New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-25
EXPECT LIVELY FINISH.
pvBLTC PROTEST DEFTED.
Nam Grab Bills Dangerously Near
Passage at albany.

.--,- ,sar4b 24-The calm defiance Of the
-.-4-saI protest Of the public against the spoil
,.Iqr of rs rights for the benefit Of the New
,o-s city Railroad Company, shown by the re-
-. sreter5av by the Assembly Railroad COM
,.... ~ .bo Eve notorious grab bills drawn by
1,.r " Cravath for hie clients various street
-rrqa4e and the assurances given on all rides
,r,. .hese bills viii pass have aroused the sus-
,t,ia- .hat "a dun session is to have a remark
,5a climax. <or enough measures OF the charac-
..- ~ the railroad grab bills are now pending to
-~.sa- distinction q an unusual character on
.ra f-essnt legislature n & passes them. The
- .roaE rIis have been Jhe storm centre Of pro-
.ss, Many public bodies have come here 10
r-otest against the enactment OF these Cravath
tus couferring perpetual franchises. rendering
yossftle the EaIvauizing into lie OF dead COM
san.es such as 1he westohester Rip road. and
essny attacking the transfer rights OF the peo-
pe ~ the cities of the state, for Air. Crevah has
cranky sdmitted the bills are aimed 10 beneat
many corporations. his clients al over Tie State
Having thus set :ts seal Of approval on these
Ric!5cs measures n committee the Assembly is
scu ready 10 enact tbem into Law. Already
sffs same body has passed buL row pending
q the Senate Couferring without compensation
Nn tho Niagara, L0ckport and Ontario Power
Cou7pnrv rights which may ruin the scenic
leau.y of Niagara Falls rs well as give this
corporation rights 20 enter and tear UP 'Ae
streets os every community in the State anl
OCCUPY all State lands except the Erie Cana
-crv that The certainty Of the passage Of the
,an-5sd buls IS made manifest. there is the
hes reason for predicting that this grab. pro-
so..r1ed the -ncst unprecedented and phenom-
eral .., history by John G. Niiburn. which comes
AZ fo~ 8 vote and hnal passage IN the Senate
>yithin few days, VIII meet tho approval q the
gegislature. Certain evil minded persons have
cared 10 hint at the presence of lobby cor this
I'll bur Il can be trUthsUlly said tnat this rUinor
obtains no credenoe among legislators.
GREATLY BENEFITS BAMAPO COMPANY.
Another interesting measure reported iron,
Sc committee IN the Senate yesterday over the
dissenting votes Of Senators Bowling and Els
berg is the Dutcaess County Water h.li- more
ENTHUSIASTICALLY known as The 12aIaapo Bill Rep
reserratives o. tEe Citizens Union a5d Of dozens
q other public bodies an New-York Cts, as vCG
ey The ofscial representative Of Mayor McClel-
Ian Assistant Corporation Counsel Guy, have
asserted that tins measure. whether desiEnedly
or not, while henefting a. few thousand people
.n Dutchess County slightly, benefits the RAN
APO company immensely By excluding available
sources o. New-Eork water supply When the
Republican members Of the Assembly objected
20 this bin on these grounds they were over
vhelnled and ii Is believed the bin IS destined
20 pass the senate within q few days.
The Tribune has editoriaIy oalleE attention 10
sua careful manner in which legislators project
81 public interests with reference 90 the Rem
zen East River gas grab bin by taking il out
or The hands Of the cities Committee and put
ring II in the control OF a less censorious com
3mtJec. The Assembly has already passed this
IiL II comes up in The Senate IN a few days.
II has been generally denounced as bad leeis-
lstion and its passage IS expected Equally
4--r-- 81. 80
generous lobby have been made against this
measure as against the Niagara grab. Ia both
cases however they remain TO ne proved
SIN sluuleriuF in committee Is The Wallace
Transfer bill This measure. entirely philan-
thropic in character, IS intended to save The in-
Czidual 10 whom a transfer is refused The ne
,essty Of prosecuting the company refusing. A.
present when a transfer is refused tire crgrievel
person can sue AID collect $50. I- using -ais
penalty as club certain civic bodies CofEpe. Jed
lie &ew-YorB city Railroad Company to give
transfers Gt Twenty-third-st and Broadway. al
Fxth-oye. and Twcnty-third-gt. ard al One
rurdred-and-;voaty-d and Eiglta-ave
Sow the corporation comes 20 Albany with a
hard luck story of scandal caGseI 10y The num-
Ser Of penalty suits brought 20 compel IL 10 obey
Tic law ard proposes 10 destroy this safe-uard
ls- r-inc-tnc s-1u -re citizen a-l zc-tinc En- tro
Attorney General ,he right 10 bring action. 81
s0sre- has been given to the contention o. the
opponents % th,s hll that THIS would practically
resuLt .u The destruction OF penalty suits. This
1II Is regarded as sonewha; unlikely 20 pass
o. ;ae theory th4c tho passage or the othe~ GEs
grab Bills Sc as much as the Nev-YorS City
Railroad can expect from any one legislature
None ;he less. there are many VINO believe that
Il The crowded days approachins this In VII
t-p u'ostentatious'y cut Of committee
Bills READY FOR FINAL PASSAGE.
AL bills rlentio3ed above are now. with the
exception of the last. In position Cor final pas
sag To be sure. The Eve big bills GIr Cra-
Tsth'sl have not yet been reported in the Sen
ate, but TINS eght Formally VIII probably soon
be accomplished. There las been so much dis
eassi0I over -hese bills that tie public IS en-
'irey fsrniliar with their reture one which,
ne Tribune pointed out. was aimed 10 grab Elm
a. has been amended SO that only three-qua- r
t'rs o. mile OF Eim-st, or any Other street
can be seized. AIr Cravath has explained that
'aIa-s- was rot the particular target o. the bili
tu' That she obtaining of perpetual franchises
N new streets ~ shifting tracks from Old ones
was The public bodies OPPOSING these bills have
Iro'ested that The amendment SO far as Il a.
:eotcd Elu-st. was satisfactory. but stlu set
iIeir faces asGlns; mandatory legislation z7olat-
Ing Tho charter provisions With reference 20
tr'e11y-lge-year franchise The Innocent :It-
te measure charging tro lax thai requires cor
iofai-'ls TO f-ii-Q1sH -'.af~ existence autornat-
i-eliy 81 they lai -o comply NTH the conditions
oi the'i i1cornorat:on by making q p.rrrssive.
instead - automatic. ts another 81 the Eve Cra-
Naih-N le0E-i .el measures 10 which the city
o'iloi0-g objects. Assistant Corporation Coun-
hel Cay has declared that this VIII revive IN