The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-30
STRIKE BILLS IN ALBANY.
raE BLACK HORSE CATAIRY rs As
,CTIyE THIS YEAR AS ETER.

pc..,orate Interest, Some of Them Muaty
,,tb AEe-Hethods Pursued by the
""s,rikcrs" when They Fail to Connect.
,o,xy. Jan. 2a.-Fow bills OF any interest.
% ,hc members OF the Legislature, have
80 introduced so far this session. aside from
'S'.StNylyr u-bills aimed at nearly every kind
Lyo,rrrMo{f,,iI 'MS'yested interests. The num-
" - ~ such measures introduced this session
" M less than in previous years. The charac-
...,ot auch proposed legislation is unchanged
".on, in a few new directions. Old and new
oowhsrs alike have We'd with each see
me- nv oould first get in the old-time strikes"
WV Wv night be well to inform the uninitiated in
,ni,,atIyo procedure that q strike" bill ia a
Ne"snre threatening an attack upon a cor
nN.a,ion. of such a nature as to either cripple
,.,oIv destroy its revenues, Ostensibly
- mensnrcs are introduced in the interests
" az public. "The common people," whose
".arosts the introducers Of these bills alleRe
,hov represent, are never found. however. urg-
,nr such legislation. either before the legis-
,.,,v. committees or with the individual mem
nN., These bills are introduced for the sole
Vs.noso NJ collecting blackmail from the object
p1',,,ack in return for their defeat. While tho
...rtes" come from both parties. the larger
.nmber OF them come from the Democratic
.do of each house. Every session brings out
new brand OF strikes" aimed at corpora
,,ons never before thought OF. but most of the
od ones make their appearance annually. even
though in many cases the occasion for their in
PRODUCTION has ceased to exist-a iact oil which
the "strlkers" are not aware.
In the Senate when bills are introduced the
,,,los are read from the Clerks desk. and a
,m,le goes around the circle when u Senator
.hose hills have been known for years rises and
,,,roduces a batch OF legislative ~chestnuts." 1t
n,ey he the only occasion on which such aSena-
,or addresses the Chair during an entire leRisla-
,iro session. unless it is to request that the bills
Ia sent 10 a committee. where the introducer
Knows he can handle them easier. This year
In the Senate the squabbles which have result
al over the reference of Strike" measures
h.vs occasioned a spectacle that honest men
rould be ashamed to indulge in. There Is an
understanding among the reputable Senators
that all strike" bills shall be referred only
N those committees where 1t is known they
will be smothered without expense to the cor
porations. The members of those Senate COM
mittees, however. which are supposed to con-
alder measures especially relating to CORPORA
tons have endeavored to have the strikes"
rsrerred TO their committees, but in many in
stances without success.
An amusing incident occurred in the Senate
lAet week Nlltu Dk an pANoViAtSt
a bill proposing to exact a license fee from
every retailer OF air or spring guns and making
It necessary for each purchaser OF the same to
nav a fee of 81 for the privilege Of using the
name. In n iocose manner every committee
Chairman around the circle asked for the ref
erence OF the measure to his committee.
Clamors we're made that the measure go to
Military Affairs Taxation and Retrench.
ment" and Finance. ana one senator
thnupht its DrODpr plapp would be In the Com
mittee on Roads and Bridges. Senator Sullivan
quietly waited until the Senators had INDUCED
in their pleasantries over his little bill. and then
succeeded in having it sent to the
on Miscellaneous Corporations.
In the Assembly the bills are put in the bill
box. and the members do not know who father
them until the following, day. when their titles
and introducers are read from the desk. Up to
vogue, biis were read from the clerk,s desk
such presentation was often the occasion for
morning when Speaker Hustled welded the
gayel, an unusual clamor to present bills &C.
desk rapidly. Three members arose and offered
measures. one after the other. and many more
s EsEs on Hn tssiF f @1cb with il t5 ether ebaS SilIs' y Tb Zen
gentlemen who had presented the measures
already allowed. sung out IN his characteristic;
out; We will pass from this order of business
and the bills so successfully branded died a
natural death in the committee room
nothing more is ever heard Of It, unless in
cases where its sponsor fails to connect salts
factorily with the corporation treasury. Then
the striker carries his bluff further. and
toward the end Of the session moves to dis
charge the committee from the further, consid-
the CORPORATION TO time the striker succeeds in
having the bill brought before the House for
consideration and in a pitiful speech in behalf
Of the struggling masses" as against the
Sometimes he succeeds through the unwilling
AagGtannn nf p IN nFrI thn
bill will not pass both houses. feel compelled
10 vote for It in order that their motives may
Its believed that less revenue than usual
WI be realized by the strikers this year. owing
othe calibre of our, present Governor. The
corporations know that unjust attacks upon
thelr interests will not be tolerated by the man
Who now occupies the Executive chair. Coy.
Roosevelt, who was a member OF the Assembly
in the early eighties. frequently relates humor-
Gus stories OF his lights against strike measures
hen' Some OF the same dusty, old measures
slon and are familiar to the Governor. He
t1els an amusing incident which happened
Ing that lsb SEeTsu on ali publie works sb1pu rST re-
seiye ~ per day. He offered an amendment
s p such employees should receive So, a day.
snd need only work when they felt inclined SO
Pdo,, The introducer of the measure. while
iaxqrlng the amendment, said:
,ar Dopt you think you are going Q little toe
Nh l am afraid that your amendment will
The ~iavorite objects Of attack by the black
bbnn. Nf' nc thc ,IdllOhu. BdS. anu telt-
Rnnone corporations. Already four bills have
SSen presented cutting telephone rental
fHhmSrses in half. Battery Dan" Finn has a
WI h1ing the price of gas at so cents In New
tYrkclty while Assemblyman Grossman thinks
stsEo1id De about right.
,,siI pills have been introduced having for
saeiI OBJECT me taxing OF trust companies the
Saue as banks. -Four OF these measures would
IL OF no elect II enacted, as they amend a
MS Wnich was repealed two years ago. Evil
Fre ~ thelr introducers. Senators Norton and
foey and AsSemblymen Finn and Phillips. all
SmVcrutS' are unacqualnted with this fact.
SSeHat9t Coggeshall tRep) and Assemblyman
~ len IN thelr measure to tax trust com
pe,..es nave amended the proper law. The
,Inual proposed legislation has been aimed at
~, nv LallrOhds. even II II is not demanded by the
nplHTIic' IL relates to the disposition OF I'M
tN%%naeH baggage the liability Of such corpora
forN ,oI INJURIES to employees; providing
roaJ ntNe'cent Ihrns and transfers on surface
ay%vuS CUES mat street cars shall be prop
az mated Tor Nestibulcd street cars, aud that
0TpSaIu clhssrs Of tenders shall be used thereon.
rnsd measure provides that Buffalo street rail-
syrth' must iurhlsh a passenger with six rides.
forbiHJll, OF trlnSi"rS, for % cents Another
m AZ niEerlislpg aud the sale of Publications
othu rrNaled railroad structures. and still an
st or %islulres railroad companies to pay inter
messm,u deposits required Of employeeS Two new
this ouies o. ms class made their appearance
hanioeet phei0i them requires railroad com
cidaHt Il, ~ NE within three days of u railroad ac-
Of IL ~ names OF all Witnesses whom in case
wii NEa.oh over the injuries sustained they
dentIVp Eienr on the trial; The other was evil