New-York tribune., 1909-04-06
BENNETT VOICES
ASSEMBLY PROTEST.
HIS SPEECH EXPUNGED
FROM RECORD.
Asks about Sitting Of Bills in
Committee and 4ctiUity of
Clerks Desk"
lBy Telegraph to The Tribune. ,

BY Telegraph TO The Tribune
Albany. April 5--Pent up protests at the
,tiaing Of legislation by chairmen of committees
and the activity of the Assembly desk force in
regard TO legislation burst out tonight without
q moments warning when Assemblyman Will
lam NJ Bennett, of New York, declared in
oa1stic speech which later was expunged from
.he record. that he would object to the advance
rnent of any legislation and fight all along the
line until the telegraph and telephone amend
nents to the Public Service Commission law
snd other important measures were reported for
fair vote.
His protest, the renewal of a similar revolt
on the part Of some OF the members of the AS
seunbly al the end of last years session threw
the leaders OF the Assembly machine almost into
& panic. Assemblyman Phillips. chairman Of the
judiciary Committee and one Of the most active
of the anti-Hughes leaders. and one of whose
bills served as the excuse for the outbreak gave
- q d" signal which brought 10 his aid the
majority leader, Mr. Merritt, and others hostile
20 the Hughes policies BY vote of ~ to 10
they finally expunged Mr. Benefits speech from
the record, hut he forced the laying aside OF the
bill TO which he objecting and later in a
formal statement. he carried the war into the
enemies country. declaring that the time had
come for Assemblymen to SHOW they were not
merely rubber stamps for fiye or six Of the old
members.
The report was circulated by Assembly lead
ers after the session tonight that clean
sweep was TO be made OF all Hughes legisla-
lion Speaker Wadsworth's statement of ap-
proyal Of the telephone and telegraph measure
was not 10 be taken for anything more than it's
purposes the record. the word went. That
bill was to he slaughtered along with the direct
nominations bill if the wishes of the leaders
were TO be respected
7 don't believe WadsUorth ever was for the
telephone and telegraph bill declared one AS
semblyman who viii work Tor that measure.
He killed it last year, and l think this year he
feels just the affection for fl he felt then
CALLS IT CORPORATION MEASURE.
Mr. Benefits protest vas called forth by a
bill which he considered a corporation meas
ure." Several members" he said. have made
up their minds to find out whether there is
unbilicaI cord between the telephone and tele
graph companies and the clerks desk
Ray B. Smith. OF Syracuse, clerk of the Assem-
bly,. never made a secret of the fact that he had
. hand in drafting amendments to the original
telephone and telegraph bill last year. which
Subsequently was reported in such shape that
Assenlblyman Wainwright who introduced it.
disoaned il. Later ii was killed in the Rules
Committee
from committee" said Mr.. Bennett in his state
ment, there is no general demand whatever.
The bills for which there is statewide demand
for some reason or other are being held in COM
mittee"
Newspapers he said were able TO learn the
plans Of the men in control Of the Legislature,
but in the lower house member could not learn
il a bill on the calendar was considered .an or
ganization measure until Mr.. Merritt rose to
indicate his views
There fs a growing feeling Of discomfort
among the members at this situation and at the
apparent sitting of certain important bills by
chairmen of committees he continued. The
feeling is growing that certain committees exist
simply for the purpose of reporting out bills in
troduced by or pleasing to the chairman of the
particular committee Further than that. certain
persons. not members of the Assembly seem
70 have more power than the individual mem
bers OF the Assembly. or, indeed, than the com
bined Assembly For example The Albany
Argus Of March .. 1909. ends article out
lining the proposed plans Of the inner circle Of
the Legislature with the following paragraph:
NO hearing will be asked for on the tele-
phone and telegraph bill in either Senate or AS
semby For two years the bill has been killed
in the Assembly with neatness and dispatch,
and 10 get the measure through this year would
mean that the desk force would have to be cleo
trocuted
SEEK LIGHT ON CLERKS DESK"
81 know the Speaker well enough TO know that
the term desk force does not mean the Speak
er's desk and also know that il does not mean
the force Of men that sit back of the members
desks There is but one other desk in the As
seInbly and the various articles which appeared
day after day in the papers in May of last year
with regard this same bill under the title
Assembly Clerk VS.. the Governor. show clearly
what Is meant by the term desk force
Several members have made up their minds
70 find out whether there is umbilical cord
between the telephone and telegraph companies
temper of the members of the Assembly and OF
the citizens Of the state, l shall be very much
surprised if within the next ten days certain
members of the Assembly not deluged with
such demand for the reporting out Of com
mittee and the passage OF this bill TO put the
telephone and telegraph companies under the
Public Service Commission that the connection
Whatever II is shall be cut
Mr. Bennett said the Phillips bin was a good
example Of The way certain bills favoring cor
porate promoters and dishonest directors can be
reported out Of committee. not necessarily with
Intent, but with ease. II is easier for a camel
70 crawl through the eye Of a needle than for
NE telephone and telegraph bill to get out OF
ths Committee Electricity, Gas and Water.