New-York tribune., 1905-04-12
THREE "GRABS" PASSED.
ONE MEASURE HELD UP.
GoodseH Bills 60 Through Senate
After Bitter Debate.
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10 AEA-E9AAPA TO THE IklbuNH-I
Aioany' April 1.-THE Senate to-day passed
'hree grab" bills out OF four considered. The
measures passed were the Goodsell bills, giving
iaiiroads extensive and irresponsible powers Of
o"ueiilnation. and a second materially aiding
the marlborough in the case Of the Steinway
tunnel. The third benefited the same corpora
ZION Oy permitting it to abandon certain of its
unprontable lines in The Bronx. The passage
VI Two OF these bills was engineered by Senator
11cCaEren who spoke with his usual statesman
AlAe reserve on the merits of the bills using his
particular eloquence for the steinway tunnel
which IS peculiarly Democratic measure, bene-
nHns the lines Of railroad controlled in Queens
county by August Belmont, treasurer of the
democratic National Committee. and urgently
advocated by Cord Meyer. the somewhat side
tracked chairman Of the Democratic State Com
mittee The bill that fell by the wayside was
senator Elsberg's initial performance in the line
of railroad grab"
The debate on the Goodseu bills was some
what acrimonious. Senator Marks starting by
declaring that the usual form in which legis-
lative enactments are phrased. THE people Of
the State of New-York. represented in Senate
and Assembly" should be changed to THE cor
porations Of the State of New-Yorl. represented
in Senate and Assembly
This being John the Baptist is all right" in
terjected Bracket but I want TO tell the Sen
ator it's awful wilderness he's crying in"
The purpose Of the BILL to permit the Inter
borough to abandon certain Bronx lines, was
disclosed by Senator Page. who attacked the
bill.
Senator Cassidy suggested that the bill be
amended that the routes could only be aban-
doned by the consent Of the authorities grant
ing the franchise. and this amendment was
voted down and the bill passed by vote OF 81
to s. Senator FIsberg not voting
Then the Goodsen Steinway tunnel measure
was taken up, and while Senator Goodsen was
trying in a weak whisper to explain the bill
Senator McCarren interrupted him, and ex-
planned that the measure was to enable certain
Queens County surface lines, by changing the
grade of the Steinway tunnel to use 1t to get
into New-Yo He airily brushed aside sug-
gestions that such a franchise should be granted
by local authorities on terms fixed by them ana
the bill slipped through by a vote of S5 to T.
Senator Elsberg again refraining from voting.
The Elsberg grab" had a less happy time
No sooner was the bill reached than Senator
Cassidy, who has sat uneasily under criticism OF
certain Of his measures by Senator Elsberg. at
tackled the bill rs drawn in the interests OF the
New York and Westchester road, and was IN
tended to cure the defects in it's charter which
are now the basis of application before the
Attorney General, brought by several lawyers
for permission TO attack the charter.
The opposition to the bill was so marked that
Senator E,sberg asked that the measure be laid
aside. This means that it is still In q position
10 be passed if it is pressed. The bill is merely
a redraft Of one of the bills introduced by AS
senlblyInan Wallace last year which created
such general condemnation.