New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-17
REMSEN'S TURN ARRIVES
Nav Tell Story OF Famous Gas
Grab Bill in Albany.
WAS CATS PAW. HE SAYS
Hounded by Persons Who Used
Him. Hes Broke and Work
ing for So a Day.

TIE story Of Jacob r Rensen. for fvs
wears an Assemblyman from the 18TH Dis
trict. BROOKLYN, Is about 70 he told. lie
has waited long for his inning. and hs DE-
Clsres that ~ VIII play n out 20 he ri
Jake Remscn was the author Of the
famous Rersen gas bill grab. which - ssd
such = storm after its passage by the
Legislature m 1aos that Governor Cdeli
vetoed IL after it had he-n signed bv Msvo~
Mcclellan. Many an influential member cf
the organization" vas supposed - have
fatrened on that legislation. But Remsen
vas not one OF these. he vas the cats paw
Ills case Is cited as 2 classic example OF
the cruelty Of the corrupt riuE in Albany
which made practice or having new and
unt~ied men introduce the good things"
hid behind them when the spears or public
anger tore their regulations 10 shreds and
then deserted them
Remsen was defeated Tor reelection. and
for five years. broken and dlsc-edited. he
tried for JOB after 5ob, only 70 be told thu.
his record vas against him. To-dav he y
working Tor 3 DAY a. the distributing
bureau Of me gas rebate fund IN 125tl
street. He has 20 leave his home in Flat
bush al 5 90 o'clock in the morning in order
% be on the Job a. & and work until )
He is now iftv-fve years old. but only
recently. with the approach OF a general
invest cation into legislative corruption, his
chance 10 even up seemed near 10 him. He
said last night ne would be glad 20 testify
before the commission not only about his
own share IN gas legislation but so far "a
~ could remember about those Assembly
men who came 20 him when MS Dill was
before the House and asked him II they
Ve-en going 70 get something out OF it
II told them, said he. what was per
fecty Tue, t5a- Z thought the bill was an
honest one and tnar there was no money
II IT rey-- got q cent for that bill
thought Z was an honest bill though 7
have had ny suspicious since that other
men oid Eet money for IL 7 am glad this
i-restt-gauon Is coming I am willing to
testify. I want vindlCatIcn. ] want justice
When 7 went into the Assembly 7 was
worth S5.ao The savings % a lifetime and
the little money ny father had left ne in
vested m Brooklyn real estate When
came out o. the Assemble after being
pounded and damned for standing bv the
o-zsnizat lon. = had only $1,000 left That's
hon profitable legislation was 10 ne
And sftervard T went 10 the orEan1zs-
tion 70 get some work with which 10 sup
port ny family but nov JOB could 7 get
not even after some - those VINO had
helped 70 defeat me had apo1oEIzed for
pounding ne. Two years ago the Court a.
Appeals decided the East River Gas Com
panv had 4 -iEht 10 0uild tunnel under
the East River. which wholly su1stsntiated
ny bin. But thar didn't 90 any GOOD. and
uow this JOB I've Eot is only as permsnen.
IS the rebs-. fund"
Mr. Remsen said t-a- 10 gas bill vsz
handed 20 him i1 tire FIRST place ov 2 Dem
oc-a-ic AsscmbIvmsu. VINO asked him % in
t-ocuce IT, explaining that Democrat
Mould have no chance with = Republican
Legislature. particularly when tre bill vas
= corporation measure. The cats pan
came later 70 know that the bin must have
been handed 70 ms Democratic coiles que
by the late Senator M-Ca~rer.