New-York tribune., 1908-03-09
CONSTITUTION A TARGET
MANY WOULD AMEND III.
1T Present There Are III Resotu-
fions Before the Legislature.
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constitution has become one of the fads OF the
present session of the Legislature ana ii II COR
tinues successfully at the present ra'e ''ie
learned men who laboriously framed the con'i
tuition of 1894 would hardly recognize their pfo'-
net At this stage of the session there arc Ioi's
one concurrent resolutions before the LesIS'"e0
seeking 10 amend the Magma Charta OF the Ef'-
pira State In some particular In the ias' "o.H
four days brought forth seven proposed aneho-
ments. . .
Probably the most sensible of them All Is
one designed to make ii harder to arneho ''''
fundamental law. This was introduceo os
semblyman Edison w. Hamn, of wayne 'ou"'S'
and is the only which has the ois'iii''
of having passed one House. All the otheiS ~
where they started and with two exceptions are
still in the committee to when they "eio II
ferred their introduction
In urging his resolution Assembiynah HAM
has the backing of Speaker Wadsworth' lie ans"
had it In 1906 and 1907, but that did not pre-
vent his amendment from being stransied III '''e
Senate Judiciary Committee after 1t had passeo
the Assembly
OF the remaining forty resolutions eisht reid'e
TO the bonded indebtedness Of New YORK Cns-
seven want to alter the Civil Service section si-
seek to change conditions in various courts, hVe
propose an increase of salary for certain eiecteo
officers. four would consolidate the City Court
of New York with the Supreme Court. and the
remaining eleven cover all sorts OF things from
the time honored woman's suffrage proposition
To the initiative and referendum scheme and the
home rule measure.
PART OF SUBWAY CAMPAIGN
The eight measures seeking to exempt rail-
road and dock bonds from the computation OF
the 10 per cent debt limit in New York CITY
are part Of campaign for more subways These
resolutions embody the ideas of those VINO
would perpetuate the municipal construction OF
suhways Those who want immediate reilet
have introduced bills seeking to encourage pri-
vate capital by granting long term franchises
and Incorporating other provisions hkeiy 10
encourage private individuals TO tackle the
work These measures can be passed IN one
month. whereas the constitutional amendments
would have to pass two successive Legislatures
and then be approved by the people before
any relief could be obtained
The eight proposed amendments all deal with
the 10 per cent debt limit. which New York
City has practically reached: One by Assem-
blynnan Johnston would exempt from the com
putaton of this debt bonds issued for docks
and railroads and for water supply purposes
One by Assemblyman Short would exempt
railroad and dock bonds and also oonds ISSUED
for other improvements owned by the city
The remaining six have been introduced in
Warren T. Lee. and are contained IN three very
similar propositions
The first would exempt dock and railroad
bonds where the city is receiving an income in
excess Of the interest on the obligations The
second provides that debts incurred after jan
usry l. 1909 to provide for docks. subways or
elevated railroads shall be exempted 1t also
limits dock bonds to twenty years and subway
and elevated railroad bonds TO fifty years
The final pair would exempt dock and rail-
road bonds and also one-year bonds issued to
a., amount 11p to ore-tentf1 of per cent of the
assessed valuation of the real estate for other
improvements. This provision would permit an
additional bonded Indebtedness of a little less
than S6,000OO0-
CIyII. SERVICE CHANGES PLANNED.
The batch of proposed amendments to the
Civil Service section of the constitution seeks to
LET down the bars in various respects. Several
seek to give preference to veterans of the Span
ish-American War. while one by Assemblyman
Troy would place every one on. an equal footing,
thereby wiping out the preference now given TO
Civil War veterans This Bill would add the
following TO the constitution: "All such ap
pojntments to all positions in the competitive
class as provided for in the Civil Service of the
state shall be made by appointing the one grad
ed highest in open competitive examinations
The resolution of Senator Foelker and Assem-
bIyman Glore would continue the preference now
given 10 Civil War veterans and add ten points
to the rating of honorably discharged soldiers.
sailors and marines of the United States army
and navy who enlisted from this state and who
have resided in the state five years prior TO the
examination. Assemblyman Cuvier meets the
situation by giving equal preference to veterans
of the Spanish American Philippine Wars.
AssemblymaE Todd adds marines TO the Civil
War veteran proposition. which now includes
only soldiers and sailors and gives first place To
Civil War veterans and second place TO veterans
of the War with Spain the incidental insur-
rection in the Philippine Islands the Boxer
insurrection in China who served prior TO July
4, 1902
The dual resolution of Senator Cobb and AS
semblyman Fowler would retain Civil War vet
Grams in first place and add 10 per cent to the
ratings of veterans of the Spanish American
War Philippine and Boxer Instructions who
served prior TO 1902 and who have been resi-
dents of the az least five years prior to the
examination.
The proposed amendments relating to the
courts might make good food for debate in a
constitutional convention One by Assembly
man Sterns provides that each branch of the
Legislature and the Governor shall have author
ity TO require the opinion of the Court of Ap-
peals upon important questions of law Judg-
ing from the frequency with which recent en-
actments of the Legislature have been declared
unconstitutional by the Court of Appeals. IL
seems to some that some sort of a guardian
ought be provided to guide the Legislature in
its pronscuous lawuiaking.
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