New-York tribune., 1909-04-22
APPEAL TO WOODRUFF
FAVORS P.S. AMENDMENTS
Alarm That These and Debt Limt
Proposition Mag Be Lost.
Is TeIegraph to The TRIBUNE }

Albany April 2i.-inaction on the part OF tht
Legislature and continued efforts OF raliToao anu
traction company lawyers 10 Kill the pupiic service
isu- amendments and the Travis-l1ee debt limit limit
amendment to-day renewed the alarm OF me run
IL sscr,r. commissions and their friends IN the
Legislature lest final adjournment hnd these meas.
lreg xtHl unrasseG. As result supporters oI
ths legislation redou0ed their effof-S eAls'hs a4u
from eyer- available source
senator Travis and Assemblynan Lee were 50
,,,i, worried by the persistence Of Speaker Naos-
worth and AssembIynan Merritt n refusing 10 le'
the Rules Committee report the debt 4ihilI aiiie"
rnAnt until The Senate cities Committee hao re-
,a7+ed the so-caIIed Cassidy committees bill re
srrscring bond issues in New York that they calieu
on State Chairman Woodruff for help he Is
s*ronEly in favor Of the debt limit amendment p
reuse of the demand for more suo~aEs IN Pun
- This afteragon he held conference VIII
Speaker Wadsworth and with senators nam
knds and Hnman To Senator Hlnmsn ne eA
,lained mai there was no disposition on the part
Of the Assembly Committee to mold up Ile SCI
ate committee. hut that the opposltloh lhele va
based IN good faith on the objection TO permit
ting fresh bond issues in New York City "llnou'
leeie,affon wiring out the possibility Of spehuins
the nroceeds cf bond issues for running eApei's'
Senator Hinuan thereupon promised 20 nave '
CASSIDY committee bills reported al me lhee'iiie
she Cities Committee tonight. Following lhA' az
non Il Is expected that the Rules COMMITTEE VIZ
S,Jt ont Tie debt limit amendment to-morfo" HsA-
y am strongly for the FraVts-Lee atlehoiiie",
Seciared Chairman Woodruff, and have been "oi n
.ng with all nay resources 10 get II reportsu anu
well on its way - passage I think We nave so'
this tanEIe straiEhtened out now, ana eAfe'' "
see the amendment passed
Are yog in favor Of the amendments to the Pun
lie Service Commissions law present unoer con
sideration?' asked
YES am said the state chairman. Il stano
sor those amendments as they were reported from
tie Assembly Railroads Committee
NO MEETING OF JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
%o meeting Of the Senate Judiciary CommirFe
uas held to-day. and none will be held unul To-
morrow afternoon. At that time the amendments
,via come VI for consideration Senator Davis said
tonight that while the committee had not taken
I'D the bill. could reason why the ahlehu-
-nerts should not reported practically as theN
came from the Assembly Committee Senators
Raines ard Aids. according 10 supporters oil TINS
legislation have seemed somewhat dubious ABOUT
some Of the things desired by the commissions
Consequently the case has beer put UP TO them
,ieorousiy Chairman Woodruff. in his conferences
with them to-day urged them to support the legis-
iston-
As the situation stands the TWO commissions.
created By Republican Legislature and appointed
by Republican Governor. are appealing to a Legs
lature even more heavily Republican than the last
one for powers necessary to carry OF the work ex-
rected by the public. which they were created to
protect They have been opposed at every turn by
representatives Of the corporations under their
jurisdiction This opposition has been twofold-
open fighting incident the course of legislation.
and more damaging kind. in which the corpora
tons agents have taken advantage OF the methoo
Hof acceieration gigantic scale. with pander-
.ng 10 the legislative hostility toward Governor
Hughes in an effort tG strength the reactionary
trend in the Legislature. In this fashion the pro-
posal TO place telephone and telegraph companies
under the commissions was killed and the amend
r1ents 70 the Law originally presented by the com
missions were saorn CT some essential features.
PRACTICALLY FIGHTING FOR LIFE
At present the st District commission, in lighting
Cor these amendments and the debt limit amend
-enf is fighting practically for its life and that
state Of affairs has been puU sGusrely up TO the
legislative leaders II power over the transfer sit
nation is not given TO that body beyond question of
corporation lawyers the courts, the serious con
xiilion now existing in New York City cannot be
cured. il is SAID Also, if this deDt limit amend
-11ent is not enacted. the commission must be de-
pendent the whims political jugslery of the
city administration for money to build future suo-
vsvs What chance the commission do its
work under such conditions has been shown by the
ease with which Controller Metz despite his almost
frantic proteStations q desire TO have new sub
ways, has blocked appropriations for the Fourth
avenue subway. Thus the commissions hands are
tied and il is subjected TO assault and accusation
from unreasonng antagonists and shrewd enemies
On every hand. The upstate commission Is in a
very similar position regarding certain amendments
desired 10 sections Of the law dealing with steam
railroads and lighting companies. Chairman Will
cox Commissioner I5assett and members of the up
state commission have minced words in telling
this to the legislative leaders. The feeling with
them noy is that they have done all they possibly
could. and the responsibility rests directly the
Legislature.
GRADY AGAINST ELECTION BILLS.
Trsv Telegraph TO The Tribune-l