New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-22
Little Work of Real Merit Ac-
Comp|ished in Seven
Months Session.
ECONOMY THROWN TO WINDS
Hungry Democrats Have Put
Through job Grabbing Bills
Without Number Few
Real Leaders Develop.
[ BY Telegraph % Ths Tribune |


take up home duties for brief period.
Most of them VIII return in september to
complete = few Jobs they have overlooked
such as the enactment ~ a real direct
nominations bill and the passage Of
charter for New York city not made up
entirely Of political and patronage-grab-
hing provisions Whether they do Muir
phys will then as they have IN the seven
months session. from the election of I
Senator IN the grabbing of petty jobs. or
follow the words Of Governor DIX. VIII
depend largely on how hard the Governor
wants 70 work m back up his fair words
He never has bucked Murphy successfully
vet
Not in years has there beer a Legis-
ature I'm this state with so ht.A to COM
mend II to the vot-es Some good legis-
1ation has been passed. naturally. In the
tremendous volume Of bills handled. More
Of IL. though has been so unimpOrtant as
70 he negligible. while mIcn has been
wholly vicious Brazenly and cynlcally
the Democratic majority has passed. bills
disorganizing and tending 20 destroy i'm
pOrtant branches Of the state government
Local patronage grabs. wild snatches a
jobs for hungry Democrats have been Put
through day after Gav without the Slight
est regard for decency. That day was lost
70 Democracy which saw 10 ripper bill
on it's way 10 the executive chamber. where
most Of them heCa'1e laws.
The last five years put together probably
failed 10 produce half as many bills IA sin2
salaries as this one session Of P Dem
ocratic Legislature pledged 20 strict econ
omy. The city Of New York will suffer
from its activities 10 the extend Of hun
dreds Of thousands Of dollars annually,
and other communities IN proportion. The
Wanted Democratic principle Of home rule
for municipalities became a joke howl
ing farce. before the ralding. job-grabbins,
treasury looung activities Of the Tam
many boys in the Legislature" drunk
from their first taste Of political power in
the state in sixteen years.
Republicans "On the Job"
Whatever the faults Of Republican legis-
latures may have been. and they had them,
a. least the last decade produced from
their ranks legislators trained in state az
fairs. who could handle the business of
government carefully and well. Raines.
Malhy. Higgins. White, Krum, Coggeshall,
Armstrong. even Aids. IN the Senate and
Wadsworth. Rogers. Moreland Burnett,
Merritt and Jesse Phillips. In the lower
house. whatever their merits or dement's
as legislators NAV have been. were 'on
the lob" With them there was no slip
shod. slovenly legislation. They kept their
machine well oiled and polished. and its
product a. least vas wOrknanlike- Muir
nhy's Iegis]at,irA in its best days could not
compare with the worst DAY ~ a Senate
and Assembly handled by Raires and
Wadsworth. Even the much Wanted Levy
election hill. Tanmanys pct measure Just
become law. was 50 imperfect that to-day
the Democrats had 70 pass an amendment
tending n perfect r. according m their
notions This was made necessary be
cause as one of their leaders disgustedly
said. this bill was drawn by some NUTS
in New York who don't even knoT how
many counties there ara IN the state
To be sure. the Democrats are somewhat
bsu,pered Boss rule such as Murphy 5
isr't conducive 10 bringing good. able citi-
zsns into public nfe under his whip lash.
The average Of the Democrats in either
house as 70 experience. attainments and
ability developed through the session is
distinctly low OF the new men. the hope
~ Democracy" hardly half dozen heads
stand ou- above the dead level-Fer-ts,
bright bur Agotistic. one Of Tammany 9
unstate tools Roosevelt. a one-tir1e insur-
gent SAKE. professedly independent. Burd
and Iooris. Of Buffalo. known for their
noc,,liar and adjustable brands ~ irde-
incidence. rather than anything else.
Old Men Have Run Senate.
~ The old men. Grady. Tim Sullivan
ard r-ravlev. Of Taumany. and Cullen, ~
Tar,nauv's BROOKLYN annex. have run the
eers+A.s business on the knock -down-and-
d~sg-out basis. Wagner. temporary presi-
da,t has done IS we'll as ne could with
s,cb an outfit n handle and Murphy 5
orders 70 carry ouf
7, the Assembly APP Smith. the major
,,y leader. rough iewel-exceedingly
roupb hut valuable-has worked his way
.. = ,osi-ior, ~ real leadership and consid-
.-abta scouain-ance with details Of govern
,,ert Responsibility has developed him.
Three or four men-Aaron Lew, FoleT'
uoav All eager Tammany'es-naTe helped
him run the Assembly
ONLY ona ~ the platform or admins
+ration'' measures failed Of enactment IN
sor,s form. This was the direct nomina-
.,o-s bfl The Democrats passed the fed
a-o1 jnco-oe tax resolution and q resolution
.s,.oAne the direct election ~ United
states senators They passed bill restor-
irg q low set OF inheritance tax rates.
They passed the DIX measure ''reorganiz-
inc, the state Highway Commission and
another creating the Conservation commits
sion. A consolidation Of the Forest Fish
and Game and Water supply commissions
They also passed the Tanmany Hall meas
IRE which under the grise If extending
narsonal enrolment and completer safe
guards against fraud in elections 10 up
state DISTRICTS created an extremely sx-
nensiv4 elections machinery. which Gov
4rnor DIX al once began ~ turn over ~
Tsu,rnanv Also they passed a bill wtpng
nut the state Court Of Claims. 50 Demo
Gratis could get the Jobs ~ the judges IN
der a new title: q bill abolshing the Canal
ADVISORY Board ~ Engineers a body ere
sted 10 safeguard the canal work against
graft on the part ~ politicians and con
tractors, and a three platoon police bill,
an outrageous assault on home rule. Of
which New York City. home Of most Of
the Democratic Legislative leaders. was Trst
10 feel the disastrous effect.
Economy Thrown 10 the Winds.
Economy was the Democratic slogan all
the session. Yet the total OF special ap-
propriations and the regular budget Items In
the appropriations and supply bills this year
will he little. II anything. less than last. even
~ Governor Dix Yields a mighty axe on
them. OF real economy there has been
none. The Democrats have hit on a sharp
.-,ch Of rellevinR the state Of Certain az