Democrats. There were
no proposals made by the Democrats to secure a
more fair or more partisan, investigation than
| must of necessity have resulted had thus com
/
| Senate desired. The first proD0slt0n whch was
| urged was that the Assembly Committee ON Canals
be added to the Senate Committee on "a oan as
| which would have resulted in q committee con-
| tanning ten Democrats and eight Republicans
| This was the first proposition for non-partlsan
investigation The next proposition fq Ga, nIonpard
| name five business men to conduct The lnVeslga
ton it being perfectly evident that II ne could
name them, all their actions would be comparison
enough to meet his wishes and approval. Finally,
the Speaker of the Assembly, whose own honor
| had been impeached in connection with the man
agement of the canals, appointed committee ~
the Assembly TO investigate the canals, composed
of five Democrats and two Republicans. lhe
| record of the Governor and his followers In theI
frenzied efforts to prevent proper Investigation
| into the doings Of the canal ring is one OF the
most disgracefu pages in the recent history OF the
Democratic party in this State. The behavior Of
the Governor was fantastic in the extreme. lie
| caused bis orators in the Senate to object to al
| Investigation on the grounds: First-Ihat In
vestigations expensive and fruitless second
That the committee was partisan thlrdLInal
| committees of q single branch OF the Legislature
were of doubtful legality fourth-Ihat ne com
mittee should be permitted TO Investigate durin'
the heat of a campaign; hfth-ihat no specihh
| charges properly authenticated, had been mad
against the management and control OF th
canals. He finished the struggle by alloWlhg Gn
Democratic majority of the Assembly 10 auuhoII1
the Speaker 10 appoint six committees, OF seVei
each 10 be composed of five Democrats ana wv
Republicans, TO Investigate in six different dlrec
tions without limit as TO tune or expense, am
in violation of every one of the objections urge
bv the Democratic orators in the Senate. Ihl
performance so silly, and 50 fatal, that eve
the Speaker saw that it would not do Tor mn
10 carry out fully his powers, and so he con
soIdated these six committees into two.
THE WORK OF THE FASsETT COMMITTEE
1.-The manifesto winds up by assailing the worl
Of the Fassett Investigating Committee and &C
cusing it of political blackmail. This commute
thoroughly ventilated the Sherifs office OF New
York City, showed the corrupt relations oetwee
Hugh Grant and Richard Croker and the 5000
'Flossie gift. 1t entirely revolutionized the ad
ministration of the Sherifs office, all its patron
will cheerfully testify. It cleaned out Lpdlo0
Street Jail 1t secured the dismissal Of two milk IN
spectors who were shutting their eyes to the sal
of poisonous milk. II thoroughly exposed the En-
| else Department TO be, IN the language OF on
of its own members, a bowling farce 1t JUS