New-York tribune., 1905-02-13
THE LOBBY At ILB4NY.
Not phat 1t Used To Third
House" Not 4ctirc.

Albany. Feb. Eff Governor Folk Of Missouri
sAonId obtain Jurisdiction in Albany his mandate
oanlshing the boodler and the lobbyist would spread
"t'ie terror particularly at this season Of the
year. There is season when the lobbyist is to be
recognized, but that IS when the session has run
nearly its full length At that time the long par
Iors begin TO I'LL with familiar faces Wei known
Ineifloers whose long service has given them posi-
uons Of Importance in that body officially known
as the third house. urge with peculiar earnestness
the merits OF measures whose merits are well
concealed
But to the old timer the present is an age oc
delay. There was time If the various chronicles
Of the capital be believed when the over
coats Of the members hung in convenient corners.
when the actual dough- put in the pockets;
when organization less strenuous and the in
dividual legislator had frequent opportunity for in
creasing his modest salary.
To-day the ante-election feature Of legislation re-
moves much Of the bargaining of the old days and
what remains is as often transacted in certain
hlalto hotel in Newyork in the sacred precincts
Of the Capitol. There is reason why the lobbyist
should not come to the legislature IL he chooses
To be sure there times when the barriers are
raised about the Senate lobby, when the famous
Ruie No 49, that excludes all but those entitled
to the privileges of the floor is enforced This per-
haps, is 10 give the doorkeeper practice much
anything. but the lobby IS open, the whole The
third house transact its business it
chooses The fact that it is said to operate in the
local hotels frequently in the official precincts
is only evidence of good taste.
II was true last year that when the vote was
taken certain measures. its friends, and they
not representatives Of civic bodies followed
the vote from a distance, indeed and forecast
the result in certain instances. But the force of
the lobby influence is e1erted not on Individual
members. The lobby OF the Empire State. not so
differently from that Of Missouri. is credited with
directing its efforts toward committees for the Dill
that the committee reports is ordinarily the olA
that will pass. This is the difference from the old
days If It were successful, it would make the mat
ter easier TO handle would make ''the goods more
compact and easier 10 deliver. Moreover it would
substitute short division for long.
Lobbying in the legislature has had It's hacyon
DAYS. and these were the days of Tweed. His name
is remembered a tradition now. In that day
every legislator could sell his vote. Very few could
even get q price for theirs now. When a green
Tarnmary member is assigned a committee he
usually begins his work by hunting around darkly'
'Wiu be taken care of?' he asks earnestly. The
chances are against The lobby is Unosteitatlous
Occasionally, IN the last hours OF the session. the
press has even recounted some gallant charge of
the black horse cavalry down the floor of the As
senlbly chamber to retire before broadsde OF the
Speaker. but in the main the Albany lobby is too
decorous too reserved to allow itself TO become OBJ
trusivc- Banished from the Capitol by some Folk
like mandate It would retire TO an adjacent hotel
Banished from the capital city, it would take up its
headGuarters in the metropolis from which it could
not be dislodged Its main business is reported to
be done there Its business cards might get to
the CAPITOL but that would be all.
After all, viewed from the broader point of view
Of the average legislator. the real source of
ente. at least for the little fellow, IS regarded
the Strike bill" ''Pick out full blooded corpora
ton and put in a measure the provisions OF which
will put Il out Of business" This is the sage adj
vice to which the Tammany members pay due
heed. The bill dies-every knew it would-but
the corporation makes good. If it is recalcitrant,
# might be possible TO report the bfor printing,
perhaps. That would carry 1t TO the higher sphere
Of committee legislation. but in the main. the
silent strike BILL unadversed and unobtrusive,
is declared by wiseacres to yield the dividends and
its effect might be such lead its introducer
take trip the metropolis. rather than to bring
the officials Of the corporation to Albany. In brief.
If Governor Folks order carried In Albany there
would be absent next month a few familiar faces.
There might be more legislators in attendance at
the sessions in q Rialto hosiery, but in the main
life would peacefully and the difference
would not be great If there is no less corruption
than Of old, if lobbying still persists, the actual
working is done more decently, the dough is
Haunted less openly, and the Of the business is
New-York City. not Albany. There are no longer
well situated overcoats; bills Of large dimensions
are less often broken at places OF amusement, de-
9g0T S De Rsa % at is ts sse Rs G yrtue
There are times whenS II reports were to be be
with wealth when wagons would drive up the
structure bringing dough" but such times hap
year a daily newspaper graveIy announced that a
b1ge SorTepIoa [onq a6XanGeo an & 9y gapIsFs 70
in Troy, and that the legislature had moved there
in body. It is true that some members went TO
Troy after this announcement but mono before.
To the average Assenblyman that talk of corrup-
ton is more bewildering than insulting In his
first term it seems incredible. in his second
aggerated, in his third i'll advised.
Inere is a tradition. solemnly repeated, that a
single Brooklyn AsseElblyTnan not many years
ago, a member of the minority. made 800 in his
nrst term This IS regarded phenomenal by
those who are either in pretend to be. In
general IT is widely conceded that. next to monk
IN his monastery, no man can be more removed
from tenlotation than frst-year member. a fact
which would be hardly true IL the lobby were as
pernlciousy active as is sometimes charged