Year: 1875

CHARLES OCONOR NOT TIE AUTHOR OF 1.-THE


BILL NOW BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE IN REFER


EyCE TO OFFICIAL MANIFESTATION NOT WHOLLY


ACCEPTABLE TO HIM.


To me Editor or The Tribune.


SIR: There is a bill before the Legislature pro-
viding for attachments against tho property OF
pecuators and there is also another proposed bill
extending to public age ats the principle of en-
bezzlemcnt acts. The former seems to be making
considerable progress; the latter lags by the way.
1t may pass, though my reflections have induced
great doubts of any such result. / think it will
fail.


Each Of these measures is desirable; and, there
fore, when your paper. some days ago, attributed
the authorship of them TO me did not disclaim it,
But to-day your Albany correspondents language
giyes quite too much emphasis to this mistaken
filiatiOn.


Bills well calculated to reach the existing pecu-
latOrs and to suppress future peculation of like
kind were long since prepared by an eminent re-
former, who is now high official At his request
an his propositions were examined by me, and | in
corporated the whole Of them in one draft-bl de-
signed for presentation to the present Legislature.
Each of the bills now in progress was part of that
draft was little more than cOpyist. Scarcely
word was altered by me.


All this may seem quite mmaterial and, perhaps,
it is so nevertheless wish to give this explana-
ton. for, the whole, do not regard with unqual-
flied favor these pending bills enormously called
mine Tne ytally important and most effective
measure which was foremost in the draft above re-
ferred to has not been brought forward, and am
perfectly confident that there is intention of en-
acting it. This coDstrans me TO view in connection,
as component parts Of an adopted policy the enact
ment of arrest and attachment laws having little
vol vii
important, and indeed the only practically effective
remedy for those gross official malyersatons in our
city that for the last four years have kept strong
hold upon pubic attention. Hence my disfavOr TO
the legislation now in progress IL does not include
the best feature of the great rcfOrmeTs project
which l copied. therefore regard 1t as delusiye
While repudiating the paternity of the Attach
ment law, though intended as praise, cannot avoid
noting the unfavorable comment Of another press.
In the aforementioned draft which copied, there
was section authorizing an arrest Why it was
severed from the attachment section before the
latter was presented to the Assembly cannot tell.
But it appears that, in the Senate on Wednesday. 1t
was added to the latter an amendment And.
hereupon a city journal this morning remarks:
"The bill no longer stands as it was when it left
Mr.. O'Conors hands, as the Committee have so
amended it as to give it still greater stringency.
The original purpose Of the bill was to facilitate the
issuing Of attachments against the property OF
defaulting or absconding officials. The amendments
by the Committee provide that the offender may be
arrested as well as his property attached" Had the
facts been known to him the writer of this comment
would not have penned it. There is reason TO be-
lieye that some time may elapse before any bill
against peculators drawn by me will DO amended.
by legislative committee in order to give 1t sun
greater strngency." Yours truly, Gu. OCoNoR


5eU- York, Feb. 4. 1875.