New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-16
cooD cIUsE F0R GRATITUDE.

Governor Hills heart must be filed with
thankfuness toward the FIVE Republican Sena-
tors who have thus far stood in the way OF the
High License bill. Messrs. Coggesball, Laugh
lin, Russell Sweet and Worth are doing him
the great favor Of postponing, at least, the most
painful predicament Of his career, and he no
doubt has lively hopes that some of them will
save him from it altogether.
To understand just how perplexing his plight
would be- we must 20 back to his message
vetoing the High-License bill of last year. In
that document the Governor laid great stress
upon the fact that the proposed law did not
apply TO the whole State, which was his main
pretext for vetoing IL, and then went on 10
describe 1ligh-Licensc law which would not
be open to his criticisms-"a license Ice ap-
plicable to the whole State and graded pro-
postionately." Again, he spoke of Z" a general
statute fixing reasonable minimum license fee
10 be charged In every city and even IN every
town and village in the State, leaving the
maximum TO be determined by the local
authorities everywhere" though he was too
cunning to commit himself definitely to it. But
in his zeal to show how improper and made
quate the bill was, he proceeded to show that
tho other cities and even the towns and villages
of the State made much worse showing, as
regards the extent Of The liquor traffic, than
New York and Brooklyn In twenty out Of the
twenty-seven cities Of the State, he said, the
number of saloons is greater in proportion to
the population than in New York City, and in
twenty-five out of twenty-six it is greater than
it is in Brooklyn. So with towns and villages.
Watertown and Waikiki have more saloons in
proportion to population than Brooklyn, and
Olcan has nearly three times the proportion OF
New York. 1t may be remarked in passing
that according to Governor Hills reasoning
there is no need of such discrimination in
favor of the smaller cities and towns as some
of these five Republican Senators profess to
be standing out for
Now the High-Licensc Committee carefully
fitted the bill to the objections of the Governor
waving their preferences on some points so as
to leave him no excuse for vetoing it. If the
bill should pass, he would find himself con-
| fronted with practically his own lIigh-License
bill. If he vetoed it, after it had been made to
suit him, he would heap mountain high the
proof that the Democratic party was the willing
slave of the liquor-trafic and arouse against
the party and himself the just resentment of
every clJlZcn VINO secs tndu INC sdlOon huou pO
brought under better control. In this way he
would give the Republican party powerful
weapon for the future. If he signed it, he
would bring down on himself and his party the
rage of every lquor-dealer in the State. lie
would be considered a traitor by the men who
made him. This would breed dissension and
discord in the party, which certainly would not
help it in the campaign.
From this horrible dilemma the five Republic
can Senators are saving Governor HILL Ii
they stand out in their present course, he will
bless the day they were born and have good
reason to do it, If they persist in their refusal
to vote for the bill as it stands he can fold his
hands and laugh with delight over the spectacle
Of Republicans fighting the battles of the
Democrats for them. The constituents of
Senators Coggeshall, Laughin, Russell, Sweet
and Worth will remember them-if they do not
change their course-as men who not only be-
trayed the Republican party at critical
moment and prevented it from carrying out a
cherished policy, but who deprived it of the
enormous political advantage it might have
gained by penning a demagogue Democratic
Governor in a corner of his own making. These
men seem to think the High-License advocates
are not good politicians. But what sort OF
notifies is this