New-York tribune., 1910-02-22
OPPOSES INQUIRY
continued from first page.

question before his fellow members OF
the House.
1T is due solely he said "to my sin
cere oehef that the decision this house
Is called on to make is one of the most
momentous ever asked for in the Assem-
bly' am not acting under the man
dates OF any one in or out of this As
semply- | want it understood that am
expressing my personal views as MEM
Der OF the Assembly from Livingston
county. | shall not attempt the discus
SION from a strictly legal standpoint. but
from the standpoint of common sense
owing to my anxiety to say exactly
what l mean. l shall read what l have
further to say from manuscript" He
tnen read as follows:
Ihis resolution. if adopted. will commit
the proposal that the Legislature of lSio
sIlal investigate the legislatures OF 1901,
~ and 1903, and, furthermore its adop,
tion viii to considerable degree BIND
TINS mouse to favorable action on a pro
posal which may be laid before it in the
1Gture to the effect that this Leslsiature
snail investigate the nine legislature next
preceding.
In the first place. must bear in mind
'hot ii' Cllt!ES WHdlSoeNEI IdS bSch HddC
against the character or record OF any
member of this present house. Were such
a charge to be made this house has am
pie preeedentz and power expressly con-
ferred TO institute such an investigation
as will enable it TO purge itself OF taint,
and | am confident that this house would
do its full duty to itself and the people
were such regretable state of affairs to
arise.
this proposed investigation of the meth
ods of the past cannot inspire us with the
sllghtest nope that reinedlai leslsiatlon VIII
result. The laws OF the state are complete
and rigorous In their treatment of bribery
blackmail and conspiracy TO defraud in
and out of the public service
Such a project means that this Legis-
lature shall consume week after week and
month after month and thousands of dol
lars of the peoples money negleCting in
evitaby its duty in legislating for the pres
ent and future needs of the people, in an
tant past and expose the workings of
system, which, if it ever existed, GER
tainly does not exist to-day.
| protest against any such action. If
are to decide this question. here and
now. then I say that our decision should
be emphatically in the negative
If any responsible person has charge
accompanied by reasonable specifications
to make against any member sitting IN this
House, let him present 1t ana TINS house
will determine the truth or falsity of such
a charge, and in accordance with its YER
dict will determine the qualifications of that
member to sit in this circle.
If any man has a charge to make against
a former member of this House. alleging
a corrupt act. let him present 1t to the
he, in turn. present it to the grand jury
That is the proceeding contemplated by
the constitution and the law, and there is
no other.
What is tn. principal motive actuatins i,
many persons In their advocacy OF the
entirely frank about It. The chief motive
back Of this proposal is that of political
eSpediency. Some politicians and leaders
saw that the people demanding such an
inyestfca ton Who it is that is competent
at this time to give them that information
comes is not entirely clear. However they.
sa'y that if the Republican party as repre-
sented in this Legislature. or the Demo, no
clatic party as here represented, as the
case may be shall fail TO go on record in
favor of this proposal either the Re-
publican party or the l'ef1ioGratc &c, pIs ns
Let us discard this remarkable proposal
and get down to work at the tasks winch
confront us.
MIR. MERRITT'S VIEWS.
Mr.. Merritt had also prepared q
manuscript which he read to the AS
semblv. 1t was largely a discussion on
legal points. by which he attempted to
show that such an investigation should
not be held.
Mr. Merritt moved that the resolution
be laid on the table and that consldera-
tion of it be indefinitely postponed de
said. however that he did not intend 70
cut off debate and the debate continued
At the end of the debate there were
two motions before the house, that OF
Mr. Merritt to table the resolution ana
postpone consideration indefinitely and
that of MI Lee to set down the consid-
Grafton of the resolution for week from
next Monday night.
Mr.. Merritt said he would compromise
with the member from Kings by moving
that it be tabled 50 it could he called
up at any time. This motion was car
ried by d vote of - to :S.5. Those Re
publcans who voted for general in
vestigation We're Gray. Green, Higgins,
Bennett, Roberts and Weiland