New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-02

vorro mon have been arrested. The case is OF
special interest owing to the Likelihood thaV .ho
murderer may be the first victim OF execution
by electricity As the murder took place Wilh-
in a few minutes after the new law became
lucrative. it would be interesting TO KNOW
whether an abnormal ambition to be the hrso
murderer to escape hanging was motive III
the commission of the crime.
s-----------
GOVERNOR HILL AND HIGH LIcENSf.
The most striking feature OF governor
Hills message yesterday was It's reference
70 High License and the saloons. The Opih-
ion was sometimes expressed during the
late campaign by persons who had made a
scientific study of Governor Hills character
that the Iouor-deaers would be cheated out
If the fruits of their bargain. The suspicion
was that, having got into office by the ana OF
the liquor-dealers, he would kick over the lad
der ON which he had mounted, and turn llisD
enough Of temperance reformer to make cap
ital in a new direction. But these cynics ana
the Governor injustice. He is consistent III
his Inconsistency, and, if not exactly honest IN
his dishonesty. he at least does not indulge IN
any new forms of humbug. We are treated 10
the same old tunes with few variations. Inc
Governor who vetoed two High-Llcense DIS
evidently stands ready to veto three more II
Dettifogging ingenuity can discover the neceS-
sary pretexts. The liquordealers need have
no fear on this score
We can admire. lust as we admire clever
fooling on the stage the GOODNESS with which
Governor Hill rebukes the Republican party
for having made this party issue. Inc
temperance question:" says the Governor win
4 face sterny set so that no grin shall come TO
the surface, and without the suspicion oil
trcmor in his eyclid, Ought not to be party
ouestion. and il has recently been demonstrated
that the attempt to make political capital out
Of il will surely fail" The reader unfamiliar
with the situation and with the ways of poll
ticians of the Hill stripe would hardly suppose
that it was the Governor himself who was
chiefly responsible for the present aspect OF the
femDerance question in this State; that 1t was
under his leadership the Democrats drew the
party line by voting almost sOlidly against hlgh
License. But posing of this sort dcceiyes no
ono. rs cnly effect is to excite resentment
against the man, whose attitude implies that
he has no respect for the intelligence OF his
audience. The voters Of this State have men,
cries that are at least as long as from here to
November, and they know that the only at
tempt to make political capital out OF the tenn
perance question in the last campaign did not
fail. 1t was successful, and by means OF heavy
bribery. and it elected Mr.. Hill Governor.
There is not a great deal to be said in detail
upon the Governors treatment Of this matter
His discussion OF it is simply carefully shaded
argument against High License, which, while 1t
avoids direct attacks upon temperance REFORM
leaves no doubt whatever that his Sympa'hles
are as they always have been with the Saloon
keepers The substance of it is an attempt 10
Drove that the demand for High License Is IN
advance Of public sentiment. lie submits
tables giving the highest license fees in cities,
and the average license fees in towns and vii
lagos. and shows that the average is lower than
the fees which the law already permits to be
charged. His conclusion is that 1T is hardly
possible the State as whole is DESTROYS Of
having that which each locality, acting sepa-
rately, distinctly rejects" 1t is to be said IN
rerly. first. that the Governors facts are OBJ
viousy miseading-how much so could only
be determined by careful Investigation. For
example, he enthusiastically singles out
Uelkimer, the homo Of his Republican 0ppo-
mont as one Of the counties in which the aver
age Of license fees is much lower than it need
be under the law. 1t was quite in keeping
with Mr. Hills policy of audacity, to call it by
no scverer name, to use one OF his exploded
CAMPAIGN squibs in formal message. Read
crs may remember that Mr.. Miller showed
during the campaign that in Republican towns
in Terkimer County the license fees were made
as high as the law would permit, but that i'll
| Democratic towns, where the liquor dealers
had their own way, the fees were very low,
and thus the average was brought down. But
because the county happens TO be Republican
the Governor makes it appear that the low fees
ana tlo ,.o,l, Of +hat marty Really Mr. Hill