New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-02
GOV HILL IND THE CENSUS.

David b. Hill has been writing q letter to
the Secretary OF the Interior urging that
new enumeration of the inhabitants Of this town
be ordered. He is the last man in the world
who ought to have done anything OF the sort
For it is a matter of record that the Governor
used his veto power in 1885 to prevent an
enumeration-whch the Constitution made
acknowledgement only of the inhabitants OF the
metropolis, but of those of the entire State
The memory Of this outrage of his upon the
publican outrage so fragrant that it ought to
have secured his impeachment and removal
from office-is still fresh in the minds OF the
voters They are perfectly well aware that
he killed the Census bill of 1886 solely because
he feared the effect upon his own and his
party's prospects of the patronage" which 1t
would give to the Republican Secretary OF
State. And yet this unscrupulOuS politician
now maSqueradeS as q census refOrmer Five
years ago in the face of the Constitution he
positively refused to allow the inhabitants OF
New Ork to be enumerated at all. To-day he
pretends to be greatly shocked and panied be-
cause a accommodation of New-Iork is not
ordered. The best article Of plate-glass now
on the market does not begin to be as trans
parent as this Hill humOug.
In an interview with the Governor printed
in Yesterdays Sum he once more attempts
to justify his census veto. His explanation
is in brief, that he killed the bill because it
failed to provide simply for an enumeration ;
he sneers at the statistics which would have
been taken if the measure had become law.
The explanation does not explain. The Census
bill which the Republican Legislature of 1885
sent to the Governor WAS perfectly constitu-
tiOnal-it has never been contended in any
quarter that it was not. Now what about the
statistics for which it provided? Is the Gov
crnor warranted in sneerng at them? Would
they or would they not have proved Of benefit
to the mass of the people? The readers of
"1ho Sun" and Democrats generally may like
to read what Samuel J. Tlden had to say on
the point at issue. In his first message to the
Legislature of 1875 Mr. Tilden wrote as fol-
lows:
The Constitution provides that an enumeration of the
Inhabitants of the State shall be taken under the
direction of tho Legislature in the year 1858 and at the
end Of every ten years thereafter. Chapters 81 and
ISL Of the laws Of 1865. which remain in full force
prescribe the Of taking the enumeration. Thes
require the Secretary of State prepare uniform
blank returns and abstracts for the purpose of taking
the enumeration and obtaining statistical Information
as 10 population and social statistics the and
interests OF the State individual and associated industry
agriculture. the mechanic arts, commerce and manu-
features, education AND OTHER INFORMATION OF
GREAT VALUE TO THE STArISTICIAN AND TO ALL
CLASSES OF CITIZENS and Will probably require little
or no modification.
There you have it. On one side stands
Samuel j. Tilden approving of Just the very
kind If a Census bill which the Republicans
passed in 1885. On the other side vetoing the
bill stands-Whiskey Governor.