New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-01
May Convene
for Impeachment-Tax
Article Goes Through.
SHORT BALLOT VOTE
EXPECTED FRIDAY
CITY Home Rule Measure and
Judiciary and Conservation
Proposals Amended.


Albany, Aug. 3l.-With the hve-mIn-
ute time limit on speeches, the Con
stitutional Convention settled to-day
into the grind typical of all legislative
last weeks and passed five proposed
amendments to the constitution, kllled
one and amended five These last were
sent to the printer and will be acted on
within the next three days. There are
thirty proposals in general orders, bu.
with the committee on rules in charge
the bulk Of the measures are as gooa
as dead.
George w. Wickersham said to-day
that the short ballot and Departmental
reorganization proposal probably would
be voted on finally on Friday.
II is believed that little time will be
required to pass the proposal. only
slight changes in the draft as finally
submitted we're made by the convention
before advancing it to the order Of nnal
passage.
At the night session the first bill
taken up was Meier Steinbrink's pro-
posal to make the State Lunacy Com
mission a constitutional body. 1t was
passed by vote of l07 to TO-
The Low home rule for cities pro
posal was then taken up. Al Smith
sought to amend it by giving dismissed
policemen the right of court review
but the amendment was defeated. Sew
eral other amendments to clarity the
language were passed
Delegates Feel Effects of Session.
When the convention met at III
O'Clock this morning, most of the del
egates showed the effects of yester'
days long session, which did not end
until after 2 o'clock this morning
Many of them dozed n their chairs
during the arious deba eS.
The convention abandoned genera
orders and took up the third reading
calendar The first bill to be taken uT
was Ray B. Smiths amendment to Sec
ton 4. Article 4. This permits the
Assembly or Legislature to convene or
it's own motion for any purpose. The
object of the measure is to simplify
the impeachment of the Governor OF
any other state officer. 1t was passed
by vote OF 142 to l.
The next proposal taken up repre-
sented the entire labor of the Commit.
tee on Education, the chairman OF
which is Jacob Gould Schurman, presi-
II -. l..
minutes the convention killed this, with
a great deal Of glee.
The convention next passed, by a
vote of ITO to 80, the proposal to raise
the salaries of legislators from $3.50
70 $4,000 and give them weekly rail
road expenses.
Conservation Plan Amended.
A snag was struck when the conven
ton took up the proposal of Charles
NJ. Dow, of jamestown, to create q
nine headed conservation commission
1t was finally amended in three par.
ticulars.
One amendment provides that nc
member of the commission may b.
{ interested in any waterpower or lum-
Der company. Another gives the com
mission authority to report a plan to
! the Legislature for the development
of the water powers in the states
forest preserve similar to the idea
embodied in the Capitol district n.y.
draulic development bill, which was
passed in 1913, and vetoed by Gov
ernor Sulzer. An amendment offered
by James S. Whipple to strike out
that section OF the Dow proposal Civ
ing the commission power to grant
leases TO squatters on Adirondack
property owned by the state was also
adopted.
With these important changes, the
Dow proposal will probably come up
for final passage tomorrow or Thurs
day.
Article on Taxation Passed.
By a vote of 100 to 80 the new arti.
Gle on taxation was passed. This per
mits the state to tax real property OF
corporations and personal property
The judiciary article was amended in
several particulars, the most notable OF
which was the elimination of the pro-
vision giving retired judges of the SUI
preme Court and the Court of Appeals
$500 monthly as official referees.
On the motion of John G.. SAKE, the
claims that may be tried in the pro
posed City Court of New York City
were fixed al $4,000.
An attempt to tear out the provision
granting the Legislature power to make
the magistrates of New York City elec'
tive was defeated.