New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-29
TVVESTTGiTTON DEMiNDED.

INVESTIGATION DEMANDED.
Gossip at Albany during the session of the
legislature is always abundant ana usually
loose and irresponsible. Scandals innuIncapie
aoo, through the Hobbies and the hotels. hut they
are usually general in character and 50 d''h
cult TO trace to responsible authority that their
only effect Is to faint the moral atmosphere oil
The capital. leaving upon the public mind the
IMPRESSION that while legislation Is intiucncei
hy corrupt methods and controlled by corrupt
practices. these methods and pracuc'S are 80
r,nv,,Iv concealed That they canno, be uncovered
BY investigation. much less arrested ana stamped
an, bv due process Of law So each year these
unsavory scandals are currcn' III what hn! DE-
called political circles ut Albany. and. Il the
trlih were told. serve only 10 provoke a nlppiht
iost without ever awakening serious reflection
II sometimes happens however that lr.lsIs''F'
scandal becomes concrete, ana taxes >u'h
definite form. That tie Legislature i'srI cannot
avoid taking co.niZancc 81 II, and simply u ilr
viIic1iiun Of H. own honor ana manirn'hrr
Of its own dignity and self respect ordering an
inquiry into HE facts.
The Albany correspondence IL or esteemed
city contemporary. The Press. scrnS I" iHrhl~A
an instance OF this kind The c''r'~n"nd' at
mentions as Il wcll-known fact that h'"iir
fund Of $3.50 900 had been projected fr The pNr
nose Of killing the Hllncs EAri~" BILL bui that
il had been headed of because the lqu'r ana
beer element learned that the Republican party
headers were in earnest in their attempt 10 I'VE
mp 10 the STATE PLATFORM and pass IA measure
(which contains not only high-liccnsc features.
"bnt also the actual elimination ~ the saloon
from politics" The correspondent was. OF
course inaccurate in this statement, for no one
at all familiar with current politics needs 10 be-
reminded that the Republican platform OF the
last State Convention contained no reference to
the hlghlccnsc question or The elimination ~
the saloon from politics: in fact. that the only
reference it contained 10 the excise question
was in the short and sharp amendment injected
by the Hon Warner Miller. which declared for
the maintenance Of the Sunday laws in the III
tcrest OF labor and morality That. however. Is
comparatively unimportant Unless, indeed, it
may be taken as an indication that the Rcpub-
lican ma jOrity at Albany are a little mixed AZ 10
what the Republican platform did actually de-
clare to be the party policy on the excise qucs-
ton. In that view 1t may. perhaps. be well to
recall the fact that, aside from the Sunday ISSUE
the party took no positive attitude on the excise
question. The Rancs Excise bill, consequently
is not a party measure. 1t should not be so
represented by thrusting into the platform what
the platform does nH contain.
But the correspondent goes on 10 tell OF what
he describes as the most daring attempt" 10
corrupt legislation on this subject. This is his
story:
"The Press" correspondent gives the story
on the word OF a man who In times past has
made business OF lobbying. and who has the
name Of one OF the cleverest and shrewdest
members Of the third house. He said that the
delegation of New-York men who came to him
last night said in 80 many words: I'VE repre-
sent certain brewers. We don't claim to repre-
sent the whole orga niZation.. We have raised
"a fund, and II IL big enough to buy ali the men
you to take II and defeat the Raines bill" The
answer Of the lobbyist was almost classic In
It's pith and brevity. He said: Il can't take
your Doodle, gentlemen. though nobody ever
accused me Of throwing good things over my
shoulder. You can't beat the bill. and can't
IT'S passed the Senate already practically"
This is explicit. II is not possible that thc
correspondent, who Is undoubtedly a trustworthy
person and well known to members OF the Lcsis
lature, invented this story. And he must have
made 1t public with an honest purpose. That
purpose will fail. II inquiry IS not made into the
statements which he makes and Is apparently
able to subsantiate The Tribune. 1t hardly need
be said IL opposed TO many Of the features Of the
Excise bill But It's desire for the defeat Of that
measure in its present form Is based upon totally
different ideas from those which animate the
persons who are charged with attempting TO
influence legislation by corrupt methods. In
these circumstances We deem 1t quite proper TO
call the attention OF the Legislature to these
charges from a responsible source and ask for
an investigation OF them. 1t Is due to the Re
publican opponents OF the Raines bill that the
inquiry should be made. 1t Is no answer to this
that our esteemed contemporary made the gray
est charges last May against Senator Raines the
author Of this bill-charges involving that gentle
mans honesty as a legislator and honor
man, and that upon the investigation Instituted
thereon the Senator was vindlcated by prac-
tically unanimous vote of hs colleagues. Nor
does II Immediately relate to the matter in hand
that the Senator has a libel suit still pending
against The Press" which Is now Insisting
strenuously that he is competent to lead tie
party in the initiation OF n new policy on a most
important subject. However these incidental
factors may seem to be connected with the main
question, they are, as matter Of fact, unrelated