New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-28
SID TEIChS IL ALHHNI.

Us an exhibition OF pilIHI lnfdpdCHH dHh
cXa>pclaling pari>1nship the conduct OF the
Democratic leaders 1T Albany with regard 10
the bill Siimmoning the Constitutional Con-
vonion j. unique. Lacking the clcverne>s 10
draw Il bill To serve their greedy and unfair
ends without either bringing down on them
The rage Of the small minority paltieS that they
started ont Ia cheat or IN adverse decision by
the courts ~ 10 its cOnSiirilonllIty. they have
twisted and plunged tnkcrcd and cui until
nobody can figure ont the kind or quality OF
their final monstrosiiy Their leaders. Cantor
AMI McCleland in the Senate. with >hcchan
10 inspire. and Suzer, Quieley and " Tim
sullivan in the House have no conception 81
any other way To accomplish things than by
brute force They receive their orders from
Hill. Croker. Murphy. >hcchan or the Gov
crnor. a the case may be- all these having
agreed and then they order 4 call Of the House,
obtain II clear majority OF their own party.
lock them n and, without permitting debate,
they whip their bill through under tho claim
that it j. "a patty measure. How 1t came
10 be- a .arty measure and who made II so are
lnoSionS they never answer nor allow Their
followers to discuss The voice that speaks
through Cantor and sulzer is held to be the
voice Of Hill. Croker and Murphy III unison
and ~ Democrat may venture ID inquire, pro
test or hesitate. He i there To do ~ he Is
told and he 81 understands. lie understands
also that If he shows the slightest tendency 10
do otherwise he will never be there again.
In this situation Republican members can
do LITTLE else than stand around with disgust
in their faces. uttering monosyllabic protests
II * not permitted them to debate and if il
were. what would be the gain Of debating?
Mr. Erwin. Mr. OConnor and Mr.. Saxton in
tbe Senate. Mr.. Malby. Mr. Fish and Mr.. Aims
worth in the Assembly are all men OF unusual
ability. both as debaters aud As parliamentary
tacticans There is not Democrat IN either
House who is worth comparing with any one
of these But with seventeen partisan votes
in the Senate and sixty -five in the Assembly
As quickly and nnthinkingly responsive to the
command of the Democratic leader rs the click
Of the telegraph instruments OH given circuit
to the tap Of the operator, legislation at Al
bany has become farce. aud honest members
can do little else than sit in their seats saying
ave or no rs the roll is called. and wondering
whether it can be possible that the people
really know TO what degradation representative
government in the State of NcwI Ork has
come. and. knowing. actually prefer it
This constitutional Convention bill was passed
a wear ago under circumstances which amount
TO a confession that its original form was inn
parted to il as an elcctiOneering scheme 10 win
the favor Of the small minority parties and
with the deliberate intention OF finally cheat
ing them. II promised representation 10 these
parties by executive appointment. but no soon
or had il served this inSncere purpose than the
Democratic leaders discovered such provisions
to be unconstitutional, and at once they set
about TO devise methods by which they could
ich for themselves the seats they had pledged
10 the Populists the SuffragiSts. the Socialists.
the Labor men and the Prohibitonisis.. Three
times in this effort they have introduced new
bills. each offered by their officially stamped
leaders, each proclaimed to be ga party meas
ure" each declared in turn to be the final
Judgment of their abest legal minds, each
rushed through without permitting examination
or debate. without needing Republican protests
or advice, and each brought back by themselves
and confessed to be illegal or otherwise faulty
without the faintest appearance of shame or
the smallest acknowledgment of incapacity
Their prime object in all this tlickery they
have always frankly avowed. 1t is to make a
bill which can be upheld by the Court of APP
peas while assuredly giving them partisan
in the convention. Their latest en-
bodiment Of this design has been supervised in
its structure by Isaac ii. Maynard, who con-
tinues on the bench Of the Court of Appeals to
hold the position Governor Hill described as
counsel T. the Democratic party" Maynard has
flouted in the faces of his brethren Oh the bench
and of the public, that he is proud of his act
in stealing legal election return in order that
an illegal one might he counted and fIaudu-
lent Democratic Senate created. lie il proud,
We dare say of his skill in dcvising bills by
which public sentiment may he cheated in the |
of the Constitutional Convention. |
But the things that make Maynard proud make |