New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-01
GRAB BILLS ARRESTED.
BEDELL BEATS RETREAT.
Hammered by Fello1c Members, He
Does Not -4dUance Measures.
rBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TR1BuHE.I

IBE TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.I
Albany. March 31.-In their championship Of
the Street Railroad grab bills. Assemblyman
BedeIl chairman Of the Railroad Committee
and introducer OF the measures, and Assembly
man Wallace, author OF the well known trans
fer measure, to-day attempted 10 stem the tide
OF criticism Of the bills and force their advance
raent by denouncing the public press and by
praising their own characters. Sensitive ears
were jarred when Assemblyman Wallace melo-
dramatically declared that these bills which
crowded mass meeting have pronounced in
famous" were The most virtuouS and honest
bills that have come before us this year.
StunE by the criticisms that have been directed
against hia measure Assembiyman Wallace
bitterly attacked the press. HiS laudation OF
the bills was in part as follows:
am no man TO allow public good TO be
checked by the wild and wholly uncertain atu-
tude taken by certain people. / have received
a number of letters threatening me with the
ending OF my political life If 1 supported these
bills I want TO say THAI am not the kind or
man that is capable O being caJoled or threat
ened into voting aga ( measures believe
good and yirtuous by being threatened with the
sensf.r1ss OF my ,,ositiosr existence ets
believe 1T Is the duty OF every member OF
this body 20 stand here and use whatever rea-
son he may possess in the light God has given
, him on these matters. and believe that when
7 go back to my constituents and tell them or
the attitude ] have taken on this matter they
VIII say, We'll done. good and faithful servant
wen let you go back and try 1t again ne
! lie1e these measures as fair and as Vlrtu-
Gus as any ever placed before this House.
Il accept the gentleman's apologies" said AZ
! sernblyrnan Lynch, as, overpowered with his e|-
ertions. Mr.. Wallace sank into his seat
BEDELL EXPLAINS MEASURES.
Mr.. wauace's coadjutor. Assemhlyman BedeH.
beaan the exclamation OF his measures the mo-
r,ent they came up. after a motion TO strike out
made by Assemblyman Newcomb. OF New
York Assemblyman Bedell opened his harangue
by suggesting that the measures had been sub
iect 10 so much criticism that II had become a
question of whether the Assembly was ito be
governed by outside influences or whether 1t
would take up the measures on their merits.
After a fulsome description OF The openness or
the method Of the corporation in coming to the
legislature openly. instead Of 'sneaknS the bills
In" Mr. BedeIl reading from a typewriter
brief. carefully explained the particular virtue
Of each OF the grab" bills At the same time
he said that the public explanations had been
unfaithful and based on misunderstanding.
sample Of his arguments was the one ad-
vanced in behalf Of the Eim-st frab, on which
he solennly assured the Assembly ne had Mr..
Cravath's word that the Nev-York City Railway
/ Company never intended to seize and never
would seize Elrn-st under the terms Of this bill.
The criticism that II granted perpetual fran
tion that he had been sssured-he did not say by
whom-that the words and otherwise appear
ing in the bill could he construed to prevent
this. Mir. Bedel occupied three-quarters of an
hour In explaining the virtues Of these measures
TO q wondering Assembly.
when Mr. Redell had finished his encomiums
Assembyman Newcomb opened the attack upon
the bills. He said i'm part:
There is not the slightest reason that has been
rt-l,r hn lal
10 grant single one Of these concessions until
there is something given I'm the way of similar
concession 10 the people in the way of the per
/ formance Of their obligations by the corpora
iion asking this favor. The last speaker made
! a broad reference to the benefits received by the
city from this company. Why. have not
! had half the service We should have had. We
have not been given half the accommodations
required by their very charters. They have
turned deaf ear to every demand of the public
for decent accommodations And now. while
Streetcars go up and down the city streets in
! decently outrageously crowded to the danger OF
health and Of limb. I don't think IT is proper
time for that corporation 10 come here and ask
for favors from the legislature with anything
but clean hands.
only A few months ago the whole population
OF New York was UP in arms asking for better
accommodations. Even the State Board OF Rail-
road Commissioners was galvanized into action
for tho moment. and made recommendations for
the Improvement of service Nothing came OF
it Not n single one Of the recommendations
was carried oct. After the Railroad Commits
sion had marched up the hill and down again.
other people took IL up to see what could be
( done 10 improve the situation. and recommended
iions were made drafted by civil engineers,
which would have helped to remedy the discom-
forts and dangers moral and physical. These
| corporations running cars on congested
streets with the capacity OF thirty people, when
! by the expenditure of a little money better
equipment they could use larger cars No atten-
tion was paid TO these requests whatever.
'aUsT COME WITH CLEAN HANDS"
| lie who seeks relief in equity must come with
clean hands. and he who comes asking what he
| wants should have performed services.
Mr.. Newcomb then anslyzed the bills, dwelling
on the vicious character OF each. In closing
his speech. he said:
| j remember well the time when Mr. Bedeli
stood up in a Republican House and urged that
Continued fourth page.