New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-29
THE GOVERNORS VICTORY.
ASSEMBLY LEADERS FORCED TO BE
LEASE THE FORD BILL
FRANCHISE TAX MEASURE PASSED IN THE
CLOSING HOURS OF THE SESSION.

FRANCHISE TAX MEASURE PASSED IN THE
CLOSING HOURS OF THE SESSION.
RoosEvELTs GALLANT FIGHT.
Albany. April % (speciaD.-Public opinion was
Irresistible in the Assembly to-day forcing the
leaders of both the Democrats and the Republi-
cans In that body to permit vote on Senator
Fords Franchise Tax bill--a vote which dis
closed the fact that majority OF the members
favored the measure. 1t passed by vote OF 104
TO 3S About twenty conservative members re-
trained from voting until the seventy sixth vote.
passing the bill. had been obtained. Then they
valorously recorded themselves in the afirma-
tive.
Governor Roosevelt may be said to have forced
the Assembly leaders to desist from their efforts
to kill the measure II is true that the Com
mittee on Rules had put the bill first on the
calendar, but good deal Of business was per-
mitted to intervene before It was taken up. ana
1t was not until the Governor had sent special
message to the Assembly that the prospects for
Its consideration grew bright.
GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
The Governors message follows:
To the Assembly: learn that the emergency
message which sent last evening TO the As
sembly on behalf of the Franchise Tax bill has
not been read. | therefore send hereby another
message upon the subject. / need not impress
upon the Assembly the need of passing this bill
at once. 1t has been passed by overwhelm-
ing vote through the Senate. A large majority
of the Assembly have signed petition asking
that IL be put through. II establishes the prin-
ciple that hereafter corporations holding fran
chises from the public shall pay their just share
OF the public burdens. 1t Is too late to try to
amend or perfect the bill. should such
amendment or improvement be deemed desir-
able 1t is cne of the most important measures
am tempted to say the most important meas
ure) that has been before the Legislature this
/ Immediate
passage. THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The Governor said directly after sending IN.
this message that he had heard attempt
might be made to kill the bill by amending II.
1t was in order to prevent this that he had put
IN the message the sentence 1T is too late to
try to amend or perfect the BILL even. should
such amendment Improvement be deemed
desirable"
sNEAKING INTO LINE.
The message caused great futter In the AS |
semby, and shortly after IT was received Mr.. |
Aids the Republican leader. deemed 1t expe-
dent to bring up the Ford bill Mr.. Palmer. |
the Democratic leader, gained the eoor as soon
as the measure was announced He said II ar
forded him great pleasure to consider the bill,
and, 80 far as the Democrats were concerned,
they required no instructions from the Cow
ernor to make them vote for IT, He moved that
"I object" shouted George T. Kelly. Demo-
crat, Of Albany. Mr. Palmer's statement about
the Democrats supporting the bill was thus put
in doubt. Mr.. Kelly's objection, however,
proved to be of no avail.
Mr. Aids followed with a speech. which In
dicated that he felt wounded by the Governors
prodding OF the Committee Rules. He said:
I want to say a few things for the Committee
on Rules. There has not been any attempt
made to strangIe this bill We were not sent
for by Governor Roosevelt and asked 10 report
this bill. Secondly. do not see Why Mr.. Roden-
beck's Franchise Tax bill is not good one IL
taxes all classes of corporations whereas the
Ford bill only taxes those In cities. That is the
reason why the Ford bill was not brought for
ward The steam railroads would have been
taxed II Mr. Rodenbeck's bill had passed. but
they opposed it. and therefore 1t was anan-
doned
Assembyman Joseph l. Green. Of New-York.
said:
This is a bill most emphatically in the interest
of the people and their eyes are upon this Lesis-
ature to II we pass it. If we are true 10
them we will pass IT, 1t gives them the right
to tax the franchises OF corporations. 1 DO not
believe Il would have received the sanction or
this body unless the Governor had sent MS
emergency message to us. This bill, III passed.
will add millions to the income Of cities from
corporations. I hope that a majority or he
Assembly will vote for 1t.
RODENBEcK's MANLY COURSE.
Mr. Rodenbeck said he would support this bin
in preference to his own. and he had always de-
clared that he never would permit his bill TO
interfere with the progress OF Senator Fords'
Mr.. Trainor said he was surprised that Mr..
Aids should declare that the steam railroads
had tried to defeat the Rodenbeck bill. He bad
not detected such an effort.
Mr. Greenwood, Of Wayne County. member
attacked
bill. He said:
realize the importance OF this measure: 1t
aims IN tax an immense body or property 1
also see that the camor OF the newspapers mas
driven this body into action on II. And permit
me 10 protest against the policy which has
crowded this bill into this last hour Of the ses-
sion II was known two months ago that II
would be here. and its Importance was reaized.
and yet it not debated therefore protest
against the policy which was adopted OF deaiihs
with a measure Of such importance
But. acknowledging all this. why should we
tax only part of the franchises and exempt
Won don't go into the farm lands, you
don't touch the steam railroads, or the telegraph
and telephone companies. say nothing ABOUT
the constitutional features OF this act Can you
tax an intangible, ethereal thing like fran
chise? I doubt 1t. There Is no real estate In H.
I believe Mr.. Rodenbeck's bill is on the right
lines that II assesses corporations In the only
way I'm which they can be taxed. believe this
hill will fail to accomplish its object; that the
courts will declare II TO be unconstitutional. And
then the people will say that they asked US for
bread and we gave them stone
BROUGHT TO VOTE
Mr. Slater moved that the bill should be sent
to second and third readings. and his motion
was adopted. The voting on the measure then
began. Mr. Aids took another fling at 1t. say
ing:
simply wish to say that while intend to
vote for this bill register my Judgment that
Il is revolutionary and does not give workable
system OF taxation. and predict II VIII need
amendment next year.
Mr.. Apgar and Mr. Bulkley said that because
OF the reasons given by Mr.. Aids they would
vote against the bill.
Many other members spoke briefly In explains
tion Of their votes. The measure was paseed,