The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-25
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS.

There was great rejoicing in the Re-
publican party, and the Republican
papers of the country were jubilant
when Tamrnany received its latest re-
buke, and New York city and state
| overthrow the dominant powers and
put Republicans in Office on a reform
movement and policy. 1t was heralded
abroad that bossism was overthrown
and corruption cast down. The Lexow
developments were regarded as the
end of the evils under which the peo-
pie had groaned. and reform was to
sweep the state with the new broom
of official purity and honesty.
But alasi flesh is grass, and so too
are Republican pretensions and Re
publican promises, which perish in a
season. There is now more dissatisfac-
ton with the Republican legislature
of New York than there was with the
political regime which reform" swept
away.
The New York papers have been full
of anethamas against the reform
legislature" The Times concludes
long arraignment as follows:
A more corrupt lot of scamps never
assembled out of Jail than those who
have been sitting in the Capitol of the
State-and no party was ever more
discredited before the people than the
Republican party now is. The most
striking instance and proof of corrup
ton, perhaps, was furnished when
nearly a dozen senators allowed
racing bill to fail because they de-
manded pay for voting for it, and the
next day voted for and passed it, hav
ing become convinced that they would
not be paid. It was in Republican
newspaper that it was charged that
money had been raised and paid for
the votes of legislators to raise the pay
of firemen. An investigation proved
that the money had been raised, that
a notorious lobbyist who is also an
eminent leader of the party had been
induced to interest himself in the bill,
and that several senators had acted
precisely as they might have been ex-
pected to act if they were black-maii-
ers. Last Of all comes the announce
ment that member of the assembly
has been indicted for taking brides,
and a member of the assembly, who
may be another or the same, has
promptly absconded, apparently lest
it should be he whose sin has found
him out.
These are only the most conspicu-
Gus scandals of the session, but they
suffice to exhibit the character of the
party that has been carried into pow
er in the State of New York on wave
of reform.
BY way of apology for condition
of affairs the infamy of which is I'M
one prominent member of |
the Assembly attempts to put the |
blame upon the Senate. That is much |
like the Chicago editors method of /
evading trouble, by charging every
thing wrong in the paper up to the I
deviltry of his wicked partner" But
the Times shows the weakness of this |
plea by citing number of reform |
measures that were defeated, and the /
passage of other measures that were
dead against reform. 1t declares that:
The Republicans had the advantage |
in the Assembly not only of being cleo /
ted after the reform issues were form
ulated, but of having an overwhelm-
ing majority. Three corrupt or brazen
politicians in the Senate could battle /
the efforts of the majority, but in the
Assembly there could be from thirty
to forty recalcitrant Republicans with
nut blocking the action of the rest,
and there were always several on the
wrong side OF reform measures who
odium by obscurity. The AS
sembly cannot make any lofty claims
to virtue ard will have to take its
share OF blame for the defeat Of re-.