New-York tribune., 1891-09-25
corERyoR HILL ON THE STUMP.


Governor Hill went down to POughkeepse on
Wednesday ostensibly to deliver non-partisan
,pricultural address, but in reality to take the
stumn for Tammany Halls boodle-headed tick
ot II will be remembered that the Governor
adopted the same tactics year or two ago ae
tbe unveiing of the Hendricks monument. lie
was present by invitation at the unveiiing put'
reaching Indianapolis proceeded to unvell III bhe
nresence of a Democratic club typewriter
speech which he had prepared before leaving
Albany. Tho fact is that the Governor takes
only n feeble interest in county fairs and monu-
ments. but has passion for politics and stump
cnealinp. Indeed. his devotion to the stump
is 50 absorbing that not few OF the messages
which no has sent TO the Legislature during MS
seven wears occupancy Of the Executive CHAIR
read as though they were intended to do service
at Democratic ratification meetings.
This poughkeepsie speech will not help the
Democratic ticket with voters of intelligence and
candor. The Governor began by claiming that
." the Democracy is the party OF the people,
ignoring the cardinal fact that the ticket is
headed by Wall Street millionaire, who was
nominated by Tammany simply because ne Is
\ Wall Street millionaire. II current Democ-
racy in this State were in any worthy sense
ga marty of the people," Mr. Flower never would
have been thought of for the Chief Nlagistracy
Of this great Commonwealth Tammany put
him up because he is very rich man, and be-
Cause II has been accustomed to place It's main
reliance for success in political campaigns upon
the profuse expenditure of money-upon the
bribery and corruption of voters. In one OF his
recent strong and popular speeches MIR. FaSSett
suggested that the fight this fall should be con-
fined to State issues. Such proposition EVIL
IDENTIFY is most distasteful to the Governor, for
he insists that tariff REFORM must be brought
10 the front during the canvass. WE'LL the
Governor is not unlikely to be accommodated.
lie will probably get his full of both State and
National issues before November. And the re-
eult will doubtless be as i was with Zeke when
he went cOurting:
lie stood o spell on one foot fust,
Then stood spell on tothcr.
An on which one he felt the wust
He couldn't have told We, nuther.
We believe that the majority of the voters
will agree with Mr. Fassett that this State cam
paign for State offices and for the Legislature
ought to turn primarily on State issues, but the
Republicans of New-Yorl who helped defeat
Grover Cleveland in 1888 when he raised the
Frea-Trade flag will shirl1 no discussion of tariff
reform.
When the Governor got to talking to his
Poughkeepsie friends of State affairs Of the
records Of the two parties in the Legislature
his notorious recklessnesS and unscrupulOusness
were emphatically illustrated. 1t is indeed
pitiful to see public man occupying his com
manding place stoop to the making of mis-
statements so garng that they would disgrace
the veriest pothouse politician His claim,
for example, that it was the Democratic
lawmakers in the Legislature of 1891 who
achieved the lowest tax-rate in thirty-six years
was nothing If not dishonest, and there is not a
fair-minded member of his own party who will
not characterize it as such. I" It is pity" said
the Quaker to the mock auctioneer, " that lying
is a sin-it seems to be so necessary in the bust
ness"
The Governor touched upon enumeration, ap-
pontment, excise, the Worlds Fair and labor,
treating all these subjects as he treated the tax
rate-in utter disregard of the claims of Justice
and truth. No wonder he is sternly opposed to
conducting this canvass on State issues He
has made it clear that he at least is convinced
that his party cannot stand an appeal to the
plain, unvarnished record BY all means let the
Governor continue on the stump. Such an ex-
hibition as he made of himself in Poughkeepsio
is calculated to help his opponents by calling
attention to the essential weakness of the Dem
ocratic position.