New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-12
THE STATE SENATE OF 1896.
PROSPECTS OF REFORM UNDER THE NEW
APPORTIONMENT.

DETERMINED WARFARE TO nE wAdEp
AGAINST coGGEsHAII. DONALDSON. nAiNEs'
PARSONS AND OTHER SENATOR'S WHO
BETRAYED THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AT ALBANY LAST SESSION.
frnoM rnn REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE rninuSE'l
Saratoga. July n.-Whatevcr may have been the
dcsres or expectations OF the leaders of the Con
st,utionai Convention OF 1893. portion OF their
work promises to have In practice more vital ana
potent influence on the political life ~ the state
than the much disputed amendment submitted sepa-
ratcly. which enlarged and reapportioncd repre-
sentation In the two branches OF the Legislature
Opposed by many substantial interests III Dom
political parties. and submitted. after much h'"i'a
ton. as mere adjunct to the general scheme Oh
revision. the new apportionment won Its way I'M
aided at the polls. and now. by one OF the sudden
whirgigs OF political sentiment 1t finds Itself des
tined. apparently. to popular acceptance as the
Constitutional Conventions most signal cohuip"-
ton to the reform OF the vItiated political system
so long in vogue In this State
That the effect on legislation OF the enlargement
Of representation in both houses will be strkingy
purifying and wholesome cannot for moment De
doubted. The abnormay contracted membership
of the State Senate has been for years past one OF
the pregnant sources OF perversion and corrup
ton at Albany. the ease. rapdity and stealth Win
which Legislation could be conducted In so small a
DOuy tenulHS GRADUALLY 10 convert tHdt pi"'''" "
the Legislature from popular representative as
sembly into mere automatic machine for register
ing the DEGREES OF irresponsible political power
without and beyond 1t. In body where nine men,
through the coercion OF caucus or by means OF
covert alliances with the opposition. were In Il
position to control absolutely all Legislative action
nothing bu, the keenest OF individual responsi-
biy could be depended upon to lift legislation OF
any sort above corrupt or purely personal and sell
shr level But little or no sense OF responsibility was
found to weigh upon the average representative oil
so enormous and unwieldy constituency as the old
Senate district, which half dozen distant
counties city wards might be crowded together
with common political aims or interests. If the
wisdom of the new apportionment needed additional
demons tration the record OF the State Senate al
last winters session furnished all the necessary
evidence OF the irresponsible and vicious character OF
the abandoned system OF restricted representation
BLOW AT LEGISLATIVE CORRUPTION.
Much blame has been cast impartally upon both
branches OF the Legislature for party failures ana
shortcomings at Albany last winter. But although
both houses were composed In about the same pro-
portion OF the two opposing clements In the ne
publican party. and one house was dominated As
clearly as the other by irresponsible outside In
fuence. the Assembly. with Its membership OF over
one hundred Republicans. did not venture 10 on
struct or defeat any OF the important measures of
reform legislation demanded by popular sentiment
while the controlling element among the hilic'''"
Republican Senators seemed chiefly Interested TO
discover excuses to evadc and thwart the clearly
expressed Will OF the people In Senate OF MY
members no such treacherous cabal as mat 'ormeu
last spring by Coggesha, Reynolds and Robertson
is likely to have the power TO defeat party meas
ures and frustrat, party policy Had the member
ship OF the new Senate been raised to seventy-hve
instead OF fifty, and that of the Assembly 10 TWO
hundred instead OF enc hundred and nifty. the scan
dal OF corrupt and personal legislation al Albany
might, perhaps. have been stu more strlkihgy
abated So abrupt and radical change IN 'h'
representative system OF the State was apparently
not TO the taste OF the moderate and cautious lead
ers Of the Convention. But the limited step thry
took was OF the first Importance because II struck
at the root OF a fragrant evil In State politics. and
the success OF the experiment TO he Initiated at
Albany next winter Will doubtless lead In time To
still further curiailment % the unit OF representa-
ton and 10 the development In the individual legs-
lator OF a corresponding sense OF more direct ana
personal responsibility TO his constituency
THE POWER OF THE BOSS SHAKEN.
In another way the wider dispersion OF political
power Will plainly have a beneficial 'Nect upon
the political life Of the state. II 1t VIII strike
fatal blow at legislative corruption In Albany u
will similarly help to check and destroy the present
evils in party management. against which the bcS'
sentiment o. the Republicans OF the state Is no"
so Indignantly arrayed. Under narrow ana cen
frallZed system Wnlcn mas KEEP p'Ht'ai f'''''
both in the Legislature and in party councils IN
TOO few hands. the Republican party organ. zaiior
in Ncw-York has been converted more ana ,h ORE
into mere instrument Tor the adVah.rine' i ., L
While he could control the ten or IA dozen seats
~ snms,;can policy in the legislature his power
rested firm foundation. and the extension OF
his irresponsible. but no less real. authority oyer
other portions OF the party mechanism. became III
evitabie natural In constituents 80 ialse;
go i-assored. so accessible TO manipulation ara
intrigue as the old Senate districts ascendency
once achieved was readily mantainei ana oppos'-
couragement The Increase OF the number OF dis
trcts from thirtytwo TO nifty. their curtaiineni IN
mogeneous units. together with the corresponding
increase in the numbe, OF asssm cs,oary as
sumption OF each incoming Republican Leslsatnfr
powers and responsibilities unusually d'"cu't " "o'
wholly impossible
THE FIGHT AGAINST PLATT SENATORS.
With the malodorous memories OF the last session.
.. the LEGISLATURE stl clingng about their political
garments Mr.. Plaits chief agents IN the Seha'e
have gone back to ask denominations OF constituent
Giles narrower In boundaries and more than ever
critical OF personal feelings and party inidehe''
II is no wonder that these tainted public servants
find themselves assailed on every hand by an irri-
ta.ed publc sentiment and driven to fight for their
polI,ical lives with energy and desperation un-
known in recen; State politics. Donaldson. Cog
geshal Raines and Parsons have s,rsgie
Tier similar fight II being waged against the re-
turn to Albany OF the Senator from lhat seoa"i'
whose c0urs. last winter on reform legisatoh "aS
an open anront and defiance OF the Intelligent seh"-
neni OF the Republican masses ,
Here in the new Saratoga district senator harvey y
j. Donaldson is apparently being pushed to the wal
by Edgar r. Bracket, lawyer OF hgh cnaraciel
and unquesiioned standing. who would ably ana ntiy
ranresent AZ Albany the best opinion and soundest
views OF this constituency. Further west In me
Terk Oneida district, ex-senator warner Miller
has raised the banner Of revolt against the renom-
nation OF Henry J. CoggeshaI. and IL wagng
war Of determination against the thrifty Waterviie
statesman In the adjoining Fulton Montgomery
district; a lively contest for the new seat crea.ed
nv the reapportionmenf amendment is dividing
marty sentiment and exciting widespread interest.
Something will be said In other letters OF the con
dong under which these three fights are being
woged The stir and heat which accompany them
and the genuine earnestness with which they are
being conducted are reassuring. FOR these are UNI
erring signs that the Republican voters Of the State
have not forgotten last winters melancholy perform
ances at Albany and disposed TO lay the blame
For those performances at certain doors. where II
Justly and Enthusiastically belongs.