Year: 1873




PUSHED THROUGH BY A SOLID PARTY VOTE
THE BILL ~ TIE SENATE.


| IRON A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THB TRIBUNE
ALBANY Feb. 27--The vital points in the Custom
house Charter having been settled last evening by
such decisive partisan vote, very little interest
manifested, when the House reassembled this
morning in any minor alterations that might be
made in the bill. Having stripped the mask Of
hypocrisy from the faces Of the advocates of tho
Charter and compelled them 10 admit that II a
party designed TO the spoils of office
for the Republican party in New-York, or that
ton Of it represented by the Federal Ofice-hoders
the Democratic members were disposed 20 re-
linquish any further opposition TO the bill
and let those who were responsible amend
it to suit themselves. The majority. however
did not appear to be satisfied with their own work.
Notwithstanding il had been two three times
reported to the House complete" and they SCI
about offering amendments to this and that section
of the bill Most of these amendments emanated
from Commissioner Davenport who SIN occupied
his old seat in the Clerks desk and kept the pages
busy in carrying slips of paper containing his in
structions to members in various parts of the Cham
Der. Mr. Deering Of New-York tried to get in an
amendment to Section III relating to the Board OF
Apportionment which should curtail the powers OF
that Board III the matter of refusing to pay CON
tractors claims but Mr. iBlumenthal exposed the ioh
that lay concealed in his colleagues amendment aud
he reluctantly withdrew it.


Mr. Crary mischevousy created n momentary
alarm in the Custom-house ranks by offering an
other amendment to the 25th section providing that
whenever the Mayor refuses to confirm any nominee
of the Board of Aldermen two-thirds
vote of the Board shall be requisite tc
make the appointment AS the alliance
formed in the present Board between the Custom
,l.t...
of the members. this amendment was calculated to
upset their programme. Davenport therefore gave
orders to rally his forces the floor and defeat IT,
which was done without much difficulty or delay.


By the time the panic consequent upon this scare
had subsidized Mr.. Weed threw another bombshell into
the camp, by offering amendment 10 the l24tb
section, providing that the Charter be submitted Ia
a vote of the people of the City of New-York He
said that the advocates Of the Charter had t to
provide by section IA for the appointment of
mission to frame a charter for the city,. whicl,
charter. when framed. was to be submitted 10 tho
voters of the city for their adoption rejection.
There the same reason for submitting this
Charter to the people there would be for the ono
to be passed hereafter by the Commission, and IT, as
the majority claimed the Charter was q good One
aud calculated to effect reform in the City Govern
ment, its friends would run risk in allowing the
people to pass judgment upon it,


Mr. Opdyke objected to the amendment, though he
had no doubt the Charter if submitted 10 the people
would receive their approval. Mr. Weed said That
he did not believe it would receive one vote ia ten
in its favor


At this point Speaker Cornell jumped up and in
an excited manner moved that the Committee now
rise and report progress on the BILL The motion
was Immediately put by the Chairman and declared
carried. The Speaker then resumed the char, and
progress having been reported to the lionse,
Mr.. Ablerger moved to disagree with the report and
ordered the bill TO third reading aud on tins mo-
ton he called the previous question The previous
question was ordered by party vote, and by tho
same vote the Charter was ordered to third read
ing Mr.. Deering Apollo Hall Democrat, who has
been among the most Jealous advocates Of the char
ter voted against ordering it to third reading,
signing as the sole reason therefor the insertion Of
Pes provision relative to the appropriation Of pub
lie money to sectaTian schools, Including behring's
vote tue opposition numbered 81 to 81 ~ favor If
the bill.


Mr. Piers0n then moved that the Charter now
have its third reading Mr. Jacobs and Mr.. Weed
raised the point of order thar the bill had nor been
properly engrosSed' as required by the Ules since
il came from the Committee OF the Whole, and that
it could not be passed the same day it v;4s
ordered to "A third reading, except by two-thirds
vote. The Speaker ruled the point OF order with
regard to the engrossment to be not well taken, ~
the Charter had already been once reported from
the Committee on EngrOssed Bills.


Mr. Weed suggested that > amen dments had been
made to it III Committee OF the Whole since that
time.


The Speaker could not see that that made anv
difference on the point of order, and decided that
the bill could now be put on its final passage II
two-thrds vote should so order. Two-tlurd, being
in favor of this course, the bil was put on It's tbiId
reading The Clerk read the first and last sections,
and the Speaker was about to put the bill Oh It's tnal
passage when Mr.. Weed called attention Ia the fact
that the Constitution required that it shond he read
through. The Speaker asked what sections the gem
tleman desired to hear read. Mr.. Weed replied:
such sections as the Constitution requires t0 be
read namely the whole bi' There being no al
tentative the Speaker directed the Clerk TO read the
bill through, which would have taken at least two
hours; but after he had finished half dozen sec-
tions lie was permitted by general consent. to finish
up by reading the last section. The vote Was then
taken by Yeas and Nays Oh the hual PASSAGE Of tho
BILL and resulted in Yeas 50, Nays 3l-eveil Repub-
lican member voting in the affirmative.


Mr. Prince, in explaining his vote. SAID that he
was opposed to the mode of appointing heads of
departments provided in the 25th section, but ap-
proved of other features of the Charter aud, trust
ing that the Objectionable features would be rectI-
fled by the Senste he would vote in the affirmative.


Mr. Deering also waived his objection 10 the anti
seetaran provision of the BILL trusting that it would
be made all right in the Upper House, and cast his
vote in the affirmative.


Mr. Biumenthal, in explanation of his vote, sad
that as the representative of the Committee of
Seventy and the Reformers of New-Yors on this
floor. he could. under circumstances, give his
sanction to this Charter, which violated all tho
principles on which the reform movement bad been