New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-15
MR.. MALBY TALKS ON GAS.
SAYS Mayor Mcclellan Did Not Try
70 Obtain Passage of so Cent Bill.

A new and significant sidelight upon Mayor
NcCIelIsn's relation to the defeat of the bill
ducirg the price of gas in New-York City to so
cents was supplied yesterday by State Senator
George r MaIby. who came 10 this city after
the funeral of Speaker Nixon The Senator's
story serves to define clearly the extent TO
which the Mayor. who signed the Remsen East
River Gas bill in 1904 labored to obtain the
massage Of a bill TO reduce the price of gas in
1904 Senator Malby said:
The history OF that final day in the gas legis-
latiou OF last session mas never been told in
the way that it should be told. and I think any
fair minded person would realize how little
there Is In Mayor McClelans pretension that he
tried line up the Tanmany Senators for the
hill Il viii be recalled that the date for the
vote on the Stevens gas bills had peen fixed
DAYS before il occurred. AT least a week before
the final vote the newspapers had advertised the
every other wide awake person knew that on
that day fixed so Ions in advance, the question of
relief 10 gas consumers of New-Yor CITY would
be uP for final disposition.
So, after all possible advertisement the day
came, the vote was taken and the gas bills
we're defeated, the motion to reconsider them
was lost and the battle was definitely over 1t
was $50 O'Clock, Two hours after the bills
had been disposed of, that Senator Grady, the
minority leader. came to me in evident distress
He had in his hand unopened telegraph
dispatch
senator" said he - call you to witness
that l have just received this message: 1 be-
neve il is from the Mayor Of New York City
and refers 10 the gas bills. and I call you TO
witness that Il is $50 o'clock and the message
has just this minute been put in my hands,
Well I said. Il am q witness and It is
Just $50 o'clock and the gas bills have been
dead al least two hours"
Then he opened the dispatch. and. sure
enough, i was a message from the Mayor and
as he showed II TO NE l saw that II an ap-
peal for support for the 50 cent gas bill
The bill has been dead repeated. for two
hours"
The Western Union must have held UP the
message, said Grady excitedly-
Yes. that is exceedingly likely" said / "A
telegraph company is likely TO hold up a mes
sage from the Mayor of New York City, don't
you think so, hold il for at least two hours -
7 guess I have given you a little too much
information said he
Not mite too much; just enough. said l.
Now what I can't understand is how any one
can believe that the Mayor was sincere In his
support Of these bills. If he had been he had
e week in which 10 appeal to the Tamnany
members; he had all the time you could wish
for there was ample notice, and then he sends
q message arriving two hours after the gas
bill was dead for the session You didn't find
anv such delay in the arrival or the sending
Of 8 message when his water bill was supposed
TO be IN danger: his dispatches were on time
were ahead Of time II may be that there
people that be fooled by any such play 5
that but far I concerned I know
those facts and satisfied that they indicate
clearly how much sincerity there was in his
alleged support for the bills.