The record-union., 1894-04-21
new YORK POLITICIANS.
How Their Plans Are Working in the
Legislature.
Something About the Referendum and
How 1t Has Worked In
Switzerland.

Irregular Correspondence of REcoRD-UNIoN.l ]
NEW YORK, April S.-No matter how
variously hot, cold. and luke-warm other
things nowadays may blow, politics in
this State boils steadily on. Both in Leg
islation and in local agitation the toll and
trouble boil and bubble, advancing one
day to fall back the next. Some of the
results already achieved are good, others
show signs of the weakening of the strife
for better government. In all the COM
munities in the State the sense of good
government is growing stronger, and is
taking in some cases settled forms in or
ganization. I think it can be safely
stated that the rightness of bipartisan
voting and of bipartisan political exer-
ton in the open, is established and recog-
nized in New York. This is a great
though tardy advance in cities so ma
chine-ridden as New York and Brook
lyn. But the principle has been not only
morally accepted. it is incorporated into
the constitution of the reorganized DEM
ocratic party of Kings County Brook
lynn in requiring from every subscriber
the confession:
''1hat he accepts it as the true and set
tied doctrine of the Democratic party that
it is the duty of its mem bers in any COM
munity in municipal affairs first and
completely to serve the interests Of the
community, and to that end, if any po-
litical organization, whether or not bear
ing the Democratic name, shall nominate
plainly unfit candidates, or by other
methods clearly betray the interests of
the community, then TO agitate and vote
against such candidates and oppose such
methods. even if such course involve the
support for Office Of candidates Of another
political faith"
How far such utterance shall become
effective in operation, depends, OF course,
on how strongly they are followed up by
persistent effort and continued engage
ment in active politics by the class OF men
who say them. 1t is they who ar doing
all that is done; but it is as yet the poll
ticians by profession who are the agents.
And the question a district leader in New
York city asked me the other day is the
pertinent inquiry of everyone interested
for or against He wanted to know how
long these men would share with public
affairs their time and thought usually de-
voted entirely to private business. That
no one can answer; but the powerful in
tiuence of the disinterested non-poli-
ticians is practically such as to encourage
them TO unremltting diligence, and there
is Dut one lnulcaIlOn OF INTENDED Iubure
relapse into unconcerD.
l have said but little of the legislation
of the winter in this State. 1t has been
too confusing for hasty Interpretation.
But now that the session is drawing TO
close, some of the insignificant features
may be pointed out. The key to their
understanding is this same protracted
agitation for better government and
against corrupt organizations. At Al
bany, in both parties, but stronger in the
ranks of the Republican party, the re-
form element has found representatives.
They are keen young politicians, and
their youth is a matter worth writing a
paragraph about.
They are few and are new men in poll
tics. Assemblyman Sheffield is type.
He is a man about 80, with means, the
profession of law. a partnership in a
strong old firm and the promise of a
career outside of politics. 1t is signifi-
cant that he and others like him are now
in politics Tor the reason that Tammany
Hall and the old organization Repub-