New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-11
THE SENATE AND HIGH LICENSE
OF money.

Two of the more conspicuous reform meas
ures Of the session have now passed the AS
sembly and have been sent to the Senate IL
is important that they should receive prompt
as we'll as favorable consideration there lheIe
is little doubt, fortunately, of the passage Vi
the Ballot Reform bill. Upon this queSuoh
there is not the least detection from the ranks
of the Republican party. and we may confident
" expect the same unbroken party vote IN us
favor in the Senate as was given to u III the
Assembly.
With regard to the IIigh-License bill, how
ever the difficulties Of the situation are great
err, and il is best to meet them openly. Tho
majority in the Senate is suffering this year
from peculiar embarrassmentS. The death OF
Senator Low and the election OF Democrat
in his place reduced the Republican majority by
two votes. Senator Van Colts withdrawal to
enter upon his new duties as Postmaster in this
city would further reduce the Republican
strength that can be brought to the support OF
any bin by one vote bringing it down TO nine
teen. But there is another source of danger
and difficulty. Senators Lewis Dean and hel-
logg, who are earnestly in favor of the High
License bill. have all been absent of late OH AZ
first named two are dangerously i'll. If Sen
ators Lewis and Dean should be unable TO DO
present when the High License bill comes mp
for action, the votes Of every other Republican
Senator would be needed to pass the bill, if
Senator Van Colt has by that time vacated his
seat by accepting his appointment as Post
master. 1t may be that some of the Invalid
members will be in a condition TO appear in
their places, if only for short time when the
bill comes up for final action, but it is obvious
that the margin is very narrow, and the situa-
tiOn a doubtful one.
Under these circumstances the attitude OF
those Republican Senators who are claSSed
either as hostile to the bill or doubtful becomes
of great importance. These are MesSrS. Worth,
Laughlin CoggeShall and Sweet. The first
two are commonly regarded as infexibly OPP
posed TO the bill. The position of the last two
is not So well defined. The fact that they voted
against the bill last year causes them to be
claS>ed as doubtful at present, although il is by
no means impossible that they may have seen
the error Of that vote and he ready to repair 1t.
There must be some among these Senators VINO
realize that they have no right to oppose
Republican policy with votes that were placed
in their hands by Republican constituency.
The party is distinctly pledged to high IL
cense. If the pending bill. after passing the
Assembly, should fail in the Senate, in which
there is a considerable Republican majority,
the enemies of the party viii attack it upon all
sides. The fact that death and illness have
combined in 4 remarkable way TO cut down the
working majority will be carefully ignored.
Every anti-Republican paper in the state,
whether Democratic Mmgwump or Prohibition
list, will charge the Republican leaders with
trickery and nsincerity. 1t will be said that
there never was any honest intention Of pass
ing a High License bill. The Prohibitionists
especially will seek to persuade temperance
Republicans that they have been betrayed by
their own representatives at Albany, and Will
strain every nerve to swell the Prohibition vote
this fall to such figure as to intiict defeat If
possible, upon the Republican candidates. We
ask these gentlemen whether they have the
right. because they or some of their constitu-
ents may not like the temperance policy Of the
party to place it in a position Of so much
danger. We ask their constituents to remind
them of the duty which they owe to the party
of the whole State. We ask the Republican
newspapers published at their homes to speak
out and show them what the public opinion of
their respective localities really is.