New-York tribune., 1909-04-29
P.S. ENTSDEAD?
FILIBUST'ER TIES Up THE
SENATE.
Rdincs Announces He UW Let the
Upper House 90 It's O7cn Gait
Other Bills in MOrgue.
IBy Telegraph 10 The Tribune ]


Albany April 2S-OnIy the slightest chance
remains now that the amendments to the Pub
lie Service Commissions law, desired so ear
nestly by both commissions. VIII he passed al
this legislative session Apparently Senators
John Raines and Jotham P Aids, who control
procedure in the upper house. have become SO
enraged al the hIibuster of Senator Newcomb
to force vote on the bill that they have deter
mined not to take any steps toward bringing
the bill to passage. Senator Raines announced
to-day that he intended to let the Senate go its
own gait This was almost equivalent to de
claring the bill dead
Before the session ends the state leaders will
be subjected T. heavy pressure from legislators
from all over the state. who want to get mpor-
tant bills out Of general orders. Besides the
Public Service commissions amendments there
are languishing in the 'morgue' now the Buff
faIo terminal commission bill which almost
everybody in Buffalo is demanding vocferously,
the Kings County courthouse bill. the Health De-
partmcnt bill preventing discharge of sewage
into state waters and two OF Assemblyman
Merritt's Cassidy committee bills.
SENATE IN COMPLETE DISORDER.
Senator Newcomb's flibuster prevent ad-
vancement of bills reported from committee to
the order Of final passage was continued to-day
until it drove almost all the senator's into a
frenzy of bitterness and plunged the Senate
into complete disorder for couple of hours
Senator McCarren alone remained calm, devOt-
ing his entire attention to preventing the Sen
ate from getting anywhere near order OF
business. which would permit an attempt to
drag the Public Service law amendments to the
order of final passage.
Senator McCarren's activity along these lines
has aroused much comment here, and many
persons are wondering if there is any connec-
tio between his course of action and the pres
ence at the Capitol Of a representative Of a
certain Brooklyn lighting company, in which
several members of the Kings County Democ-
racy are said to be heavily involved 1t is sig
nifcant in this connection that this bill is i'm
portant to the commissions because ii stiffens
many weak spots in the existing law regarding
regulation Of lighting companies Senator Cul-
len. of Brooklyn. Senator McCarren's close
friend and political associate sent the bill to
the morgue in the first place
In spite of sneers, ridicule and abuse from
many Senators to-day Senator Newcomb man
aged TO obtain one advantage which may make
much trouble for the enemies Of the public ser
vice legislation. He served notice that at some
future time he would move to suspend the rules
to take from the judiciary Committee Senator
Dayiss bill amending the Public Service COM
missions law
THOUGHT BILL NEEDED STEPFATHER
This is the measure as originally introduced
bv the Public Service commissions. without the
weakening amendments made by the Senate
and Assembly committees to the bill now in the
1norgue Immediately after he had served this
notice there was a wild scramble of IegisIa tors
and railroad lawyers TO make sure that there
would be votes enough to kill his motion His
motion took the Senate by surprise and Senator
Davis protested against his "endeavor TO father
one of my bills"
"I thought the bill needed stepfather." said
Senator Newcomb.
More likely a wet nurse" retorted Senator
Davis. He explained that when Senator New
comb last Monday called attention to the fact
that the public service amendments were i'm
properly printed no objection was offered 10
his desire to have them reprinted
His endeavor to take this bill from my Gus
todv is the height OF dscourtesy," declared Sem
ator Davis. "and when the time comes l shall
ask the Senate not 10 consider his motion"
Senator Newcomb wanted unanimous consent
to make reply but Senator Stlwell objected
This in turn drew protest from Senator
Rrackett that Mr. Newcomb wcs not getting a
square deal He continued his filibuster. and
senator Ralnes finally declared that if he would
ever stop objecting to bills the calendar might
he finished Senator Grady interpOsed that no
one man was going to be allowed to direct the
a,ti,ns Of the Senate Again Senator Bracket