New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-10
OUR SALOON GOVERNOR

To speak plainly, if Governor Hill is not in
secret ashamed Of his High License veto, then
there is no shame in him. We venture to say
that no man occupying so distinguished po-
sition ever presented more pitiable spectacle
than the Governor does in the endeavor to
cover the nakedncss of bis subservisncy to the
saloons with few poor shreds of pretext and
sophistry. If, as the Governors friends have
so often charged, the bill had been the device
of his enemies, their malice would be fully
gratifed, for he has been rendered not only
ridiculous but contemplate. The Governor
would have done better to say outright that he
did not mean to sign the bill, but that he had
no reasons to give, than to write a message so
utterly weak, so self-contradictOry, and so
plain confession of the political intent behind
it that he ought not to find it easy to meet his
private secretary's eye this morning without
blushing.
He begins by emitting, after the manner OF
the cuttle-fish, cloud of ink about loose and
defective legislation based upon the single fact
that this bill is distinct and independent act,
and does not amend the general excise law.
Mr.. Crosby well answered this by saying that
there IS no general law worthy of the name.
In the confused state of the excise laws, it was
best to make this a separate measure. The
best answer TO the Governors sweeping charge
that the bill is loosely drawn and defective, is
that, with all his searching, he can find only
one detail to criticise in specific terms. This
is, that it is possible beer license could be
made higher than LIQUOR license. All the rest
is mere calling names. AS the Governor very
well knows, no board of excise is ever likely to
create this disproportion. Even If it should
happen to arise, in some rare and isolated in
stance, the hardship would not be killing
matter If the liquor license should be put at
the very lowest possible figure under this bill,
and the beer license at the very highest-an al
most incredible arrangement, seeing that both
fees would probably be made high in temper
ance districts and low in non-temperance dis
tricts-the beer license would cost only 500
more than the liquor license. This would be
unjust, no doubt but as it is almost certain that
no such situation would ever arise, the Gov
errors preteXt is seen to be of the fiimslest
character; and this seems to be his chief reli-
ance. 1t is worth remembering also that in
several States having High License 1t costs
exactly as much to sell beer as to sell liquor.
The Governor says that in his message OF
March 16 last, recommending commission to
revise the excise laws, he urged the desira-
bilty of ceasing from the enactment OF any
more supplemental Or independent legislation
relating to this subject" 1t is an unpleasant
suggestion to make regarding the Governor Of
Newly ork, but it looks very much as ii Mr.
Hill had presumed upoE the probability that
few voters would ever read tina; message. We
| Ill ,l.o,n L.,
On the contrary, we note the statement that
the commission bill need not " interfere with
any bill upon the general subject before tho
Legislature" which, "if they become laws
will come before the commission for incorpora-
ton in the revision" Yet now he turns about
and bases his veto partly upon this very mes
sage.
After this, it is hardly worth while to waste
words upon Governor Hill. He wears the
saloon collar. That is all.