Year: 1874

The Democratic Majority in the Assem-


The democrats will hold control of the next
State Assembly with fair working majority.
The Senate remains politically with the oppo-
sition, but as there are four or five republican
Senators who may be relied upon to support
good legislation their votes will be sufficient
sirable measures that may originate in the
Assembly. The Executive authority will pass
into democratic hands before the Legislature
convenes. The democratic party will there
fore have the power, if it should have the WILL
to reform the character of legislation next ses-
sion, and especially to protect the people of
the metropolis against those acts of spoliation
to which they have been subjected for the last
ten years.


The first difficulty the majority in the As
sembly will encounter will be in the selection
of Speaker. Their material, so far as the
members are known, is lamentably poor. If
they had among them such dash
ing legislative cavalier as General Hustled,
coming triumphantly from the battle field
where SO many warriors bit the DUST their
task would be easy. Or if they could find
sly old legislator like the Sage of Syracuse
in their ranks, with parliamentary rules at his
fingers ends, their choice would be easily
made. As it is, they must either trust to
chance and select as their presiding officer
the most promising new member that offers,
or take some characterless and incompetent
legislative hack pressed upon them by political
leaders who may desire to use him for their
own purposes. The former will be the only
safe policy to pursue, for without unyielding in
tegrty in the Speakers chair there can be no
hope for honest legislation. II the fountain
head is impure the whole stream must neces-
sarily become tainted.


Should the democratic majority secure a
Speaker with character and integrity there
will be no difficulty in passing salutary laws
through the Assembly, tor the democratic
members will be under good party discipline
As the city of New York has been the
greatest sufferer through corrupt legislation
in the past she should be the first to benefit
by the revolution accomplished in the late
election. Governor Tilden owes it to the city
of his residence to use his influence with the
members to enforce substantial reform in
the halls Of the Capitol and especially to
procure the passage of such laws as the
metropolis needs Republican legislatures
have trifed with the question OF rapid transit
in New York and made it a source OF trade
and profit session after session. The fran
chises of the city have heretofore been openly
hawked about at Albany and sold to the
highest bidders. We should have q law
passed this session to take the subject of a
steam railroad in the city forever out of the
hands Of the Legislature, and place it under
the control of commission formed of our best
known and most prominent business men, who
should have power to build such a road
or roads as public works, or to provide for
their construction by private enterprise.
This is the first great need Of the city, the
measure that would add hundreds of millions
to the value of real estate and give an impetus
to business sufficient to speedily double our
present population. Then there should be
cessation of all the special and jobbing legis-
lation promoted by ofiice-holders and other
intArasted uartiea everv year. and Eepeal Of