Well,  and  where  are  you  going  to  get  your  new  cities  from?  All
the  great  cities  of  the  State  have  already  developed,  and  if  some
struggling  hamlet  grows  to  a  size  sufficient  to  justify  its  becoming
a  city,  there  is  no  reason  in  the  world  why  it  should  not  come  to
Albany  and  get  just  such  a  charter  as  its  people  want.  You  have
not  even  taken  the  trouble  to  say  that  the  old  cities  can  come  in
and  take  the  benefit  of  these  proposed  new  general  laws.  In  the
very  carefully  prepared  and  well  delivered  argument  that  was  pre-
sented to  this  Convention  last  week  by  the  gentleman  from  Brook-
lyn, Mr.  Jenks,  you  had  pointed  out  to  you,  in  much  more  specific
terms  than  I  can  hope  to  point  them  out,  the  advantages  of  home
rule  to  cities;  and  I  understand  that  the  views  that  he  expressed
must  and  will  at  some  time  receive  the  careful  consideration  of  the
Committee  on  Cities.  There  is  one  line  to  pursue,  and  that  is  the
line  suggested  by  him.  You  can  solve  this  problem  now  by  giving
to  the  cities  the  right  to  govern  themselves  in  their  own  way,  abso-
lutely free  from  legislative  restraint,  and  I  think  you  will  satisfy  the
people  of  the  State,  and  I  am  heartily  in  favor  of  it.  But  the
President  of  the  Convention  and  others  have  told  us  that  it  is  not
wise  to  do  that;  that  it  cannot  be  done.  At  least  I  so  understand
their  language;  and,  therefore,  we  are  now  confronted,  after  these
suggestions  which  I  have  just  brought  to  your  attention,  with  the
question  as  to  what  we  are  to  do  with  this  problem  on  which  we
must  act.  If  it  is  not  the  wisdom  of  this  Convention  to  give  abso-
lute home  rule,  either  in  accordance  with  the  bill  of  the  Cities  Club,
which,  with  some  amendments,  has  been  offered  by  Mr.  Hotchkiss,
or  with  the  suggestions  of  Mr.  Mulqueen,  or  the  suggestions  of  Mr.
