New-York tribune., 1901-04-12
HOT FIGHT ON CANAL BILL
MOTION TO RECOMNIIT BRINGS oN "A
CLASH IN THE ASSEMBLY.
FINALLY ADVANCED TO SECOND READING
Mr.. PLANKs STATEMENT ABOUT
POLITICAL JOBBERY.
tBY TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNEl


S260ooooo Canal Improvement bill this morning oS
the anti-cana Assembly precl2l'a'eu
the hottest fight which been witnessed IN the
Assembly this session. For two hours the caHdI
and the anti-canal forces clashed in debate, ana
at several junctures the tide of advantage appedteu
to be on the side of the opposition The ant-canai
men were finally defeated. however and their mo-
ton to commit the bill. which had just been re-
ported from the Canal Committee back TO the COM
mttee on Ways and Means failed for the lack OF
Il
The results of the contest may be briefly sum-
married. follows
First-The canal contingent proved itself the
stronger only 50 votes being cast for recomm't'"l
Pa of the TgTa 1Sm
New,Xork City who voted with them to reeommit
are h qoA TO deserf f'f to he aDcnns
ard when the biz comes up for nal Passage
voted solidly with the canal Republicans ,oi,,
Fifth-Antl-canal leaders are boasttng OF Etins .i
able to defeat the bill final passage by asserting
that their antagonists will not be able to InlFsnd
sixth--The leaders of the Assembly voted with
the anti,canal faction, .os-o.o
of the there is be Republican caucus.
Asembvman Pan fbs @P 600 for the
prov was ,be sunk viii III se this
winter as campaign cry.
The fight which took place this morning had been
anticipated by both sides Both the canal ana
the anti-canaI men had thoroughly canvassed the
Assembly and each side appeared confident OF sue
cess The canal faction led almost entirely
by the Buffalo representatives with Assemblyman
O'MalIey a the head. Assemblyman Fish. OF Mad
son. also lent his support, on grounds which were
challenged by the opposition. The anti-canal ledu
ers were Assemblymen Burnett of Ontario; Merton
E. Lewis. of Monroe and s. w. Smith OF
Columbia.
The debate was precipitated when T. d. Lewis.
OF Oswego, sent to the desk the Canal bill whlch
embodies the $26.000.000 scheme of canal improve
ment. investigated by State Engineer Bond and
recommended by Governor Odell. The bill had
been acted favorably by the committee last
Tuesday. and when It not sent to the desk
yesterday the anti-canal men at once raised the
cry that Mr.. Lewis afraid they would send his
bill back to committee However true this may
have been. both sides carefully counted the num-
bers OF their adherents and sought new converts
all day yesterday.
As soon as the Canal bill reached the desk
twenty members at once began clamoring for rec
ogntion. After preliminary skirmish in which
all voices were rendered inaudble Mr.. Burnett, of
Ontario raised the objection that the bill should
have gone Ways and Means, since 1t carried an
appropriation. The objection was overruled by
the Speaker Mr.. Burnett then moved that the
bill be recommitted To the Ways and Means, and
in support Of his motion he said:
This bill looks toward an appropriation OF S26,-
oOo.OC" and should be carefully considered by The The
headlong methods that are being employed to pass
this bill suicidal TO the interests of the Repubi-
The people Of this State. and especially the peo-
pie of the rural districts. which are the strong
holds Of the Republican party. are sick almost unto
death Of any any c money m & 4e9g on g
money for this dtcn. We will thus inevitably
viii surely sound the deathkne OF the party the
The Keynote Of the party as sounded by Gov
ernor Odel, is economy. Does this bIll harmonize
this appropriation If the bill passes, and We win
again he saddled with monstrous burden OF debt.
haNa pofa II b Diir
Assemblyman Fish. OF Madison County. de-
nounced the proposition to sidetrack the bin by
dilatory tactics.
The people of this State" he continued. have
considered this subject for the last years our
former Governor and a commission or eminent
men. appointed by him. investigated this question.
and l believe prepared to ahead and pass
this bill. l do not think this hasty legislation as
has been charged by Mr. Burnett
Mr.. O'Malley spoke in favor of the bill. and AS
semblyman Rogers spoke against It, Assembly
men Morgan. Smith and Bennett also spoke
Assemblyman Plank then astonished the Republi-
cans and greatly reused the spirits Of the Tam
many Democrats when, in support of the motion he
said:
The 100000 for the former Improvement OF
the canal sunk in political jobbery I predict
that this s26 Cco,eo will be buried alongside OF that
100000"
Assembyman Fitzgerald was the only Democratic
speaker, and he voiced the sentiment of his party
supporting the canal bill. The Assemblyman
cans however. by catching up Mr. Planks express
sion that the s9ooolpo for the former Improvement
of the canal had been sunk in poitca! jobbery.
This Is the first time he said, that II has
ever been said by Republican to my knowledge
that 100000 used for corrupt purposes
Mr.. Fitzgerald said in closing that II the people
of New-York City could not get a thousand ton
barge canal. they would take "A four hundred ton
canal boat waterway. proposed in this bill
He said 50 per cent of the S2600000 would ne paid
by New-York City and il only right that the
question he left to the people to decide at the polls
Mr.. Aids then moved the previous question, and
the rollcal the bill showed 50 and - noes.
The bill then placed on Monday nights calen-
dar on the order of second reading.
The New York Republicans who voted To recon-
nit the bill were Assemblymen Bell Blackwell.
Cooley, Cotton, Degraw. Henry, Price. Raincy,
r,ora.sa,, cI,arnr w II smith md Nachero,,