Year: 1871

canawlers OF both houses ever since the open
Ing Of the session, and the speeches that have
already been made upon the subject In Its various
phases would make very respectable volume In
point OF bulk. However, the honorable gentlemen
who are sufficiently familiar with the practical
workings or our canals to speak intelligently upon
the subject are few and far between, both In the
Assembly ana the Senate. The consequence is
that democrat, after displaying considerable
heat and fume In debate on some particular mat
ter, OF which the canal interests no small part
ana parcel, often finds out when he resumes his seat
that ne has all along been wasting his precious
breath for the benefit OF the policy to which his
party is opposed. The republicans are sometimes
unfortunate enough to get themselves into the same
rather dlsagreeable POSITION but not quite so oten
as the other side Still, the democrats have, by all
odds. among their number the best posted man on
canals In either house. and, as general rule, they
let him do the heavy canal work and


TRAVEL THE TowPATH


altogether on his own hook when the subject be-
comes more than usually difficult to be handled as
against the other side. This "canawer'' Is Mr..
Hardenburgh He has already delivered about all
the big canal speeches that he can possibly get
chance to deliver this session. ana some time ago
he made his last stand bill to abolish the SUPER
ntendents Of canal repairs, which gives the Canal
Commissioners power, "each upon his own
DIVISION" to keep the canals in good and
navgable condition. The bill is generally
conceded to be very good one, although it has
Senate where the superntendents 1t would appear,
have many admirers, even If the system by which
they make their living has not. There are now
thrty-on superintendent, each OF whom gets very
we'll paid for the trouble of having


HOST or ovERsEERs


and lock-tenders under HIM, who do all the hard
work and draw the smallest wages. Besides, the
canal debt, l believe. is still somewhere In the
neighborhood of $12,oOO,OoO, and the friends
of economy in both houses are of the opinion
that the bill, In saving point OF view,
would be good one particularly If the tolls to
be reduced as low as some OF the members are work
ing to have them reduced. Well, the bill is now
quietly bding It's time In the Senate, and no one in
the House had the slightest idea or its appearing In
the Assembly for week at least until to-day, wnen
to all appearances, the self same bin of the Ulster
county Senator came up for third reading on mo-
uon OF MI. G ID. Lord. 1t was printed. had Harden
burghs name attached to IL as the introducer .in
who were not familiar with the provisions OF the bill
asod fnas drew & forth from Hardenburgh such lsng
ago. However, the cat was made to


CRAWL OUT OF THE BAG


by an lnquisltive member, who wanted to know





The fact Is that the bill was entirely new One or
rather Hardenburghs had been so amended and
an original provision had been allowed to remain
or where any OF the amendments came In. Ten
anxiety to say something as usual about what ne
knows nothing Of advocated the bill as against
not been able read IT. and put his foot in it badly
by saying nat he had days before carefully read the
bill 6ll1 and studied ed Il over. How How he could have
put in the hands OF the CLERK was the only copy of
the bill IN existence, was rather mystery, and
made his "studledn assertion. The discovery of


THE DISGRACEFUL "DODGE"


tnat had peen resorted to IN order to get the mea
course led to its squelchng then and there, and
vote to reconsider the vote by which It was
the Canal Committee. There 1t will come
face to face with the true bin and will be
idea how very peculiar laws are sometimes passed
in the Legislature, or who believe that before pill
Is voted ~, upon every member has mad time pre-
vonsy to look into It, can take the way this bill was
cooked up as an example Of dozens OIL other bills
that are sneaked III after the same fashion, and
often succeed in escaping detection. This style OF
legislation IS disgrace not only TO those father
IL, but to those who wink at 1t and bldly vote tor
what they know nothing about


THE EXCISE BILL


raised quite rumpus in the Assembly when it was
reported from the Judiciary Committee this after
noon, ana for short time the excitement was so
great and personalities began TO be thrown about SO
loosely, that the danger OF legislative rough and





memDereu that the original bill was defeated the
Oner day, owing TO the stupidity or certain demo-
Gratis who voted against It and this, added TO the fact
thatl became 1umOred that the committee had almost
totally changed 1t ia every important particular
before reporting It, made everybody on the Qut uiue
when II put in its appearance to-day. Little Good
rlch OF Kings, went for 1t in lively style ana de-
clared that the bill was "mlsguIler,n and thar it
should be printed so that members could know what
1t was all about. Tom Fields took this to lie an In
snuatlon that the committee mad sneaKed in amend
ments that they were afraid to have read, jumped
n hnrf In fhnf
the member from Kings had formed his Judgment
from the fact that he had so long


''WALLowED IN THIEyERYo


Goodrich when ne got the chance responded TO this
attack by exclaiming, ''He Is a coward who strikes
ard who by blackguardlsm and the calling OF ab,-
sive names seeks to throw discredit on q fellow
man" Fields taunted back that he had not made an
attack upon his fellow man. next to him. but il
Goodrich thought he had 1t was because he was
In the category OF the class OF men he had
ears and where the quarrel would have ended
1t would be hard to tell had the Speaker not had the
good sense 20 bring his gavel down right heavily
the encounter had served the purpose sr exciting
all the members on the question OF the provision oi
the bill and this was all that lis opponents wanted
Tor no one was willing to absent himself while the
prospect of


lasted. Llttejohn took hand IN, usual, and de.
nOnnced the bill hecause 1t repealed the wholesome
provision OF the other Excise law, tnat no license
should be granted unless the recommend alton OF
twenty respectable men or the town or village IN
Wnicn lne applicant resided. lie then launched out
about the "noodgateS OF intoXicationu thar was
sweeping over the State, which brought Alvord TO
his feet, who exclaimed that IL IL was wrong TO
sell Intoxicating liquors, 1t was wrong to legaze
III. The debate became quite lively for several
minutes after tins, and, amid much excitement the
vote on the amendment tuat there should be but
one board OF excise In town containing one or
more villages was taken and lost by 63 NAYS to o2
yeas. The bill was tnen put on It's final passage |
when


VERY LUDTCRoUS SCENE
ensued. Many OF the members sprang to their feet |
QnH Ean N nntun oil
excused rom voting. They were all, however |
promptly denied the privilege by the House. 1t was
IN VAIN that dozens OF the rural folks attempted to
dodge the issue AM escape the odium OF village |
tavern Keepers with plenty OF political IN |
nuence In TINS way: Tor everybody was de- |
termlned TO hold everybody else to the mark |
The Clerk began to call the roll, and a |
rom the back seats at once |
took place of members who wanted 10 be absent |
This ruse was discovered, and when the roll was |
finished the names OF the absentees were called and
finally motion Tor call of the House was made by
q New Yorker. This was voted down, when one nv |