Year: 1868

organ


The Erie and Other Railroad Bills in the
State Legislature.


About three or four weeks ago, by the en-
phatic vote of eighty three to thirty-two, the
New York State Assembly decided not to
Iegalize the issue of ten million convertible
bonds by the Erie Railway Company. The
fact that the same Assembly on Monday last
passed a bill legalizing this same ten million
issue shows what great changes may be wrought
in legislative body within short space Of
time. The last action of the House, however,


has in this case peculiar significance when


taken in connection with the movements by


which it was followed.


1t will be remembered that early this winter
the great railroad king, Vanderbilt, when ex-
tending his rule over the New York Central


Railroad, after scattering the combined forces
of Wall street jobbers, express companies and
Western financiers who had year previously
seized upon the direction, went to work in a
practical manner to cut down the extravagances
and leakages that had been suffered to accumu-



pay To this end, among other things, he cut
off whole army of deadheads who had fas-
tened themselves on the previous board
under all manner of pretences. One-horse
editors, newspaper Bohemians, lobbyists, poll
ticans, ex-Senators, ex-Assemblymen and ex-
o1iceholders of every description, together
with mayors, aldermen, councilmen, super
visors, town clerks, constables, contractors
and loafers generally, all had Central Railroad
passes in their pockets and rode free over the
line choking up the trains, to the annoyance
and inconvenience of respectable passengers


who paid their way. This raid of Vanderbilt
| upon the noble army of deadheads, united with
his rejection of number of disinterested offers


to take ''little local bill' providing for an
increase of way passenger fare on the Central
road through the present Legislature, set the
consolidated power of all three houses at


Albany-the Senate, Assembly and lobby
| dead against him and as soon as the
| present session commenced a flood Of
anti Central Railroad bills poured into


the Legislature with the object of bringing


the stubborn Vanderbilt cup to time Among
others there was the old strikers dodge and
exploded humbug of pro rata freight BILL a
bill to authorize the construction of q riva
Hudson River Railroad on the west side of the
river, and bill to compel the New York
Central Railroad to check through baggage and
through freight by the Hudson river steamboat
lines as well as by rail.


All these measures were held an terr0ren,
over the head of Vanderbilt; but the sturdy
Commodore, with the experience of Nicaraguan
fights and other mighty battles upon him, is
not made of yielding material, and so he told
the Legislature TO 60 to-their prayers, and
| laughed at their attempts to force open hi


plethoric wallet. The prospect for the hungry
members and the famishing lobby looked ex


ceedingy dubious but suddenly sprang up the


great Erie controversy between Vanderbilt


and Drew. War was declared-war bitter


and unrelenting-war to the knife ; ant
from the courts, where the bench be
came beligerent and the judges got al
loggerheads among themselves, the fight ex-
tended to the State capital Drew, driven to
Jersey, sought to make flank movement by


way of Albany to recover his lost ground.
Then came the glorious time Of full board and


unlimited whiskey for the members and the
lobby The pockets of the great railroad king


were reached at last The committee of the


House reported adversely to Drew and the


Assembly drove him out of the field He
changed his tactics, assailed the Senate and


despite an adverse report, got his measure OF
relief through that body. This was all the


more glorious to the Assembly, who beheld the
prospect Of u second harvest when the Senate


bill should como into their longing hands. II


came at last, but with it came the startling
and stunning announcement that Vanderbilt
snapped his fingers at it, would not pay out a


single dollar to defeat it, and cared no more
about its passing the House than he die
about Brother Drew inherting the kingdom OF
heaven.


The game being thus spoiled, there was moth
ing left to the House but to pass the Erie bill
in sheer spite. This was soon accomplished


but Immediately afterwards all the anti
Vanderbilt bills that had been suffered to res
undisturbed while chance of profitable figh
on Erie existed were instantly dragged for
ward and set in motion. The pro rata freigh
| bill was ordered to third reading, the riva
| Hudson River Railroad bill was pushed for


ward, and the bill to compel the Central Rail
road to check passengers baggage and freigh
| through by way of The Hudson river steam


boat lines was passed The object of this sud


den revival of the anti-Vanderbilt Legislation
| is plain. II is intended as an act Of revenge
against Vanderbilt for not paying out two OF
| three hundred thousand dollars TO defeat the


second Erie Railroad bill, and as such ii Il
good presumptve evidence of the corruption


of the Legislature and Of the truth of tn,