Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-03-25
FRIDAY MORNING. MARCH rs. 1897
GOV. HILLS STRENGTH IN NEW
YORK.

The Hon. John w. Daniel has letter in
the Richmond Dispatch, written at the re-
quest of that paper, giving his opinion of
"the extraordinary attacks on Senator
Hill.'' The opinion is lengthy one and
not at all favorable to the assailants. There
are some confusions in it, however, that
might be made clearer. He says of Mr.
Hill that he is ssNew Y ork S overwhelming
choice. The farmers are his friends. The
workingmen are his friends. The masses
cleave to him. Under such circumstan-
ces the average mind IS confused by MI
Daniel having to go into an argument to
show that this immensely popular man,
though intensely in earnest in the work,
tional Democratic ticket in 1888, and did
not knife that National Democratic ticket
which last, Nj. Daniel says, isa ''brutally
false Republican cutlery" AS to the orr
gin of the cutlery we think MI. Daniel is
mistaken, it WAS, as we recollect 1t, q Dem
ocratic cutlery. Republicans don't, as q
rule, raise brutally false outcries OF any 9th
er cries over the failure Of an all-pOWerful
Democ at to carry his State against Repub-
lican presidential candidates. If Mr.. Hill
with his great popularity, as described by
MI Daniel, couldn't carry New Y orA in
1883 for the National Democratic ticket
how can he be expected to carry it in 1892
when tie issues are almost identically the
same, even if he himself were on it. Mr..
Daniel gives due praise to Gov. Hills eff
fort sat Albany" to defeat the Force Bill at
Washington. To which we may add that
there is Il very strong conviction among
Democrats that il MI. Hill had not been
SO unable to carry his State for the Nation
al Democratic ticket in 1898, the country
would never have heard OF a Force Bill III
1890.
IT ought to be stated however, in justice
to Mr.. Hill, that his power of carry
New Y ork is not by any means as great
as his indiscreet advocates have been adj
yertising to the public. The election fig
ures of New Y ork show that in seventeen
years (since 1874 the Democrats have car
ried New Y ork thirteen times. Of these
thirteen, Gov. Hill carried it twice. Ii
each of the seventeen years the Democrats
had a majority of the vote cast, except in
Gov. Hill S two elections in each of which
he was elected by a minority vote. At his
first election as Governor he had plurality
of II ,134 over Davenport, but was in {
minority of q 1853 On the whole vote of the
State. He beat Warner Miller in 1888 by {
1892 on the whole vote of the State. Til
den. Cleveland, and the last elected, Ros
well p. Flower, all got q majority of. the
whole vote, Mr. Hill alone had to gel
through on plurality. 1t is very true
that Gov. Hill, Tammany consenting, has
absolute control of the machinery of the
Democratic party Of the State of New
York, and it is possibly that fact that has
given rise to the idea that he can carry the
State whenever he DleaSes. 1t is an idea
that has caused some very unpleasant com.
ment on his failure in 1883 to carry his
State for the Democratic National ticket
Mr.. Daniels protest against the criti
csms on Mr.. Hill is undemocratic and
wholly inadmissible. 1t is the inalienable
right of every Democrat to criticlse the
man who is a candidate for a Democratic
Presidential nomination, and any candi
date who cannot stand the test ought tt
withdraw Mr.. Cleveland S friends invite
the fullest criticism, either from Demo
Gratis or Republicans, Of his whole record.