New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-20
A HARD BLOW FOR REFORM.
PLATT WINSIN THE ASSEMBLY
THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY VOTES IN
FAVOR OF A FACTIONAL JOB"
MR.. HARNESS. BILL. FOR THE REORGANIZATION
or THE ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT, TAX
ING THE POWER OF APPOINTMENT
AWAY FROM REPUBLICAN, MAYOR
PASSED IN SPITE or THE
VIGOROUS OPPOSITION or
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBCNE.l
MIR. AINSWORTH.

MIR. AINSWORTII.
lBY TELEGRAPH To THE TRrBrNE.l
Albany March ls-The Assembly passed to-
day. after one of the sharpest and most signi1-
cant political debates of the session. the So
called Barnes bill for the reorganization OF the
Albany Police Department. one Of the numerous
local-patronage grabs" which the Legislature
has been SO persistenty supplicated to sanction
In the interest of the new Republican municipal
boss and his local following. The deservedly
odious and wholly unnecessary character Of the
legislation sought by Mr.. Barnes has been et-
posed fully in these dispatches. and is well appre
cated by the people OF the city and county
Through his Police Reorganization bill. which
passed the lower branch of the Legislature to-
day. he seeks openly and brazenly to deprive the
Republican Mayor Of Albany Of his present power
to appoint Commissioners Of Police and to con-
troll directly this important branch OF municipal
administration, and to vest that power In the
Common Council OF the city, acting with the
Mayor with the limitation that but two OF the
four Commissioners to be chosen shall be mem
bers Of the same political party.
AZ the Common Council is Republican as well
as the Mayor, Mr.. Barnes's sole purpose in in
ssting on this needless alteration OF the city
charter IL TO divert the power OF appointment ana
the real control Of police patronage from one fe-
publican official apparently hostile to his inter
ests to another body OF Republican officials more
susceptible TO his personal influence and more
subservient to his political schemes. Naturally
this violent and arbitrary change in the local
government has aroused the hostility Of the lead
crs Of the citizens movement which resulted, last
fall. in the complete and final overthrow OF the
Democratic municipal ring. The local Committee
of Fifty the Mayor. the Corporation Counsel and
the largest and most respectable element of ooth
parties in the city have protested against the
passage ~ the Barnes measure. Yet in the face
Of this decided expression Of public sentiment. the
Assembly to-day. following the lead Of Speaker
Fish and Asscmblyman O'Grady, sanctioned Mr..
Barness grab FOR patronage and indor'ed his
proposed factiona and personal raid on A Re
publican city government OF approved character
and unsr.uiable standing.
The vote on the passage Of the bill was 20
20 A. The affirmative votes were given by Re
publlcans almost all of them under pressure
from the machine managers. who seem 10 have
made Mr harness elevation as a local boss
one - the preferred features ~ this sessions
legislative programme. Twenty Repuoi-
cans voted with tho Democratic minority 10 nus-
tratc Mr. Barnes's barcfaced scheme.
The hight agains. he Reorganization bill was
conducted with great spirit and admirable can
dor by Mr. Ainsworth the responsible Repubh-
can leader IN the ncor Tho chairman or the
WAYS and Means Committee frankly exposed the
,,rlous and unwarran:able character Of the legis
lation proposed 90 b. saddled on the city of Al
bany. and boldly ana emphatiray declared that
ne would have no part In encouraging and sus-
taining a warfare FOR purposes II factonaI pun
der aae-u by set of Republicans "nt 81 power
on another sei who happened 10 b" IN power
such a policy Mr Ainsworth gave the Repubh-
can majority due warning had driven the
Democracy from tie possession u the stat" gov
eminent and would not now b. tolerated In the
party which had benefited by that sa!uiary ex-
pulsion. The Oswego leaders opposition to the
hill had a powerful effect upon tho Assembly, and
/ came within ten votes of forcing recommital
| ~ tho measure The cut-and-dried programme
| of Sneaker Fish and his aides could not be upset.
however and the Barnes Job was hnaly
| rushed through the first stage or It's progress
toward enactment. But Mr.. Answorths speech
struck a true note Of Indignation and warning
and will have it, cffect Upon the intelligent voters
who are watching with jealous eyes the TOO
freauent violences done by the Legislature 10 the
overwhelming sentiment for municipal ana poru-
cal reform 10 which It 60 conspicuously owes It's
election. In attacking the Barnes bill, Mr. AIMS
worth said in part
Mr. Speaker to say wori in regard 20 ,v tnis
pi %h re'urt'her n lands as Republican measure:
Peel that w. cannot AFFORD pass his kind Of
! To- my Republican friends. The Legislature ls kc-
n hs city a5ya or n@s bad %G May@r certainly
was elected by the Republicans OF TINS Gi,y, NOM,
charec has been made against the administration OF
his Office except. perhaps, that certal" Ghth G,h ,bev
| desire lie came into Office a Republican and under
existing law hs has the oI r%"VS hts am
pointmcnts has been made The criticism % Wh,ch Y ah
does not apply TO him. He is Republican and he
| appoints Republicans 70 office The Police D3mmls-
NeHt jun" iaT there IS 10 b. vacancy in the Police
Board and he VIII then have the p4"Sr lc 10 ,dpp d't by
| the past. he will again appoint hepuDnSadh 80
Republican Legislature o'lering the rGorSah,on INV h m
Of police force on partisan GROUNDS. "n"h we my
i've Police Commissioners ......4
admit that Albany Is one Of the worst & g9vcrncn ,
cities in state. Its police force mas prel rotten
and disreputab But the present board , has ,%c Er
Mayor the DistrIct Attorney and some Of the most
representative citizens here. that the ponce IotIe
csm to make upon it. ! can see only one OBJECT
In this legislation. and that IS that certain tro ro
Of lhe police force against the other 5Se12n
Ny whole effort this winter has been to keep o,, on!
OF the Legislature, " possible any nternecine hsh,
suicidal to Republican politics. ! believe we cannot
stand on tha sne We are tne ,he ng
| permcatcd with smallpox and contagious disease
| refuse to get into the bed out OF which a yellow
fever patient has Just been elected The parties
went tc the State the issue, and the people are
cannot stand on that kind Of politics We are better
| than that kind OF politics. and our Democratic
friends hereafter will be better because they have
| learned wise lesson In regard to IT, There Is
here ~ Committee OF Fifty. That committee last
night had meeting and passed resolution CON
| demnng the bill
| | hold In my hand act now pending In this
House providing legislation Of this sort for all cities
OF the second and third class. IL seems TO me the
wise course IS 10 walt and let the general bll he
passed. knowing that we have three out OF five OF
! the Commissioners II anything IL wfong with the
| administration OF the Police Department. the Re
| publican party will then be Responsible for H. We
have power now TO make the force better Ii seems
to me idle for this Legislature to attempt to, pass