New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-04-07
PLOT BRINGS GRAB QUIT
REPORT NLAGARA BILL.
LOckPOrs's alleged ADVOCACY Does
TicE-GoodseH Measures Advanced


Albany. Ap-u 6.-GFzb bills has another nsla
cay their bsgt q the present session this nom
Ing and g Begins % look Is u the closing hours
q shs present session would Sc al attempt 20
pass TIE familiar Niagara power grab. which
slipped through last year. and certain vicious
rzlroad blls- The fEht to-day vas over tie -
po-t q TIE Siagzrs III b The Assembly Water
supply C0Ezuittss. action that Is alleged 20
have been taken IS 3 result % false Fepressnta-
tons 20 ths committee. azd 3 bFise debate ate
tending a unsucoesEfuI attempt % cheek the
Goo1ssU grahs n TIE Senate. which ended n
their being advanced 20 that they can b passed
next week
TIE Leggstt Niagara power bIu. which was re-
ported to-day. does not materially differ from
the MEASURE q last year finally vetoed ~ Cow
erlcr OdsE- save that = Is regarded BY many
IS D07e vicious ard dangerous BIZ. cot mere
y because q ths rights IL oousers n the way
OF Franchises. but because OF is menace 20
AIagzra FaIs- No existing power company
drawing water from the falls has the right 70
take water . Ez-uSacEurs mere than 5000
hoEsepoEsE. but TIE present biu would give the
right % take water enough 20 manufacture sOo.-
90 horsepower thus dlVertlng a amount os
water which. & Is declared. would seriously az
feet TIE scenic beauty q the American FauE.
TIE present agtt over tae bin Is rather anus
slg 81 that thoss persons who brought the bill
fighting T. tooth and rsu TIE reason Is a sin
PIE che they represent districts n which the
city % LocEport Is & par The present bill As
opposed 20 last years. leaves LockporE entire
y OK q The running The seat q the manu-
sscture. and g 50 wo-ded that the power houses
car - erected IN Niagara Falls. Last year the
main argument for the BIZ was that 81 was 3
local measure. but even this argument Is thus
vftizted r. the present blu.
- Z - lit -
vas voiced n charges that TIE Westinghouse
company had row gained control % the Cd
Niagara. Lockpo-t and Ontario Power COM
psny. q clause was pEr & The bill. ss amended
yeEts-6ay providing that one hundred thou
sand q the horsepoEsr-that IS. one-qUartsr q
the suount-Ehould be manufactured at Lock
port- Then Il g charged that thu committee
vas tod tkat the LOckport opposition had been
withdrawn. and On this alleged plot the bin was
reported Now & turns out 70 have been IN
true. The Lockport oppOsittca IS even Enors
strenuous. snd Assenblyrnan Thompson. who
farhered last years grab, to-day made state
Enent attacking the present BIZ.
The amendment made 20 the bin Is abso-
luteiy meaningless" said Ar. Thompson. and
the L0ckport people have rejected e. II per-
E1lts the building q thirty forty power
oanzIs across Niagara County, and the pro-
Enoters can 20 ahead ard demonstrate three
hundred or more horsepower Al a head ~ less
than one hundred and sixty-hve feet without
ever coming 10 Lockport Notwithstanding
our refusal 10 agree. Mr.. Leggett stated 70 the
COMMITTEES mis- morning that Lockport had
agreed 70 the amendment and on that under
standing tsls BIZ was reported. and I shall op-
pose this bin IN every honorable extent so long
as The people behind this bill fal 20 protect
LOckpOrt n good faith"
The Goodseu grab bills-one affecting the
old steinway tunnel the other permitting the
Belmont interests 70 abandon improbable troll
icy lines in The Bronx-were edyanced in the
Senate to-day after q sharp debate that called
forth legislative definition % the word grab
when the bis came up Senator Marks, Of New
York, declared they we're CABS This dis
turbed Senator Cassidy. who has power grab
bil Of his own ready 70 pass just as soon as he
can get the votes. and he demanded definition.
Well. III tell the Senator what mean" as
-en.od Marks Take. for example. a bill IN
the nature Of an electric light measure. such as
the Senator himself has introduced, giving
power 70 a large corporation which is trying 10
obtain privileges without the consent OF local
authorities. and 81 a way to avoid paying mu-
inequalities for the franchise: that IS my defini-
tion q grab bil-one that gives great powers
without compensation. one that is sneaked
through without ever coming out in the open
and declaring what the corporation is really
after"
Lawrence TroWbridge. representing the Citi-
zens Union, tonight gave out a statement OF the
effect OF two Of the measures OF the tunnel
b he said.
Al FIRST Il was supposed that this bill was de-
signed 10 give the InterbOrOugh interests, which
now control the old SteinWay Tunnel Companv.
the right 70 uOEB the tunnel from 5sth-st. 70 ed
st. u turns Out now that the biz is meant 10
allow a charge Of grade IN the tunnel partly COM
pleted at s2d-st-