New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-12
HILLS UNSAVORY RECORD.
HIS ACTS AS LIEUrENANT-GOvERNoR
DEFEATING THE ELEVATOR BILL-OPPosING THE

ALBANY Oct. 11.-Since public attention was
first called in this correspondence to Governor
Hills part in securing $4,000 from the State on
fabulous canal claims. and to his record as Tweed
legislator and defender of the Erie King, his friends
have exhibited great uneasnesS His reelection
by a slender majorityto the Legislature OF 1872 has
beep cited as a viudicatlon of bis Tweed record,
and his friends vehementy assert that he ought
10 be Judged now upon his more recent acts. Before
looking into some of these recent acts. II may
be we'll to call attention to the plea that Mr.. Hin
was vindicated IN 1871. His partner, Tweed,
was indicated in that same way, having been
reelected that year by an increased majority. Mr.
IIilrs friends would hardly have the audacity to
claim that Tweed was proved guiltless on such Il
verdict; and he did not think SO himself as he dld
not presume to take his seat.
But the point in Mr. HIPS case is that he was re-
elected bv the Outspoken support and financial ana
of the Fisk-GOuld-Erie ring DIR. Eldridge OF the
EInira Rolling Mill was one of the leading mem
bers of that ring, and Mr.. Gould was Eldndges
partner and fellow stakeholder III the rolling
mill company, which had large contracts with the
Erie road In his own newspaper Mr.. Hill has
stated that It was from Edridge that he obtained
the money during the canvass Of 1871 to purchase
the stock of his partner Tweed IN the Elmira news
paper This agrees with Mr.. G0ulds testimony De
fore the Hepburn committee, when he tcstlhed 'ha
the Eric ring that year helped those candidates
for the Legislature who pledged themselves to OF
pose legislation detrimental to the ring That Mt
Hill faithfully adhered to the contract is clear
from his record in the Legislature OF 1877 lie
was the leader of the opposition to the repeal of
the Classification act, by which the ring mad been
enabled to secure and keep control of the read.
His oppositlon did not diminish, notwithstanding
the tremendous popular excitement against the
ring. General Sickles, :. l.. NJ Barlow, General
Mcclellan and Others succeeded IN overcoming tAe
hired rufiiIns at the Grand o pera House on March
1872, and Gould and Eldridge surrendered pos
session of the road Fisk having been previously
killed.
Dr. Eldridge. from whom Mr.. Hill obtained
s. 600, speaking at that time said: Gould
nogotioted entirely through ne. | am bis firm
friend and cane here determined to stand by
HIM" lie then added that be would urge on Mr..
Gould 70 Join IN n IN dispatch t. " their friends at
Albany" urging them 10 vot' for the rsoeal of the
Classification act Evidently Mr.. Could did not
apr,e with DR. Eldrdgc in tins matter. or else the
Doctor was not sincere IN this pablo expression OF
his purpose. When the bin came before the A.
sombly one day later, ii wa bitterly opposed 10y
Hill He had ouly seventeen followers Ill this
opposition and among his opponents were such
Democrats as Mr.. 1llden. but he made mp IN ac-
tivity what he lacked in strength. lie denounced
Generals Mcclellan Dix and SlchleS III the strong
est language. asserting that they were in the pay Of
foreign Spectators. and he opposed the bill at
every step by all the tricks and articles possible.
He succeeded in postponlng the final vote one day
only Referring to Mr.. Hills final speech against
tie bull. The TgIBUNE. on March u. 1872 said:
In short not to waste W WORDS,
trom bcgiDng 10 eud and the general feeling was that
the only compensation afforded his unfortunate hearers
for the waste suffered IN listening TO MN was
md IN ne fact q
by so weak an advocate
The bill of course was passed, there being only
seventeen votes besides Mr.. Hills, against 1t. ana
Governor Hoffman approved it. That was in March.
1872 when the rascalitIes OF the Erie Ring aud OF
Tweed were well known. The question
is now raised, has not Mr.. Hill re-
pented of that partnership with Tweed
and Gould and have not his more recent
acts shown him TO be in sympathy with good gov
ernrnentY Neither by anything i'll ms career since,
nor by any words that have escaped from hun, mas
Mr. Hill shown the least regret for the course OF
himself and his partners in 1S71-72. But the men
who were his associates then-Such OF them as re-
main in the State and outside of prison waIIS-are
now his most ardent supporters. 1t is clear that
they regard him the same man
now as IN 1872, when he made speech
in defence of the ring Judge Cardoza and
cbamponed the cause of Gould ami Eldridge. Mr..
Hill has had no trial in any Legislative position
since 1872 and the few months that he has been
Governor he has conducted himself solely with a
view OF securing denomination, and II possible a
reelection The circumstances under which he
was elected in lss2 of course had nothing to do
with his personal qualifications His name was
rarely mentioned in that canvass and the Office he
was running for was not one afordng him oppor-
.ui..y to do much harm. But the Legislative
records show that so far there was opportunity
he did not belle his previous record.
I'm the Senate in 1883 he assisted in every way
possible to get through all the patronage grabbing
schemes which Jacobs, Grady, Koch and other
Democrats of that kind brought forward. When
the bill to get control of the Capitol employees, IN
the interest of Manning before the Senate, the
Republicans stouty opposed it. Not enough Sen
ators al swered to their names TO make quorum
IL was a desperate case. So observation-disclosures
Hill directed the clerk to enter on the journal as
present enough Republican members to make n
Quorum and he then declared the bill carried This
proceeding was not only Unprecedented, but it mas
illegal according to the opinions expressed by the
best parliamentary lawyers. 1t opened the door to
fraudulent legislation by robbng the minority of
their rights If the presiding officer could control
the Official proceedings Of IA body by directing the
journal TO lie made up in that way, bills might fire.
onently be carried when members unaware OF
what was going on. In Congress the Democratic
minority for years hllbustered and defeated
legislation by breaking the quorum, but no Speaker
ever dared to overcome that by having members
entered on the journal as present when they re-
fused to vote. The Republicans sought to have this
wrong redresSed and the bill recalled, but in that
they were defeated by Mr. Hill and the Democrats.
Mr. Hill had one opportunity that session to show
that he remained the stoadfast friend OF monOpo
lies. The forty elevators in Buffalo conduct their
business under pooling arrangement by which
twenty four remain idle and the Others charge
enough to pay large dividends on the stock of all
the elevators. These exorbitant charges hurt the
busness of the canals and of the State as grain can