Long Island City Bills

New York, 1895

Five Republicans Trying to Get Into a Good Office.

Just before the legislature adjourned three bills affecting Long Island City were rushed through and forwarded to Mayor Sanford for review and the mayor and common council held a public hearing on them Tuesday afternoon in the city hall.

The principal bill considered was the improvement commission bill, to abolish the present Democratic commission and put into office five Republicans, with power to issue $1,000,000 in certificates to continue further improvements for the people. Assemblyman Madden branded the measure as a Republican scheme for spoils and dilated at length on the over-bonded indebtedness of the city and to the great extent the floating certificates would impair the city's credit. Ira C. Darrin, Harry C. Johnson, Jr., City Treasurer Lucien Knapp and a number of other Republicans interested in the bill called attention to the great advantages of the new measure and incidentally denounced the present commissioner's extravagance.

Counsel for the East River Gas company spoke against the approval of Assemblyman Madden's gas bill, which reduces the price of gas from $1.50 to $1.25 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Both the gas and water bills will undoubtedly be acted upon favorably and sent to the governor, while the Republican one million dollar improvement commission bill will be disapproved.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, May 24, 1895, p. 1.