New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-02
and there faces his fellows on equal terms.


In the three Legislatures OF which have been
a member. | have sat with bankers and brick
layers. with merchants and mechanics, WIN
lawyers, farmers, day aborers, saloonkeepers,
| cergymen and prizehghters Among my col
leagues there were many very good men; there
still more numerous class or men VINO
were neither very good nor very bad, but wen wen,
way the other. according to the strength
Of the various conflicting influences acting
around behind and upon them: ana hnai!'
there were many very bad men. SUI, the New
York LEGISLATURE, taken as whole. Is by no
means as bad body as We would be led 10 De-
lieve, IL judgment was based purely on
what we read in the great metropolitan papers;
for the custom OF the latter Is to portray thihes
as either very much better or very much worse
than they are. When a number OF men, many
of them poor some OF them unscrupulous and
others elected by constituents too ignorant 10
hold them TO a proper accountability FOR their
actions, are put into a position of great tenn
porary power. where they are called TO take
action upon questions affecting the welfare OF
large corporations and wealthy private indi-
viduals the chances for corruption are always
great, and that there is much vicousness and
political dishonesty. much moral ccwardlce and
a good deal OF actual bribe-taklng In Albany.
no one who has had any practical experience OF
legislation can doubt; but, at the same time l
think thai the good members generally out
number the bad, and that there Is not often
doubt as 10 the result when naked question
OF right or wrong can be placed clearly and In
its true light before the legislature The trouble
is that on many questions tie Legislature never
does have the right and wrong clearly SHOWN
! IL.
tcian snaps the measure through before the
members are aware Of its nature or else the
ohnoxious features are so combined with good
ones as TO procure the support OF certain pro-
( portion Of that large class of men whose inten-
lions are excellent, but whose intellects are
fogey. or else the necessary party organlza.
ton. which we call the machine, uses It's great
power for some definite evil ann.
The representatives from different sections or
the state differ widely in character Those
from the country districts are SeneraIiy very
mol lN O-6O
small LAWYERS or prosperous store-keepeIs, ana
are shrewd, quiet and honest. They are oiteh
narrow minded and slow TO receive an ldea:
but, on the other hand. when they get good
one they cling 10 II with the utmost tepacity
They form very much the most valuable
class of legislators. For the most part they
are native Americans, and those VINO are not
are men who have become completely AneTi-
canzcd in all their ways and habits or thought.
One Of the most useful members OF the last
legislature was n German from western
county and the extent Of his Amerlcanlsm can
be Judged from the fact that he was actually
an ardent prohibitionist; certainly no one VINO
knows Teutonic human nature VIII require tur-
Their proof Again. l sat for an entire session
beside a very intelligent memper from NoFtheih
New-York before I discovered that he was an
Irishrnan: all his views OF legislation, even upon
such subjects as free schools and the iinpro-
priety Of making appropriations from me treas
ury for the support Of sectarlan lhsututiohs'
were precisely similar to those OF ms T L
estant- American neiehbors though ne was MN
self a Catholic. Now German or an lrlshmah
from one Of the great cities would proDapy
have retained many OF his national pecullailtles
IT is from these same great cities that 'he
worst legislators come. 1t Is true that there are
alWaVs among them few cultivated and schoi-
arlv men who are well educated and who stand
on a higher and broader intellectual and moral
plane than the country members. but the Dulk
are very low indeed. They are usually foreigners,
of little or no education, with exceedingly misty
ideas as to morality and possessed or all igIo,
rance so profound that II could only be called
comic were il not for the fact that IL mas AT
times such serious effects upon our laws. III Is
their ignorance. QLiie as much as thelr actuai
yiciouSness, which makes IL so dIfhcuIt 10 pro-
cure the passage OF good laws or prevent the
massage Of bad ones; and 1t is the most Hrl'at-
ing Of the many elements with when we nave
TO contend in the fight for good government.
In each Of the last three Legislatures
There were a number Of us who were Interested
in getting through certain measures which we
deemed to be for the public good, but whIch
were certain to be strongly opposed, some for
poljtical and some for pecuniary reasons Now,
10 get through any such measure requires gem
uipe hard work a certain amount OF parla-
mentary skill a good deal 81 tact and courage,
and above all, a thorough knowledge OF the
mer with whom has to deal and of the
motives which actuate them In other words,
before taking any active steps we had to "size
ur' our fellow Legislators TO find out their past
history and present character and associates |
10 ind out whether they were their own masters |
or were acting under the directions Of somebody |
written in 1875.