New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-27
GOVERNOR HILLS CH1NCE.

r. NAV raise smile if we suggest thao INC
passage of the Ballot Reform and Excise YUM
,,,;ssion h;lls nresents Governor Hill with a
great opportunity, and yet we are eh'i'e'a
serious in the statement Before the "oVerhor
is rash enough to transmit to the Legislature
The veto messages which he is said to have al
ready prepared, he should sit down and take
careful account of his present situation.
nv the time he reaches the end OF his present
torn he will have had the extraordinary dis
,nction Of serving seven successive years as
Governor Of New-York. He has been twice
elected bv he people. 1t is hardly credible
that he contemplatcS the possibility. as some
have said. Of being elected a third time. For
future political preferment he must look out
side the borders of his own State, unless he
aspires to a seat in the United States Senate.
There seems to be little doubt. however, that
the Governors real ambition is for the Presl-
dency. He knows that most of the great Dem
ocrats are dead and probably thinks this is
time when the party might take up with a
little Democrat, who has achieved certain
renown as filibustering politician. Mr. Cleve-
land, the only other member of the party who
can be called leader is in temporary echpse'
because as the Democracy believe he threw
away the Presidential election. Under these
circumstances and in view of Governor Hill S
record Of practical success in tho politics OF the
great pivotal State, he might aspire to the
Democratic nomination for the Presidency with
some hope of winning it, if he could manage to
identify himself even to slight extent, with
some issues upon which the party could bid for
popular support
Il is Just here that his weakness as a can
didate would appear. His is an exclusively
State reputation, made in the Legislature and
in the offices of Lieutenant-G Governor and Gov
ernor. He has never had any official connection
with National affairs, and it is solely upon his
State record that he would be judged. But
here it would be found that there was almost
everything to be said against him, and almost
nothing to be said in his favor. 1t would be
found that he had been steadily on the side
of the worst tendencies in politics, and had
uniformly opposed measures of reform. This
fact has already made most disagrecable inn
preston concerning Governor Hill upon the
better element in his own party outside Of
New York number of the more enlightened
and independent Democratic newspapers sell
dom refer to him except in terms of contempt.
Ills ODSlTUtllNt COuISc WlVu ICE tiu w OhNSO wv
great questions of ballot reform and the reg
ulation of the liquor traffic is largely responsible
for this estimate of his character. The former
issue is attracting the attention of the country
to an extraordinary extent, and the day will
come when Democrats will be almost as much
ashamed of confessing that they opposed the
Australian system of voting as they are now
that they have upheld slavery. This is one
of those inevitable reforms whose triumph the
really shrewd politician foresees The tenn
perance question seems perhaps less conspic-
uous temporarily only because we have it al
ways with us.
If Governor Hill is cunning politician, as
he is said to be, he will reflect that he has al
ready got all the profit he will ever derive from
his alliance with the liquor dealers. They
spent their money like water to make him Gov
ernor, but they would not turn hand over to
make him President What he needs now is
some little capital in the way of ideas, and he
! ght make show of this by yielding to the
undoubted popular sentiment on these two
| great questions, and signing the Ballot-Re form
| and Excise Commission bills. To veto them
| again will be to brand himself even deeper
than before with the private mark of the saloon
| keepers and the bosses.