New-York tribune., 1870-01-05
MR.. HOFFMANS PROTESTS.

|
has been set foot, which aims at the es-
tablishment of schools essentially theologic
and pOlemic on the ruins of our present
system. Mr.. Hoffman is fully aware of this
agitation he sees the money of the whole
people voted away and distributed to the
schools of certain religious denominations
mainly to one of them-yet he says not word
for or against this perversion. What is the
use of a Governors Message, if such grave and
pressing questions are wholly ignored in it 7
Mr.. Hoffman tells the people that their State
Prisons are in a very bad way-that they are
very expensive, yet yield no satisfactory re-
sults-that their chief officers must be allowed
greater discretion as to punshments-that the
contract system should be abolished-and Gnfine)
| that Constitutional amendment, upsettng the
whole system, is required He fails to state
the fact that such Constitutional renovation
was effected by the Convention of 1868, and
that he and his party have just voted down
the excellent Prison system matured by that
| Convention, and thus forced us back upon the
machinery he justly condemns.
Mr.. Hoffman prOnounces the Excise law now
in force in this Metropolitan District harsh,
| inquistorial and intolerant and he urges that
| it be broken down, so as TO give us Board
of Excise appointed by some local authority"
| In other words, he wants the Tum-selers
! empowered to make such Board of Excise as
! will subserve their own ends. We do not think
! this best but the people have spoken,
and we bow to their decision. What we OBJ
ject to in the Message is its transparent double
| dealing and hypocrisy. For Mr. Hoffman talks
of having such an Excise law as will secure
due restrictions as to time and place" of
selling Intoxicating Liquors, and especially
ga proper observance of Sunday" This is
what he says what he will do is to enable
the rum-selers to sell at all times of night
as well as day, and on Sundays as openly as
on other days. This may be best, though we
think not but honesty and truth are always
in order. The liQuor-dealers care little what
the law may be, so that they be not required
to obey it; and the upshOt of Democratic
| triumph here is to tell them to set
| the law at defiance, for their friends
are in power, and will allow them to
violate it with impunity. The real objection
| to our present Excise law is, not that its pro-
visions are harsh, for they are in substance
what has always been the law here, but that
they are enforced. This, we predict, is now
at an end, so that henceforth Rum rules our
| City with unchecked sway.
Mr. Hoffman tells the Legislature that our
! City and County Tax-Levies ought to be sub
mitted to the Legislature and acted on therein
| at an early day. Gov. Fenton said the same;
the laws require the early submission; but our
Democratic authorities defed the law, and our
| Democratic Legislators would not let the Tax
! Levies pass till near the close of the session,
so that they might, by adjournment, compel
the Governor to sign the bill as it passed, or
! leave the City authorities without the means
of carrying on the Government. We family
! hope Mr.. Hoffman may induce them to do better,
! but we shall believe it when we it.
| Mr.. Hoffman talks prettily about special leg
| islation; but he did that last year, and yet
approved Che says) 92O acts, whereof three
| fourths were designed to subserve personal and
special ends, including that wickedest and
worst of them ALL the Erie Directors bill. If
he had now said, l give you fair notice that
L will veto every act of special legislation
YOU send me-" he would have spoken to some
purpose, especially if he had proceeded to act
accordingly. Mere talk will avail nothing the
| sinners are case-hardened to that.
But we had purpOsed to speak moro es-
pecialIy of Mr.. HOffman's protests; these being
| the most salient feature of his Message He
protests against the acts of Congress which
| Che says) seek the absolute control of the
elections in the States" He does not protest
| against the wholesale fOrgeries and perjuries
whereby those elections were corrupted and
falsified so as to make him a Governor and
rob Grant and COlfax of the Electoral Vote of
our State. lie protests not against triumphant
vilainy, but against the efforts as yet unsuccess-
fuD to defeat that villainy-nOt against the
felon who is bearing off his swag, but the
detective who is pursuing him. He admits
that frauds at elections exist; he thinks that
our Registry laws do not avail to prevent them !;
he very properly suggests that villains would
not vote twenty times each unless they were
paid for il but he proposes no remedy but
smaller polling districts and the full and free
exercise of the privilege of challenge on the
| day of election But the smaller the
districts, the Oftener gang OF repeaters can
vote, as our City fully attests; and as to full
and free challenging in the runs -sOdden, rufian-
! crowded thief haunted rOOkeries where Sham
Democracy casts fraudulent votes by tens of
thousands, it is not and never will by them be
permitted What this recommendation really
amounts to is just this "We Democrats will
repeat and cheat till We have cast votes
"enough to make sure thing, and you Re-
"publicans must submit to it," That is all the
comfort this model Governor vouchsafes us.
Of course, Hoffman protests" against the
| Tariff 1t is safe to do so, since he is careful
not w name any item as unjust or objection
able. "Favoritism is the boldest word he
dares use to stgmatze Protection. lie talks as
though /" the few" the capitalist" " were alone
favored by Protection-as though our journey
men tailors, shoemakers, printers, and other