New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-27
PRICE THREE CENTS.
ANOTHER PLAN PRESENTED.
HOT DEBATE IN THE SENATE AND AS
SEMBLY.
THE BOSSES FOR THE FOURTH TIME INTRODUCE
A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION BILL

Albany, Jan 26-Another bill for the holding
OF a Constitutional Convention was presented TO
the Legislature to-day by Governor Flower.
Observation-Disclosures Shcehan, Senator Cantor
and Speaker Suzer. This is the third bill these
men have submitted 20 the Legislature the present
year, in which they have endeavored to bring
about the holding Of Constitutional Convention
Twice they have failed; once early in the ses-
sion. and again the first OF the week. On each
of these occasions they drew up bill which the
Judges of the Court of Appeals confdentially
told the Governor they would have to pronounce
unconstitutional il brought before them as laws.
There has not in recent years been more striking
evidence of the lack of legal ability among the
men whom the Democratic party puts In high
Office and sends to the Legislature.
Tho bill submitted to-day received its final
touches it is said, at the hands Of Judges Earl
and Maynard, OF the Court of Appeals This Is
beginning lawmakng at a singular point, namely.
the court Of last resort which passes upon the
constitutionality OF laws. Will Judges Earl and
Maynard feel ii incumbent upon them to affirm the
constitutionality of the bill about to be passed
regarding the Constitutional Convention because
they have had hand in its preparation, and
although they are inwardly convinced that the
law is unconstitutional
The new bill provides for the election Of fifteen
ucleSutcS-dt-IdTSc anu OF i've uelegIteS from edCu
of the thirtytwo Senate districts of the State
for the election Of l75 delegates in all to the
Constitutional Convention which is to meet in
May. 1894. There is provision for the elec-
tion of representatives of the Prohibition, the Peo-
plc's and Socialist-Labor parties, which between
them cast 6 600 votes at the last election. An
amendment made 10 the bill, however, TO-
day, which graciously permits the voters to elect
women delegates to the Convention to represent
the Woman Suffrage party. The bill says that
the electors may elect a delegate any male or
female citizen Of this State above the age Of
twenty-onc years. Regarding the number Of
delegates, the bill says:
The number Of delegates such convention shall be
I75 hundred sixty thereof shall e elected BY Sen.
districts and shall be known district delegates Zach
Senate district shall be entitled fvo district deeQates
Fifteen delegates shall be elected for the state atarge
and shall be known delegates atargc. Each person
entitled by law TO vote for Member OF Assembly such
election shall be entitled TO vote thcieat for district
delegates ard fifteen deegatesatarse in his election
district and not elsewhere. The five persons receiving
the highest number district delegates In each
Senate district shall be elected district delegates The
meen persons receiving the highest number OF
In tho State for dcgaes.ntlatge shall ted dele.
gatcsatarge
There was a hot dcbate in both the Assembly
and the Senate the bill. The Assembly first
took up the measure.
Tic fight in tho Assembly began early this
morning with call of the House on the motion
of the Democratic leader This was sprung upon
the, Assembly during the reports Of committees
when the amended Constitutional Convention
bill was waiting to De handed in from tho
Judiciary Committee !, special meeting Of the
committee called for 10 O'Clock this morning
to take up the bill The committee meeting was
a formal one only. The Democratic members
voted, as they were ordered to do in favor of the
bill, and the Republicans voted against the re-
port Of the bill as it then stood.
The discussion on the bill was begun by Mr..
Ainsworth, who noved that the Assembly refuse
TO concur in the amendments that had been made
in the Assembly committee lthe Maynard amend
ments), and to amend it so as to provide for the
election of dclcgate-at-argc from each Senate
District In support of his amendment Mr..
Ainswortl said he supposed that it was the pur-
pose of the majority TO pass the bill to-day, but
he could see no good for such extreme
haste This bill was far from being fair one.
The bill which last came from the Senate was
fair measure and would have been supported ny
him, but he could not support bill OF TINS
character lie told the Democrats that alter they
threw the sop TO the Woman's Suffrage party, the
Prohibition party and the Peoples party last iail
by passing a bill in the preceding spring providing
that the Governor should appoint delegates from
those n,rtics 10 represent them in the convcn-
tim in came "A bill at the opening Of the session
Of the LEGISLATURE repeating that feature OF 'ho
hill Ihcn came Il bill which was SAID 10 oe All
rinht and it was iammcd through without tihe
for debate or examination. liat, t'o' was P''''"
% bo unconstitutional. and another bill was pre-
n,rcI This bill WAS presented Dy oeha'or
UrN,hon. who declared when he presented IL
tlx, snfie III,
..ooontod five amendments to 1T wlthin Ten
,,,;a,,tos artcr he had introduced it. The whole
d of tho measure now was to make IL cer'iu
chm, thc Democrats would have majority IN the
ncyt Constitutional Convention.
,, oi,,ov s,id a few words in defence OF tne
~, I'D eor about the third time declared that
,ho hill then before them was the only consul
.,,;on,I hill that could be passed. lie did not
san,o thinr with all the other bills as they
came along. =,
NJ N,Ibv rcplicd 20 Mr. Qniglcy. lie salo
:. u.s uo wonder that the members oi TIE AS
scmbIy were mystiiicd and did not know "ha'
to do There had never been any DOUBT III '"e
minds OF those who made up the majority 40
IN tho corIstitutionaliy OF each DIE ina. '"eS ''
.,osnn,od 70 net around the Constitutional Con-
ycntion problem or this they were aiways ."
.n,c that they pushed tho bills through w''hous
''t, ., ono On the minority side an opp0e
unity either 10 examine or TO diS'"sS '"'" 0
any lcnsth "AlI that We have been DOING '"'s
session. he added, is 10 20 back ana cof'e''
tho mistakes that were made at the iast scs-
sion of The Legislature Oh account oil t'e "dse
that was pursued IN getting the hiiis ''''"en
,bcr Each one Of these bills was 'ra"h 'o'
tho single purpose Of giving the D"moc'a"o
marty an unjust representation IN tho Consttu'iohai
Canycntion First there was the bill Of last
,.,r ,L,t had In IT, the ridiculous proposition
that thc Governor could appoint representatives
Et after il had served its purpose before the last
election. it suddrrly vas ascer'alncd by the Dem-
ocrats that it was not constitutional to DO this'
That bill was. as YOU all rccoll"rt. Jumped through
Lcfore we had an opportunity TO "Aaminc H. l
L. l4.il llle l0r lh0