New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-12
An Unedifying Record

An Unedifying Record
No act in the life Of the Legislature Of
1917 quite so well became it as It's quitting
For the part Governor Whitman had IN
bringing this to pass he deserves credit
even though MS course necessarily savored
more Of the boss than Of the executive. At
least he has saved the state from the dan
ger Of having additional mischicvOus legis-
lation adopted. as would inevitably have
leen the case if the lawmakers had lin
gercd longer, and that is something for
plain citizens TO be thankful for.
The record Of this Legislature has been
ANYTHING but edifying. 1t has not sent TO
the Executive Chamber many measures Of
importance which we're creditable to It's
motives and intelligence. 1t has sent there
several which were distinctly discreditable,
from every point of view. Its calendars
have been cluttered with political bills,
pork bills, grab bills of every description
and degree Of viciousness. Conscious that
the public's attention was fixed on Wash
ington and the war, not on Albany, and
feeling free Of the restraint which public
scrutiny imposes, many Of the public ser
wants" gave their names and support to
grab bills and corporation sneak bills
which they never would have ventured to
touch in ordinary times, and unfortunately
some Of these slipped through. In the
name of preparedness job-grabbing meas
l.res and extravagant appropriations were
enacted. and still more were proposed
which didn't become enacted.
Chief among the entries on the credit
side Of the account must be placed the
creation of a state police force. This is
step not only of Importance now. but for
years to come-a move for the preserva-
ton Of order and the protection Of life and
property bound to benefit the state, worth
ANYTHING it can cost if the department is
adequately administered. The local option
bill. the measure increasing the liquor tax,
the bill taxing incomes of mercantile and
industrial concerns, the woman suffrage
amendment. the uniform school board bill,
the hospital development commission meas
ure. the state purchasing commission legis-
lation, the food supply commission bill, the
boxing commission repeater. even the mill
tary census measure. inept in drafting and
mixed with politics and patronage as 1t
was. were all praiseworthy enactments.
If the lawmakers had stopped there lit
tie fault could be found with them. But
when they propose to break down all safe
guards against child labor and the eX
ploitation Of women workers in factories,
when they plan to put children over twelve
into agricultural labor, when they agree to
break down the tenement laws for the
benefit of a few property owners, when
they turn down an advantageous bargain
for the acquisition Of fort site and adopt
instead a procedure bound to be vastly
more expensive TO the taxpayers of the
state and to this city particularly, when
they pass over an Executive veto an I'M
itemized bill for legislative appropriations,
when they defeat legislation intended to
protect this city's drinking water from the
sewage Of state institutions, when the ma
iority adopts by brute force gerrymander
bills for partisan advantage, 1t Is impos-
sible to believe that they exercised ordi-
nary intelligence or we're moved by a
decent sense Of public service. They
proved themselves lacking in vision, lack
ing in response to public sentiment, moved
more by expediercy and politics than by
patriotism.
The bills the Legislature has left with
him give Governor Whitman great OPP
portunity. lie has the chance TO show by
his disposition of them a greater intelli-
gcnce, a more farrcaching imagination,
sounder patriotism than the Legislature
could reach. Particularly in his handling
Of the so-callcd preparedness bills he has
the opportunity 10 subordinate politics to
patriotism-to cooperate with the Federal
government rather than TO help this state
set an example Of breaking down wise and
humanitarian labor laws unnecessarily and
in defiance of the advice and wishes Of the
Council Of National Defence. 1t is to be
hoped he will measure up to his job, since
|. the Legislature failed TO measure I'D TO its.