New-York tribune., 1906-07-08

When such financial powers. as prey have de-
ternined that they must have<some unusual privi-
lese which requires legislative interference, and
TIE legislative agent selected 20 carry out their
~S-1Ns has found unusual difficulties in getting it
through he often resorts the subterfuge OF the
convenient 'jcker." When the corporation lawyer
~ a certain kind seeks unwarFanted extension
81 the privileges OF HIS corporation. the easiest
method for him TO pursue is TO draft an unim-
Dortant looking amendment 20 the law under
which It was incorporated. conceallng therein
phrase which IS loaded When bill Of im-
pOrtance comes before legislature for discussion
one Of the first instincts OF the conscientious pub
lie servant is 70 hunt for the 'jOSer."
For the seemingly innocent word phrase,
carefully placed. is the instrument by which.
snce public indignation has made the crude method
OF wholesale purchase OF legislatures unpopular
and even unsafe. OF the queer legislative
work Is attempted nowadays. The joker's the
shins." Many times It passes uncsught, and the
til containing IL becomes law. making neces-
saEy years OF fighting after the peculiar signii-
calce has been discovered before it can be re-
Iesled. Many times. thanks 20 vlsflant scrutiny
the part OF honest legislators. careful commit
tee work and well organized civic societies. It IS
cetectea and shown up but strange 70 tell not
necessarily 20 the disgrace OF its sponsor.
Technically, the Joker IS a clause which
eaTOnsh :ts immediate context or the general
meaning OF the bill in which 81 is placed carries
into the law an effect often directly opposite to
or two, fulI OF significance when the in
nerrnost details OF the situation become known
tt may be a long paragraph Of intricate legal
chraseolOgy. The chseS characteristic OF the Joker
Is that &c Is not known as the instrument OF the
working for civic betterment, and is never
used By the legislator with honest, above board
object 20 accomplish.
us advantages tOr attack and retreat are many.
1ts very nature makes &c a valuable agent OF the
lobbyist or the corporation lawyer assuring the
Every bil containing 'joker'' IS introduced with
.zle chance Of its hidden effect not becoming dis
covered until the benehciaries havs begun 10 enjoy
the privileges conferred by the law. If dis
covered by vigilant person, it always is easy
To argue that the Joker" Is not Joker" that
II any effect IS produced other than the surface
meaning OF the words. it is not the evil effect at
tTlbutsd 70 ths bill. II the worst comes TO the
worst, and the evils of the "joker' fully
exposed. way OF escape from public Odum and
possible future political harm to the legislator
who Introduced the bill lies in prompt. fat denial
of responsibility for the wording Of the bill and
any knowledge Of the hidden meaning OF the
ssjOker." In some cases this may even be true,
for the bills introduced not always drawn by
their sntrOdueers and sometimes are not even read
b. the men 10 whom they are credited.
HOW THE TRICK is DONE.
Manipulation OF the Joker is easy To disarm
scrutiny. perfectly proper bill may be introduced
q
Dlish the Illegal by means OF the law This bill IS
examined by the committee, and probably is
ported. Then nothing is natural than that
the man with the bill in charge should want to
f'perfect IL. A slight amendment is introduced ito
correct the verbiage of the BILL explained
by the introducer Of one of the worst 'Jokers" of
the recent session at Albany When the time comes
for progressing the bill. explanations may be asked
on the floor. hut the proficient legislator who has
encCmbered his bills with ''jokers'' never is at
loss for explanations. The only question as to the
passage Of the bill usually is whether It touches
subject sufficiently important to deep search
its real object and the true scope OF the
ents by honest legislators. Even then its signif-
canoe may not be discovered until after it has he
law.
But II the who loads" his own legislation
IS menace 10 the general welfare much moro
dangerous is the man who opposes important legs-
lation which there is an honest difference of
opinion in the Legslatur then under guise of
adapting the to a form in which it might
receive his support, offers amendment whose
zeal import IS TO kin emasculate the bill Such
a Joker" with difficulty be guarded against
3f the opposition 20 the bill all strong because
1he man behind the Joker has at his command
81 he IS urging IL the instance OF the interests