82
THE GREEN BAG
velopment in the community of a trained body of legislative experts, men who are familiar with existing law, who are not bur dened with official administration and who can instantly detect the damaging effect of an obscure bill introduced by an obscure member. A voluntary committee, reorgan ized every year, in the nature of things, cannot avail itself of accumulated experi ence. The retention of men skilled in legis lative matters, alone makes possible the continuity which is so essential to any sub stantial reform. Their value is shown by the recent situa tion in New York City. The Tammany commissioner in charge of lighting sud denly signed contracts with the gas mon opoly at figures which had been rejected by the previous Reform Administration in order to force the company into court to litigate the reasonableness of its prices. Alarmed at the public indignation over its surrender to the company, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment instructed the corporation counsel to draft and have presented to the Legislature a charter amendment giving the city power to build a municipal lighting plant; an amendment that would have to meet in the Legislature tremendous oppo sition by the gas lobby. It was then pointed out by the Citizens' Union that if the Board of Estimate and Apportionment really were in earnest about wanting a municipal plant, it should instruct the corporation counsel to look at the charter in its present form before bothering with an amendment. When he looked he was so
surprised that he distrusted himself and asked authority to retain ex-Judge Dillon who rendered an opinion that the city had complete power, without further legislation. The Tammany administration must now make good on the question of a municipal lighting plant or acknowledge that it was playing politics when it adopted a resolu tion in favor of such a plant at a time when it was thought that the city had no power and that a bill to give it power would prob ably be defeated. In this movement New York is not alone. Chicago has its legislative league which has been of invaluable service in preserving the franchise wealth of the city from spoliation by corrupt legislators. The Merchants Association of San Francisco maintains a representative at Washington to watch legis lation affecting the Pacific coast. These or ganizations have learned that they can best fulfill their objects by employing legislative experts who make effective the work of the scores of public spirited citizens who are ready to join in every movement for civic betterment. The consolidations of great financial interests which are employing the most astute legal talent of the country at prices which no private organization could, and which no municipality dare, pay to its legal advisers, and which find profit in pro curing special legislative favors, has created a machinery too powerful to be successfully combated by individual or inexperienced citizens. NEW YORK, N. Y., Jan., 1905.
