The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-08-07
HOME RULE IN CITIES.
=
Constitutional Convention Takes
Up the Subject To-Day.
Mr.. Johnson Supports at Length tho
Committees Report.
Wouldn't Deprive the Legislature of
Its Sovereign Rights.

,By Associated Pressl
ALBANY, Aug. when the Cons;itu-
tional Convention met this morning
Messrs. Nostrand and Kinkel, newly
seated delegates from the Second Dis
| trict took the oath of office.
Mr.. Steele, of the Twentieth Senatorial
District, announced the death OF his
colleague Walter l.. Van Den Berg, OF
Amsterdam, and moved that a commit
tee of three be appointed to draft suit
able resolutions, and the Chair APP
pointed Messrs. Steele. Francis and Hol-
lis to draft such resolutions
4 The Convention went into Committee
of the Whole on the report OF the Com
mittee on Cities, on the proposed article
for home rule in cities. Mr.. johnson
presented several amendments Of a
technical nature, which he said were
designed to relieve possible ambiguity.
: The whole amendment as heretofore
published by the Associat ed Press was
consider 1t as a whole instead of by
sections.
Mr.. Johnson's technical amendments
were adopted, and then he launched
into a long description Of the methods
by which the majority report of the Com
mittee on Cities had been arrived at.
He said that it was believed that the
vance Of the present section, even
Of the Committee. It was time
charters OF cities more universal, for in
the cities 80 per cent. Of the entire pop
ulation of the State reside and 1t must
This conSention '"S was iesislstins ' for
and enormous growth Of the cities de-
shat should ESs aeGeH 1T The the
Cling with city charters by political
Home rule meant a constitutional
He believed that legislative home rule
was In the Constitution-,pows-b butt lay
with the Legislature only to grant home
was to give to municipalities : riSht 10
some respects to govern themselves and
yet not dismember the State by taking
The proposition by one member. Of
the Committee to forbid any legislative
interference In local matters. was. Mr..
ereign rights. il was proper, however,
to restrict the Legislature, because that
body would be governed by. the larg4
ones; In relation to the settling Of 81
elections are held. so as TO avoid s3-
by he c saf ,sat d b nas 9fsn and
State officers committees that they
would fix the elections on odd and even
years. 80 as to conform to this amend
ment.
Speaking OF the alleged politics. In
connection with the article, he said that
there were questions of political division
STATE o snd a aos IN City city sev.rnm en Afn
was the same, and it was only q ques-
T 1sRe tn the Gommittee had thought
It wise to divorce municipal elections
from National elec:ions so that aues-
Sns o Ss' Of %.n IN
troll.
Speaking OF the power given in the
on sustained charges. Mr.. johnson said
people to know hat Il MAYOR Who had
fused to remove him. the Governor could
Sheriff was really a police ofiicer. and II
@ +. noa ss s. r 4ss to 70
other police officers.
He referred to the removal Of the
Sheriff Of Erie as righteous outcome
OF that old law 1t was the duty OF the
State to protect it's citizens, and that
. was demonstrated when Gov: Flower
appointed a special District-Attorney to
II it was the duty of the State 10 pro-
tect, II was the duty OF the State to re-
move incompetent officers.
State interference, without party divi-
sion, had brought about the prosecution
OF the election frauds at Gravesend and
| sent the criminals TO jail, when the po-
lice became allies of the ballot-box stuff
fers The same was true In Troy, when
a similar state OF affairs existed. Thugs
and thieves.' he said. were brought
from New York to do this dirty work,
aud the police wnked at 1t In both
places"
Referring to the election clause and the
BIZ pa rtisan scheme for election officers
and inspectors, Mr.. johnson said that the
only solution OF the vexed question was
TO provide for a number of commissioners
TO be appointed each by his own party.
Whenever any great fraud had been
committed In elections II was because the
selection OF election officials or both ,po-
iitical faiths was left with one appoint
ton would obviate such a thing, and
would give fair count, a thing which
every Republican and every Democrat
| must agree to He believed this would
solve a vexed problem, and would In
fuse confidence among the people that
was now lacking.
President Choate. from the floor
asked why, If these reforms were abso..
iutely needed. the Committee had
merely left the matter OF regulatins
i, such abuse permissiye with the Legis-
Mr. Johnson held that It was made
ma ndatory by the first line. which read,
MINORITY and majority shall have
equal representation" and that the
form OF securing 1t only Iwas left per-
missiy0,