New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-03
STEINWAY BILLS CHECKED
GO BACK TO COMMITTEE
Mag Be Attempt to Sneak Them
Through at Last Moment.
IBT TEE sRAPH 10 THE TRIBuNE.I

IBE TEE sRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
Albany, May after weeks of progress and
prosperity the marlborough grab" bills affect
DC the Steinway tunnel franchise to-day were
,bscked in the Assembly on the motion of the
.,siority leader, Assemblyman Rogers. who
made a brief speech urging that the character
=, these measures had been so thoroughly de-
-oonstrated and the opposition to them was so
rsnersl that the bills could not pass and ought
:, be sent back TO the Rules Committee. He
rspt on 10 point out that the Elsberg bill, which
tslongs 10 the series known as the Infamous
ave" was sdn with this committee, and that
,hsv ought TO be all together
without opposition this was done, and the
hills u-e once more removed from the calendar
~ the Assembly. This action means one Of two
,ripgs; It means either that the decision has
been reached that, like the original Niagara
-,rer bill, these measures are in the Judgment
n the party leaders. too bad to be passed, or
that an effort viii be made TO bring them out
=, the close Of the session in the few hours
bsfore adjournment. when the desire Of mem
hers 10 save their personal legislation will pre-
want their making q fight on them. Only the
developments OF the remaining three days can
ss+s-rnine which of these reasons underlies the
sctoa
The speech OF AssernblyTnan Rogers In op-
,osing the Goodseu bills was significant be-
cause It entirely subst&ntiated the contention
made in these dispatches last week that these
hills were companion pieces that TO be under
stood must be read in connection with the Els
berg bill which the Citizens Union has pro-
nounced q sneak" bill. and which would correct
nunberless defects IN railroad charters
ELSBERG MEASURE THE KEYSTONE.
At that time it was pointed out that this bill
vas the keystone Of the arch. and this was the
position taken by Mr.. Rogers, who said in NOV
ing 10 send the bills back:
r have given these two bills a great deal Of
thought Ny support has been importuned for
these bills By q number Of people, and an equal
number have inpOrtuned me to oppose them In
no uncertain tones. 1 have examined them
carefully; 7 have examined the briefs that have
accompanied them, and have tried to be
s,vaved neither by Clamor nor by prejudice but
l must say to-day that I am not prepared TO
support either Of them
The manner in which these bills have been
greeted to-day and the number OF members who
have given evidence Of their intention TO speak
against them convince me that they cannot be
passed. Moreover, they are, after all, but COM
na-iOn pieces TO that Elsberg bill which is now
II the Committee on Rules. I am told that these
bills even II passed, are worthless without the
Elsberg bill, which should be passed before
these. therefore, l move that tlese go back 70
the Rules Committee
though a few Of the Queens County and Tam
man. members voted against the resolution.
Assemblylnaa Hornidge created a laugh. while
the vote was taken by explaining that these
Goo5seu bills under consideration were the
Goodies bill"
PRESSURE on THE RULES COMMITTEE.
Great pressure has been brought to bear on
the Rules Committee TO report the Elsberg
sneak" bill, which vaIidates the charter OF the
Steinway tunnel and, despite the assertion IN
New-York City on Monday that the bill had
been abandoned, such a request was made as
late as this morning and refused Edward
I.auterbach was in the Capitol ell the morning
while these measures were being disposed Of
Complete confirmation Of the charge made last
week that this Elsberg bill, which Mr..
Iauterbach gave Senator Elsberg. came to-day.
when Professor Leslie J. Tompkins. of the New
York University Law School, who represents a
Manhattan district in the Assembly, carefully
examined the charter Of the New-York and
Long Island Railroad Company-that is the
sre.uway tunnel conpany-on file in the office
Of the Secretary Of State, and declared that the
charter was defective IN two particulars. first
II. the improper statement Of the proposed route
and second. because Of an interIinear change
not proDerly attached in marginal note by the
notary The former Of these defects. he declared
would invaIidate the construction OF the road
by The proposed route, while the latter would
stop any bonding house from handling the Sc
curlties
EX-SENATOR FORD PRAISES TRIBUNE.
ReD-egentatlves Of the Citizens Union here at
the Capltol and ex-senator John Ford all ex-
messed arr-ecjation at the share The Tribune
had taken in the fight against the measure
Senator Ford said:
To The Tribune especially are due the thanks
Of the people Of the city for its most effective
work I'm exposing the real character Of the
group Of "gra b" bills affecting the StelnWay
tuaueT 10 other newspaper justly deserves so
large a share Of the credit for defeating these
bills and this cunning scheme 10 transfer m
valuable public property TO the BeIInoht syndl-
cafe without compensation
Majority Leader Rogers who made the mo-
ton Tor committing the bills, said:
Il was not until the sequence ana the IogIGa
relation Of these bills were made PLAN py Inc
Tribune that ] made up my mind that couIo
not support the bills and that uiders'oo0
their character.