New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-28
ODELL'S VETO NEEDED.
cPAB BILL SITUATION.
7|eamres Likely to PGsS-Mo7e
than lIass Meetings Needed.
.rr -ursBAPH 10 -HE TRInUSE.l

80.
-.-,-,rr oe the legislative session, It IS hard
= see much except harm left for the two
,.-obes 20 Co but OF this there IS no limit.
-, re-ea;ed mention oc the bad measures now (
- s.r ytgor some Of them passed by one
s-orcb. has been constant Tor some weeks, but,
s.,-f.e aa rrotert these bills have moved along
-.sbout interference. Public outcry demanded
-, defeat OF the Niagara grab; at the hearing
.~.-v voices were raised in protest. Neverthe-
,.ss the committee reported IL, the Assembly
,sse7 81 ty "a vote Of about three 70 one. and &
r,srt over 20 The Senate. where It was promptly
r.por,ed out OF the Committee on Miscellaneous
Corporations. Senator GoocseFs' end VIII be
voted on this week.
The fortune OF the Duchess County water
measure which has been sharply attacked by
r2-d s. Coler as IA the interest OF Raraapo has
81. becr dissiuilsr. Opposed in the Assembly
nv the New-Tork City members. IL moved
through that body by vote of three 20 one. its
r-ogress materially assisted by the eloquent
flea made on its behalf by Assemblynan Bedell
7. viii be voted on IN few days IN the Senate.
Ti.rlly the notorious Remsen East River Gas
fab. swept through The Assembly by the usual
shree 10 one vote that has been faithfully given
On every corrupt or outrageous grab bin this
session. was forcibly taken out of the hands Of
,6e proper Senate committee. 10 which 81 was
referred by Lieutenant Governor Higgins, and
assigned 10 one from which there can be no
doubt i VIII receive tender treatment. All this
iook place in the face OF the protest made on
the floor that "the pipes were all laid for IT."
Such Is the record OF the present Legislature.
TO DIsINTER DEAD CHARTERS.
2, was with the virtuous satisfaction at its
r-evfous accomplishments that the Assembly.
through fts Committee on Railroads, last week
capped the climax OF these achievements BY re-
forting out the i've Cravath-Wicox- Bedell grab
bills. which. IN substance. aim 10 give the New
York city Railroad Company the right 20 abol-
Ssh transfers. seize streets wherever they may
choose without let or hindrance in respect TO
the essential matter Of perpetual franchises.
and anaIly disinter al the dead charters and
,x-l-es franchises that they may have acquired
FAD as these bills are, and no one except Mr..
Cravath even ottenpted to convince Assembly
man BedsIs Railroad Committee that they
possessed any virtue there is not a single per-
son familiar with the fashion in which the
:-esert legislature IS moving that would hesi-
tate 10 risk the prophecy that IL brought to a
.-ote tomorrow they would command the three
70 one vote the Assembly has given nearly
every Job this year.
IT viii take more than mass meetings 70 KIN
shoee bills" was the sneering comment that
erected the announcement that the public in
dignation in Nevv-york City was taking this
form Of expression. i is hard TO see any pos
f6ble contingency that viii prevent their
triumphant passage IN the Assembly. II there
fs any doubt about their passage. Il lies IN the
Senate. Without executive interference. how
ever Il is difficult 20 see any possibility OF the
defeat OF these bills whose character is not
hidden from the most unoSserving onlooker,
even n ne be a legislator If these railroad bills
we're called in the Assembly tomorrow night
the opposition could not muster forty-flve votes
rgainst them. One Assernbly1nan said last week
sust after the Rernsen gas bin went through
with a rush:
'Fathered by the right assemblynan. q bin 70
rteal the capitol and lease the building for
railroad station would pass this house by vote
of Sc TO 80. the balance not voting, being those
who slzuIked out OF the chamber because they
were afraid TO vote for the bin and didn't dare
% offend its friends by voting against It."
TO TAKE REVENGE OK JEROME.
The fate of the Jerome bill is stin IN allegiance.
The EFFORT to delay has been successful; the at
tempt 70 defeat may prove equally so. II the
Assembly dares 10 face the storm OF public in
dignation this bin has provoked 81 will defeat
s. In any event it VIII take its revenge on
Nj Jerome by killing the bin he has had intro
duced which would enable him. In situations
like the building trades strike Of last summer.
&c prosecute no, merely the walking delegate.
like Sam Parks. who extorts money, but
also the big contractor who bribes the walking
delegate.
The vicious measures mentioned above are
~ no means the sole instances OF the activity
Uf the present session. They belong 20 the
class Of grab bills. that is bills designed TO give
Hway public rights 20 private corporations
without remuneration. There Is frequently
uertain amount OF revenue in these. but the real
Eo,rces OF financial compensation 70 legislators
ie IN strike bills that Is. in measures which. II
passed would seriously or fatally cripple cor7o-
ratiOns. These bills are Introduced ana referred
% the appropriate committee. and then the
happy corporation begins 70 get uneasy and the
negotations begin. II the proper arrangements
are made the bill persshes in committee, other
wise Il nav be reported or even passed in orc
House; II rs more expensive to stop Il ;Eer.
Now. the list Of this sort OF measures intro
ouced n the present session is in inverse ratio
20 that % the really straightforward and proper
legislative enactments that have been presented
this year. The fifteen hundred Assembly bills
introduced. II carefully studied for this purpose
would reveal an overwhelming number OF these
Profitable experiments. most % them no longer
Twink
EXACT SITUATION NOT UNDERSTOOD.
Those who are eagerly looking forward to the
defeat q the railroad bills would be less
sanguine could they realize the exact situation
here. These measures may be defeated II pub
lie agitation reaches point where # becomes
Necessary 10 use TIE authority Of party organ
ization to defeat them They cannot be stopped
otherwise. for the prese-t l-gislature IS rushing
forward CT n heodlonE rate. The Assembly has
failed 10 lSil a single vicious measure before it.
Urd hopes 10 make SIS first score on the Jerome
canfeld BIN. Last week the members OF that