New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-06
4 I1nnnR GOTERNOR.

Governor Hills yetoes Of liquor bills are not
surprising to anybody. Even the lneAcuSaoie
abnsiyeness and partisanship Of his VetoeS ap-
near natural from such Governor az Sucn
cr;ss He behaves disgracefully, but no one
had a right TO expect anything better from him.
| {" The Worldo is a Democratic paper Oh sum
cientIy intense partisanship, and yet 1t asks ::
els that the kind of legislation and statesman
shin me,ited by the Empire State 7" The I'M
martial historian must sadly answer, 1t u.s."
The Empire State knew what Governor Hill
was and deliberately elected him. 1t knew
what forces were behind him; knew that he
would be owned by the liquor saloons if elect
ed, as absolutely as any patient beast OF burden
can be owned by it's driver. Mr.. Hill was elect
ed by an open alliance between the Democratic
party and the hQuor-dealers to serve their JOINT
purposes, and no one had right to imagine
that the liquor dealers would sign any useful
temperance measure, or any bill to restrain
the liquor traffic
So far the case is clear; the $50, 900 votes
cast for Governor Hill were cast with full
knowledge of the man and of his relations Tor
every one of these voters was bound W know
that he was voting for exactly the grade OF
craftsmanship which the Governor now eX-
hibits But these were not quite majority OF
the whole number OF votes cast. May II not
vet be said that the Empire State merited some-
thing better2
No. Tho votes cast for Prohibition ticket
were also cast with full warning that they would
elect David b. Ill., the candidate OF the Sa-
looms. Every one Of these voters knew that
the State ticket for which he voted had no
chance of election. He deliberately refused to
elect Mr.. Miller, and thereby made himself
fully responsible for the election Of Hill. There
is no escaping that responsibility. The 1000
Prohibitionists are indeed incomparably more
blameworthy than the $50, 600 Democrats and
liquor voters, because the Prohibitionists were
entirely convinced that Mr.. Hill was and would
be the instrument of a traffic which they held 1t
their sacred duty to aSsail and restrain. Many
thousand Democrats, who ought TO have known
better and are responsible for their ignorance,
voted for Governor Hill in the blindness OF
sheer craftsmanship. But the Prohibitionists, who
actually elected him, have no excuse They
knew whose tool he was, and what the traffic
was which he was elected to defend
Thus the Empire State merits exactly whit
1t gets in this matter. The pretended friends
of temperance who elected an instrument Of
the saloons as Governor Of the State may profit
ably note the Scriptural warning, BY their
fruits We shall know them.' The fruits Of tho
Prohibition ticket in New-York arc Governor
Hill, his vetoes, and unrestrained liquor selling.
From Democrats who profess TO be sincere
friends of temperance tho State had right TO
expect something better, but they were par
tisans first, and temperance men only so far
as subserviency TO the partisan Democracy
would permit. The Prohibitonists were just
as much the slaves of party, but without the
same excuse The only professed object Of
their party was to assail the liquor traffic, and
they suffered themselves to be used as its allies
and tools
The obvious lesson for the Empire State Is
that 1t will have to choose between government
| by the liquor saloons and government Of the
| people. 1t is well that the issue has been made
| definite at las:. Votes for Democratic ticket
mean government by the Iiquor-saloons. Votes
! for Prohibition ticket mean the same thing
exactly. Whether the Empire State will here
after merit anything better than Governor Hill
and his yetOes will depend upon the votes which
| the people may hereafter cast. At present, it is
| a State governed by its grOg- shops.