New-York tribune., 1899-03-14
FORD'.S NEW AMENDMENT.
A DISPOSITION TO COMPROMISE SHOWN
BY SENATORS AT ALBANY.
rny TELEGRAPH TO THE rrIBvvr.l ]

fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TEIBvNEJ
Albany March 13.-The friends OF the Am
sterdam-ave. Railroad bill in the Legislature
said tonight that they believed they would
soon have il in a shape in which. while it would
be satisfactory to .hem. 1t would remove some
Of the opposition os the street-railway com
panies 10 the measure. and thus facilitate It's
passage AZ the same time both Senator Ford
and Assemblyman Fallows said they would
prefer to pass the bill I'm its original form Sen
ator Ford admitted in the Senate that If he saw
! that It was necessary 10 do so he would accept
an amendment granting compensation to the
! railroads affected in Amsterdan-ave.
| II would appear from the wording Of the
| amendment which Senator Ford will offer to
the Senate Railroads Committee tomorrow
| morning that the Third Avenue company may
lose the right to put railroad IN Amsterdam
ave but will receive compensation for its fran
| chise from the city and the Metropolitan Street
Railway Company. which would be left in
charge Of the avenue.
THE NEW AMENDMENT.
Senator Ford will appear before the Senate
Railroads Committee tomorrow morning and
offer an amendment to Section 4 The section
now reads foil >ws:
ANY corporation or person deprived Of any
private property by the operation Of this act
shall have right Of action al law in the
Supor1c Court Of this state against tho CITY Of
New York to recover just compensation thereof
to he ascertaincd by a jury in such action.
Senator Ford proposes to add TO this section
the following
The Supreme Court shall have jurisdiction in
an action brought by the Attorney General in
the name Of the people TO find and determine
If it is in the public interest that any railroad
tracks the operation Of which is affected by
the first section Of this act, shall be entirely
| removed from the avenue and not relocated:
| and in such case tn order the removal thereof
| upon due compensation TO be ascertained by a
/ jury or three commissioners 9s the court shall
! direct and 70 assess the owners Of any rail
| road remaining in said avenue and the city Of
| NewYork for payment Of such compensation.
| II any in proportion to benefits received from
| such removal. Nothing in this section shall
! limit or affect the operation Of the first sec
| ton Of this act. Nor shall anything contained
in this act be construed as cOnferring any fran
| chse or authority to construct or operate a
] railroad upon said avenue not heretofore con-
J ferred, 10 withdraw IN such action from
said court the question of the right OF any
party TO such action to occupy said avenue or
| any part thereof with its tracks. nor the Ques-
| ton OF its riCht n the manner in or motive
| power by which it proposes to operate its rail-
| road.
The Senate gave IN nearly all its time to-
| night to the consideration of the Amsterdam
ave. bill The special order was Senator Ford's
motion that the Senate Railroads Committee
|
| Assembyman Fallows's Amsterdam-ave bill
the unamended one passed by the Assembly
Before the meeting Of the Senate q conference
had been held, which was attended by Senators
Ellsworth. Ford and Stranahan. Assemblvnan
Fallows and Lemuel +. Quigg, president OF the
Republican County Committee Of New-Yorll
At this conference Senator Ford exhibited his
amendment. and II was agreed to press ii il the
original Ford-Faows bill met with such treat
ment as indicated that it would not pass
GRADY OK THE RUN
There are reports that Senator Grady also saw
the amendment. and indicated that he would
consent 10 its being substituted for his amend
ment. which adopted last Thursday by the
Senate, and which also grants compensation TO
the railroads. This did not deter Senator Grady
from showing that he stlll had q feeling that TIE
bill ought not to be passed. Nevertheless he
indicated that he was retreatinC fast from his
position Of irreconcllablc hostility 10 the bill.
He said the usually accurate newspapers Of the
State had made n great error. They had dc-
picted a Senate unmindfu Of the fate Of inno-
cent children. The Senate was not considering
the bill in that spirit. 1t was acting in a con-
servative way. But IT was no new experience Of
his to find himself slightly ont Of favor with
the moulders Of public opinion" one newspaper
had suggested that the people should write 10
| him about his course on the bill. He had r.
ceved a number of abusive anonymous letters
as a consequence Of the action. He read several
of these letters which were undeniably abusive.
| He then appealed 10 the Senate to stand by its
vote Of last Thursday when by a vote OF - u
Il II adopted his amendment granting compen-
saticn to the railroads.
No man in the Senate. he declared had voted
against there being four tracks on Amsterdam
ave 1t only the position OF the tracks that
at issue There were three parties involved.
namely two railroads and the city which re-
| ceved per cent Of tho receipts Of one Of them.
The city pecunarily interested to a large
amount in the matter. He had not been struck
dumb by the villifcation OF the press and did
not intend to be. He intended to vote as his
conscience dictated
PLAIN TALK FROM FORD.
Senator Raines here said he would like 10 ask
Senator Ford if he intended TO amend the bill
| Senator Ford replied Il stand 10y the bill as
it was introduced but my constituents are
willing to accept an amendment II II is neces-
sary I'm order TO pass the bill"
Senator Raines said that Senator Ford's own
bill would he reached sooner than the Faows
bill.
Senator Ford answered that his sole purpose
,ras ,o cat some Amsterdam ave. bill passed