The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-01-03
GoyEgsoR HILLS EEcoIaEN
DATIDH=.


sxscEE Co. -esttle
GoyERsoK Hills EECogaES-
DATI0Ss.
The annual me.age 81 Governor
Hin Of Sew York e g remarkable
document. The recommendations
which Il contains. though aotin them
selves open to seyefs criticism, are
both ridiculous and absuFd 81 coming
from one With a reputation and assoc
ciations a. unsavofy tbose d the
Governor Of Sew York
Governor Hill points oa' The evils
arising from aIs corrupt use d money
IN elections. and calls upon the pa
friotir people q the country to resist
them by all the means within their
powes. That the corraPi use Of moaey
in elections does give rise 70 eyii. Of
the most alarming nature, that i is IN
itself great eyil, nobody vii deny.
The statement Of these truths By
Governor Hfl, however. & eKtraor-
binary, 70 sag the least. II there II a
corruptionist prominent IN American
polities. Governor iiiliisthe man. His
methods have always been those Of
tho worst type 81 politicians, and bis
associations have been with men who
have reduced political manipulation
T. 6ne art. He was sccted % the
goyarnorship last November b. the
Iayish use Of an enormous corruption
fund raised by the iiqaor-seIiers Of
New York. No secret was ever made
OF the fact that this fand had been
raised. and nobody ever had the hardi-
hood 70 claim that there WAS any
doubt a. to how IL was used For the
beneficiary Of this infamous fund to
read the American public lecture on
the corruption Of elections j. about a.
absurd as il would be for Robert In
gersoll 10 picture 70 the people the
evils Of not going 20 church.
II may be. however that Governor
Hill has really determined 10 mend
bis ways. II Is scarcely possible that
he has experienced a change OF heart
IN this particular, but he may con
clude to pose as a refofmer. for all
that. He has twice been elected GOV
ernor Of New York As a spokesman
aud political trickster lie can hope
for nothing further at the hands Of the
people Of his state. HIS future polit-
ical successes must I've won IN the ma
tional arena. Possibly hc remembers /.
that Grover Cleveland was elected to
the presidency on the strength Of a
reputation az a reiormer which be did .
not deserve. Certainly he knows that /
no man with such reputation as that /
which he now possesses can hope u .
win the highest prize IN American .
politics. IL is not uncomfortable (
therefore, that he has determined 20
wrap himself In hypocritical cloak
Of reform. hoping that the people may
forget the vestmcnts which he has
hitherto worn The governor sill
discover, however. that q man cannot
Iifs himself out Of a swamp and set
himself gently on a mountain-top
simply by Juggling at his boot-straps.
The remedies suggested by Governor
Hill for the disease OF political coFrup-
ton are peculiar He would make the
presidential term xix years In length,
would make the president ineligible
for reelection. and would make ex-
presidents life members Of the United
States senate Against the first two OF
the changes in the constitution here
suggested no great objection can be
urged Both Of them have often been
made before, 1t Is not clear, however,
how their adoption would elect any
change In the present methods OF
campaigning, Party workers would
labor rs zealously for a candidate who
could have bat one term ai six years
as they would for a candidate who had
already had one term and was an aspi-
rant Tor another Indeed. Governor
HIN shows the inadequacy Of his own
remedy The only specific charges OF
corruption in the late campaign, which
ho makes. are against Republicans.
aud they were not supporting but OPP
posing a sccoud.tcrm candidate, In
deed, II il we're not Tor Governor Hiil's
much-vaunted Democracy, one might
be justified in believing that he meant
20 aim a shaft al Cleveland when he
referred to corruption in the late elec-
ton and Ia the next breath recon-
mendcd as proper remedy that rfe,i-
dents be made ineligible Tor re.elec-
ton.
The third change suggested by the
reform governor, however. is one 20
which very grave objection may be
urged. The members Of the United
States senate are supposed 60 repre-
sent the states, and the representa-
ton of all the states must be equal
Ii would be rcpugnant ca the spirit OF
the constitution ana to our theory of
government to introduce into the
body number OF members who rep
resented nothing, and were RESPONSE
sponsihlc only to themsciycs The
trainers Of the constitution We're care
full not 20 create any NE positions IN
the executive aud Legislative branches
OF the government, and il would be
the height OF folly for us to create such
positions now, a HE senator. rcspou-
sible % nobody. even though he were
an ex-president, would not ho as valu-
able an acquisition Go compress as
Governor Hin seem, 90 imagine
Governor Hii's message w,if not
strike 4 popular chord The polIu-
elan has not Ne, dsveloPcl into
statesman,
SHALL II an DONE
With che incrca-e ot tratnc ia she
streets II seattle 1t bceam. 90 llnly cv.-
H.. that s,axsfuarfs .e- III La sstgs sr,1