Fairbrother Did It

New York, 1895

THE NORMAL SCHOOL APPROPRIATION PASSES THE ASSEMBLY.

Assemblyman Vacheron Was Not Trusted With the Welfare of the Bill — Another Burden of $10,000 Proposed for Queens County Tax-Payers — A Suspicious Long Island City Bill — Legislative Notes.

(Special Correspondence of the Farmer.)

ALBANY, April 11.

The people of Long Island owe nothing to Assemblyman Vacheron for the passage of the bill appropriating $50,000 additional for the Jamaica normal school. Although the school is to be in a town in Vacheron's district, the local board of trustees ignored him and requested Assemblyman Fairbrother, who lives in Newtown, to take charge of the bill. Mr. Fairbrother did so and had the bill passed without much trouble. As Vacheron was apparently willing to let the school be stolen from Jamaica by Binghamton politicians, it was wise not to trust the appropriation bill to him, and, besides, his unpopularity with the best men in the assembly might have led them to antagonize the bill. Senator Childs knew this, and others knew it, and that is why they ignored Vacheron. Solid thanks are due to Senator Childs and Assemblyman Fairbrother. The bill is on the Governor's table and will receive his approval.

Assemblyman Vacheron introduced a bill for adjusting the interest on unpaid taxes and water rents in Long Island City. The city people had better look carefully into this bill. Mr. Madden is the representative of Long Island City in the House, and if this bill is honest and square, there is no reason why it should not have been sent to him to be introduced. It may be a job to let the Union College, which owes the city over $300,000 for back taxes, escape from some of its liability.

Assemblyman Vacheron has started another job on its way through the Legislature. Who the politician is that it is sought to provide a place for has not appeared. As Boss Youngs is grabbing after everything in sight, perhaps the place is intended for him. The bill provides for the appointment of a person to act as Commissioner of Jurors; his salary is to be $3,000 a year; he is to be appointed by the County Judge, Sheriff, and District Attorney, and his term of office is to be five years. The Supervisors must furnish him with an office and pay all expenses that he may incur. The Supervisor of each town must file with the commissioner a list of all persons liable to do jury duty. The commissioner is to select from these lists such persons as he may deem fit to serve as jurors. The commissioner is empowered to appoint persons to assist him, and the Supervisors must give them compensation in addition to that now allowed by law. There is no limit to the number of persons that may be appointed. The office would cost the county perhaps $10,000 a year, and a fine political machine could be built up; especially if Boss Youngs were the commissioner.

At present lists of jurors are filed with the County Clerk, and the jurors are drawn by the County Clerk, County Judge and Sheriff. Vacheron's bill provides that when the commissioner gets ready to draw a jury the County Judge and Sheriff shall attend, but all they have to do with it is to see that the requisite number of names are drawn out of a box. The Commissioner of Jurors is to take the place of the County Clerk and get $3,000 a year and expenses for work that now, costs a trifle. It is another way of roasting the tax-payers of Queens county.

Boss Youngs of Queens county has been here a good deal lately hunting for patronage for himself.

Senator Childs introduced these bills providing for medical attention for the sick poor of Long Island; also providing for public schools in the Fourth ward of Long Island City.

When the Gray racing bill was up for final action in the Assembly, Mr. Madden, of Queens county, offered two amendments. The first was in the interest of the half-mile tracks, legalizing races upon them. The second allowed race tracks decided against by the racing commission to appeal to the supreme court from the judgment of the commission. Mr. Madden said there were several racing associations that had a large amount of money invested in racing property. They were the small associations and would be shut out by the bill. They had vested rights that ought to be respected. The only complaint made in all the arguments had been against the smaller tracks. This was unjust.

The amendments were attacked by Mr. Hennessy. He asked Mr. Madden how many first class half-mile running tracks there were.

"Many, many," answered Mr. Madden.

"Yes, but they are, some of them, Monte Carlos of Long Island," said Mr. Hennessy.

The gentleman from Queens, Mr. Hennessy said, had been misinformed. Racing could be held on half-mile tracks the same as ever. The bill was aimed at small half-mile tracks which were frequented by gamblers. The Maspeth track was an example. Here they were not content to race by daylight, but did it by electric light. The best thing that the bill did was to prevent five or six gamblers from getting control of the tracks and bringing dissolute people to them.

The bill was passed by a vote of 90 to 10.

Senator Childs has introduced a bill providing for street improvements in Long Island City.

Senator Collins' barber shop Sunday closing bill has passed the senate.

A public hearing on the New York city police magistrates bill before the senate judiciary committee developed some very interesting things, among them being the charge by Commodore Elbridge F. Gerry, the eminent New York City philanthropist, that the bill is the work of the A. P. A. Commodore Gerry's high standing and his great service in protecting children and in philanthropic work generally, as well as his entire personal disinterestedness, lent an additional weight to his testimony. This hearing undoubtedly killed the magistrates' bill, if it was not dead already. The bill was intended to legislate out these officials at wholesale, no causes to be specified or charges made. It is said the A. P. A. influence is also behind the New York schools-reorganization bill. All this raises an interesting question: Was Governor Morton's special message urging the passage of these bills a repayment of the A. P. A. activity in his behalf last fall?

The Senate passed Senator Childs' bill extending the corporate life of the Glen Cove Mutual Insurance Company.

The Assembly passed Mr. Vacheron's bill "authorizing commissioners of highways who have under direction a macadamized road upon which they have expended $300,000 in five years to declare it not a public highway." This is an extraordinary bill, dangerous to every town in Queens courty.

The Assembly passed Mr. Madden's bill, fixing the term of the Long Island City School Superintendent at two years at a salary of $2,500.

The Assembly passed Mr. Madden's bill, providing that the East River Gaslight Company, in Long Island City, shall charge a uniform price.

Governor Morton has signed Mr. Higbie's bill to prohibit the construction of elevated or surface railroads on the South Country road, in the towns of Islip and Babylon, without the consent of the majority of abutting property owners.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, April 12, 1895, p. 1.