The sun., 1903-04-11
"GRAB BILLS" DEAD -BEDELL.
DON'T YOU BELIEVE 1T, SAY
COOPER UNION SPEAKERS.
Meeting Held to Denounce Franchise
Measures Pending at Albany John
DE Witt warner Lands on the Gov.
ernor RESOLUTIONS TO ne Sent TO OdelI


DE witt warner Lands on the Gov.
ernor Resolutions to ne Sent to Odell
The first Of series OF mass meetings to
protest against the passage Of tho so-callcd
grab bills now pending at Albany was
held in Cooper Union last night and was
attended by a large crowed.
A mild sensation was caused at the meet
ing by Charles N. Chadwick OF the Manu-
facturers' Association who read to the
audience, which had already been told by
! half dozen speakers that the Foley Good
sell Grady, L'Hommedieu. Wilcox, Bedell
and Cadin bills we're likely to become
laws, a letter from Chairman Bedell of the
Assembly Railroad Committee. the father
Of one Of the bills, to the effect that all OF
them were practically dead This letter
was written on Wednesday by Assembly,
man Bedell and was in response to a pro-
test from the Manufacturers Association
against the passage Of the grab bills or
the favorable consideration by the Railroad
Committee OF those still before it. The
letter is in part as follows:
In relation 70 Bill i7tl 1.-THE Cadin bill. this
committee viii not act iayorabiy upon u;
In r. gard TO Assembly blu AZ, introduced
abandoned by me. In respect to Mr. Grady,s
bills, they have not r.civ.d the attention ot
! MIR. Fol y Mr. L'uomme deus bill will not
be r. ported by tns committee. MIR. Good
sells bill has never been before US for con-
, sideration.
In spite Of this letter the audience was
, told by a half dozen speakers that, far from
being dead, the LHommedieu and Foley
bills had both passed the Senate and were
now OH the order Of third reading in the
John Dewitt Warner. who presided at
last nights meeting, made a fierce attack
on the grab bills He said in part:
1t is the, old story. this rich bed Of grab
blooms before me- hnrM Leg iegisiatopsh arsrshian ars
from m Nus us. Where is the home rule that both
/ Of our great parties stand pledged s9. s9i our r
little iinser he could have long since Killed
every one OF these grabs M. NO one ShasId ShaeL;
sts9as say ct 'aSa Ss "Sssr' @ sap psa n'sH %
fs any one so innocent as 70 believe that
We Know very we'll that the bills to which
ST tag StT SEs @n
OF or W %e aso Know that ssneraliy sp AIMS.
single M Group 9f associated Interests. This
mestins tonSht 2, in fast; asld to nFht 4. be
attainpt to loot the city through Albany.
Mr. Warm said he rcsu-d that four
VT rs 60 Pr, sid. mt Orr Of the Rapid Tran
sit Commission and Gn org l.. Rvee, now
CORPORATION Couns |, lobbied at Albany for
subway for the Whitney int r, sts. That
bill was killed, he said. by public protest,
end the pr. sent bills could be killed in the
jams s. Lehmahr Of the West Side
bee n in the history Of the State 20 corrupt
snd INSCRIPTIONS q lobby at Albany se
there ID at present. r. publicans and
d mocrats alike. he said,. wre mtxed UP
u the gHhs h that werv gong on; a.. s1AtSs of ,Ss
most rpr hensibe Of all the grab bills;
j. Aspinwal Hodge said that the Wilcox
bill. which rlvivGs old franchises, was
! not only vicious. but ridiculous. Any
said, would b. tn targS not only for public
contempt, hut also for public ridicule.
Frank Moss said that no one could ever
exp ct hon ct city officials 30 long a. the
spectacle Of millionair looting 2 city
by corrupting it's State legislature was
constantly b ing pr sentc to the people.
Then Mr.. Chadwick read his letter nom
Assemblyman Bedell. Mr.. Chadwick said
none Of the bills CO uld get through II the
c. mmittee on Rules kept them en- the
calendar, and the. pee pile ought to watch
this committee and attend TO It's members
at the next election II they allowed the
bills 10 get en- the calendar
Speeches were made by John Brcks
Lea witt and John s. Cros sby. Several eets
of rest utio ns were also passed. One set
demands that the Governtr have the bills
withdrawn from the Legislature and an
ether calls for the appo intnent 81 local
rairo ad commissio n Il take the place CT the
State Railro ad q mmisson.
A committee was appointed to hand all
of the resolutions to Gov. Odell. The MEM
bers Of this committee are Robert Fulton
Cutting, John Dewitt Warner, Charles v.
Fornes, William F. Stonebndge, Charles
~ Chadwick, s. B. Donnelly. Ralph Traut.
mann, Frank Moss. F. Norton Goddard
and Z. w. Boomingdale.