New-York tribune., 1894-04-07
THE PROVIDENT LOAN BILL.

II the bill to Incorporate the Provdent Loan
Society of New York has made some progress
I'm the Legislature this week it has not maue
nearly enough and its prospects are still doubt
ful This bill has been badly treated. Its pur
nose Is TO establish an institution OF great Dene
fit 10 the poor OF this city and espccialiy 10 'he
most deserving OF them. There is no sciiish
disposition behind il, nor n possibility OF harm
I'm any Of It's provisions This plan or creailhS
4 pawnbrokcrage establishment, under cohdi-
tIons assuring on the one hand, temporary as
sistance on equitable terms 10 persons ncodlne
., ,sh and able 10 give security for small loans
oud ON the other hand. only such n moderate
r.turn upon the capital invested as would guar
antcc the stability Of the undertaking. was con
cclycd bv Il number of the most publlcsplr1ted
citizens Of Ncw-York. They had IA Dill dral'en
10 enable them to put their disinterest"d scheme
into execution and though ii was thought oil
before the special distress OF the last winter
deyclopcd and was expected 10 remain In use
ful opcration after present conditions had dlS-
nnncarc,l nevertheless there was strong ue
sire that II should be promptly passed III re-
suonsr to an unusual demand. The local au-
thoritics appcnred 10 be at first well disposed
toward II. and nobody imagined that 1t could
he successfully antagonizcd at Albany. But
woek after week excuses for delay have been
found th, end of the session is approaching,
and the best that can be- said for the bills pros
pccts is that it will probably be considered 10y
Il Conference Committee next week.
To the unSnspicious and uniformed this I'M
houpy delay may seem mysterious. But In re-
ality there Is no mystery about II. The blll
has been tossed about and finally brought into
its nrcscnt condition only because Tanmany
Hall and the pawnbrOkcrs Of the city want to
beat II: the pawnbrokcrs because It's enactment
would diminish their power 10 bleed the ul-
fortunate. and Tammany Hall because II derives
, large revenue from those blOodsuck"rs and
las accepted a special contribution for special
nctivity I'm their behalf at This time. That the
nownbrokers have also sent money directly 10
Albany to be distributed there for their benefit
Is altogether probable. since contract signed
in this city is less certain of fulhmcnt than 1t
was last wear. This IS why the bill has been
niustly hampcrcd all these weeks, ana II 1t
finally fails this will be- the reason
Now. we should like TO know if the Repub
lIcon majority in the Legislature enjoy being
manipulated in this manner, either with or
without il full comprehension on their part OF
the forces which are at work among them
We should hate 10 believe that there Is a kc-
publlcan in either branch of the Legislature
who is either SO shameless rs To dickcr corrupfly
for the defeat Of this measure or so silly as 10
suppose that 1t is good politics 10 please TAM
many Hall by serving the rapacouS pawn
brokers Of this city. But we say plainly TO the
Senators and Asscmbymcn. who can pass the
bill If they choose. that If they do not choose
every intelligent citizen will know by what
sort of influence it was defeated.