New-York tribune., 1896-03-29
NFN\
'l1'' 81 3d. ~

The Ierislature which adjourned last Ahui
dav could not by any stretch OF imagina'io"' &c
described as a brilliant body. 1t was reeaiu
rather rs a collection OF ordinary men WIZ" :"
lot Of good "horsc sense" That was proo~o''
vho, the people wanted in elccting them In
other wears there were occasionally rumper oi
men of conspicuous ability in both houses; Dut
th. resu,ts Of their work were not In the direc-
t,or calculated 10 meet public app! ton so'he
NJ the worst legislation ever enacted ana some
of the greatest villanies ever perpetrated by thc
Iaw-making body were products OF ingenious
ana resourcefil Democrats. In choosing the
Y,eoislatura for this year the people apparently
aimed more al getting an honest set OF heh' WIZ
would keep themselves in touch with the popu-
lar will; and they succeeded fairly well. "hi'e
there were fewer genuses than usual, there were
s,so yewer rascals The House of Assembly, for
exaun,e vas rather a mediocre body. but there
was less corruption in it than In any OF Ns
predecessors for many years. Ihe meHipei9 >
WERE as a whole. decent lot Oh men, "i'hou'
rnusuaI weight or influence. There was consd-
cradle talking, but--some people thinR io''"
nately-not a great deal Of oratory The House
was not SO we'll maneged as 1t might have been.
Speaker Derousse meant all right, and his per
sonal character was unquestioned. but he hardy
measured I'D to the standard of an Ideal SPEAKER
His humorous propensities broke out frequently
in spite of his efforts to restrain them, ana IL
seemed impossible for him to refrain from play
ing Jokes ard tricks. He did rot carry hlmseil
with the dignity that cne expects from 'he tiiiiu
highest official in the State. Mr. Derousse e''-
IDENTIFY desired to be fair and courteous 10 every
body and wherever he fell short 1t seemed clear
that this was due rather to his inexperence
than TO any deliberate intent to be unfair OF
discourteous =,
Louis A. Thompson made an exceilent pfesiu-
Ing officer in the Senate. He wae always as ois
nifed as there was any necessity 1or' anu se.
ma never lacked of good nature or courtesy. OF
course, II has to be remembered however ."a'
the Senate is a much easier body to handle than
the House; and 1t Is likewise well TO reneiioe'
that Senator Thompson had the aid OF senator
voorhees, in helping to keep things straight
Take the two houses-their personne! and their
p,ork-and compare them with those OF any other
wear during quarter Of century, and the
T.yxth LEGISLATURE will undoubtedly profit by
the comparison The Legislature of this year
was subjected to the same old temptations anu
the same corporate influences that have succeeo-
ed in Turing other Legislatures from the rien'
path and the chief difference was that the
Legislature Of this year paid more heeo 10 pun
lie sentiment than any of the others Mos' Vi
the legislators were sensitive about oHendihs
their constituents, and whenever there was any
,os,tva manifestation Of feeling certain ques-
tions the Senators and Assemblymen showed
dispostion to put themselves in line with thelr
masters-the people.
Much of the credit for the good record or the
LEGISLATURE Is due to Governor Griggs HIS pro-
nounced views, his warnings and his positive at
t,tude were q barrier IN the way OF unnecessary
legislation. The State has suffered for years
f,ou an overdose Of law-making. Year after
vear three four and FIVE hundred laws we're
turned out and there were few lawyers VINO
could keep pace with the constant changes IN the
statutes governing various subjects; and, indeed
there were some Of the higher judges VINO oc-
ca.,onallv found themselves lacking In knowledge
Of recent laws.
As to the Governors appointments. ne oiu
much better than was expected by those WHO
knew all the circumstances AS rule his ap-
po,ntees were men of conspicuous fitness ana
high character. Where he had a personal
knowledge Of the men chosen. they were not only
admirably fitted for the position to which tney
were chosen but were far above the average
standard of offce-hoders The general pubic
knows nothing OF the tremendous influence and
pressure brought to bear upon the Governor TO
secure the appointments OF professional poll
ticians and party hacks who have been at the
p,Iblic crib nearly ell their lives In resisting
those influences, the Governor took the risk OF
offending men powerful in the political world.
hut his desire and aim oil through was to get
reputable business men who could be depended
upon to attend to the duties Of their office with
the same fidelity as though they were working
for a private firm corporation.
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