New-York tribune., 1879-10-30
pRo~T5rr7ING rHt TfTo.

PROSTITCIING THt Tf7O.
Probably the mule would never have at
tracted public attention ii it had not been for
his obstinacy. 4 stubborn man makes an I'M
prcs>ion upon the community; he gets in the
way, and people are naturally led to talk
obout him. But il Is a mistake To suppose,
as Is often done, that obstinacy Is necessarily
n public virtue; now and then it IS pub
hc nuisance. Oar worthy Governor, for
example. has been a very stubborn oih-
cial. His vetocs have been numbered by
Che hundred. HIS partisans point TO them
with pride, and laud the Roman virtue OF the
man who killed SO many bills. lie has been
fond of depicting himself in H.. messages az
the deadly foe ol ioblery ard has 10 doubt
lcft upon the minds of Democratic farmers
IA remote regions the impression that the ter
rife tomahawk OF Lncius Robinson, uplified
u the catewlys of lecis tion, was all that
stood between the people of this State aud
utter run.
4 document IS printed elsewhere that sheds
a. ,u.loa, .i-ht %, ON TINS tao.,aa. Al IS ,he
lero., Of committee of taxpayers Who spent
n.ar'v ouc-nalf oi the last session iu Albany,
.ri.c legislation 90 tighten the burdens Of
.h. people ol ,his CITY. These men had no
personal motives for coinc TO ,Le Capital,
except tlat enhehtcued seI-mietest which
l.,ts ey4rv citizen 20 desire good and
ecouomicel government. They wen;-such
R.prhhcans as Theodore W. Dwight,
such Democrats as Olaud0 i. Pottor-and this
report tclls the tale of their experience. IL is
q tale of failures. for the most part. In " the
conflict between the taxpayers and the tax
consumers the latter had the advantage.
They opposed all bills for reducing the ex-
uensos of tie City Government, by lobby in-
fncnces, by dilatory motions, 10y political in
nieies and in many Instances succeeded. But
when the taxpayers representatives had finally,
with much labor, pushed some OF their most
t..ra..ant measures through both houses,
what had they tlou to fear? a? Why, nothing
mon. nor less t.am the Irresponsible h0oi OF
Governor R9hinsonl The mule principle in
Governments, in which his admirers take so
much pride, came ont strong. There were
yetocs Iiaht and left. The better the bill was,
tire greater sthe probability thar it would be
sl.uall,rca in Ike Executive Chambcr; and
n is scarcely an oXll-osation To say that, d
tfo lin was SO mrrtOrlOus th h.t even the
ori,ial, concerned IN 10 could not oppose it,
auo IL had pis~cl both houses b. unanimous
votes. then its doom w.s scaled ! One remark
able case OF ti. sort IS nairard Ia ihe rc-
ror.. ia which olr readers in this city c9r see
for themscvg, how much a Governor who
earned last Winter thc name OF being '' veto
..crazy.n has doae in ONE year 70 damage
their Interest,".
Du; thcro .s still another SIDE TO tie story.
So. only did the Governor resist much OF tie
careful .y-naturcd lcuria-ion urged Icy these
nabhs-,nrted citizens. but he approved a
nunlhcr of fraudulcn; claims which they re-
sisted. quarter of million Of dollars was
taken ont of thc Treasury by his help, for
Tweed claims. which, :" for the last six years,
"havc been uniformly rejected hy the counts
"aud Finance Department of this city as
"being 10 proper charge against the city,
land are acknowledged 10 have no legal
existence" Here was an opportunity to
use the veto with honest vigOr, and for
the benefit of the people, hut 1t not
accepted. What reputation Mr. Robinson has
ACQUIRED as an Executive rests mainly upon
the exploded claim that he reduced the taxes,
and upon an equally deceptive display OF his
yctoes. The people OF the State are likely to
show hy their votes next Tuesday that they
heleye the two claims To be equally false.
The mere number of his vctOcs j., under the
circumstances, an overwhelming proof that he
HIS abused one of the highest powers of his
Office in the hope of making reputation.