Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-26
TAKES NO HOLIDAYS.
Senator Hill has No Sympathy With
the Christmas Celebration.
HE'S WATCHING THE MACHINE.
On the Way to Albany to Manage the
Legislatures Organization.
HIS HOLD ON THE STATE POLITICIANS
rraoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENCE

fFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
NEW YORK, Dec. 24-In the crush of
holiday gitt-buyers on Broadway this after
noon ran across David B. Hill, his face
buried in his overcoat collar and his silk
hat pulled down slightly over his forehead,
pushing along as if his only thought were
to get out Of the annoying crowd as quickly
as possible. Big men with little bundles
and little men with big bundles, women
weighted down with things ofjOy for others
children, even, eagerly carrying evil
dences of love to their playmates--an made
up merry throng to stir the blood and
stimulate the impulse of the whole world;
yet Hill pushed his way through oblivlous
of it all, and with the air of one who re-
garded the scene as one in which he neither
played nor cared to play part
Even the biting wind failed to bring the
color of vigorous life and blood to his
cheeks, though it quickened his step
through the crowd. Not many streets
further on was the Hoffman. House, where
all the Democratic politicians congregate,
and into that he dived hurriedly, as if he
were glad at last to get into congenial at
mosphere and surrounding.
Typical of HiIPs Life.
The incident typifes HilTs life He has
no home and no domestic ties whatever
Living means to him mere existence. and
the only thing worth living for is to get
ahead of someone else. Hill has many of
the attributes as politician that Jay
Gould possessed as a fnancier. He has all
OF Gould's sly cunning, the Eame keen
CLEAN of the eye, the same immobile feat
Al. hui daft la
persistency in pushing his own interests.
Had Hill put as much time and industry
into money-making as he has into politics
he would to-day be a millionaire many
times over. 1t seems to be one of the mex
orable rules of politics that the higher up
you get the poorer you become. Samuel J.
Randall died with scarcely dollar of his
own. So did "Sunset" Cox. Dozens of
others whose names and faces are familiar
throughout the land. even to this genera
tion, have gone to their graves after enjoy
ing all the tasclnations of public life with
out amassing even a competency for their
families.
Hills failure to create a fortune, unlike
the case of Messrs Randall and Cox, is no
injustice to others, for he has no one close
enough to him to have expectation" on
his death Without kith or kin, he is
ignorant of the charm of woman's SYM
pathy Or the prattle of youthful voices
across the threshold of his door These do
not interest him. For that reason he is
free to spend his income as he goes through
life, and as it has until recently been con-
fined to Official salaries he has not had to
be extravagant TO run through it all. A
couple of weeks ago he got his first fee as
an attorney since he became q member of
the State Government with Grover Cleve-
land in 1888. 1t was a Court of Appeals
case. 1 am told that he is now active in
the market for fees, and that he expects to
more than double his Senatorial salary by
his law practice.
He Has No Holidays.
But started out to tell of his plans for
spending his holiday vacation. L should
have said the worlds holiday time, not his;
for it is when all others are enjoying them
selves in pleasurable pursuits that Hill is
most industrious. He has no holidays
Every hour and every minute he gives to
politics, and everything is fish that gets
into his net He went to Albany tonight
after seeing all the leaders who train with
the machine" and conspicuously ignoring
all the others from Grover Cleveland down.
The latter's success has deepened HilPs
hatred of him. He chales under the knowl-
edge that Cleveland has been made Presi-
dent again despite him, and the highest
ambition he has al present is to keep his
QOlQ on the CIal6 luaCuluc duu uSl tuS
new administration to crosS-swords IN
combat for supremacy.
Evidence of this purpose on Hill's part,
If further evidence is necessary, is to be
found in his journey 10 Albany, where he
announces his purpose to remain until the
Legislature has assembled and its policy
been definitely mapped out" That means
until he has bargained TOR legislation, and
practically usurped functions that belong
.t1
has never had any hesitancy about demon
strating his control OF Flower, and on more
than one occasion he has acquiesced in nonl-
nations for office with the manner of one
who was the real and only power in the
State Capitol
A Role That Is Well Filled.
Undoubtedly the strongest reason for his
hold on the machine bosses, like Croker
and Murphy, is the fact that they regard
him as a more tar-seeing manipulation than
themselves They can carry out the de- |
tails, but they need someone in the back |
ground to do their deliberating. Hill is |
admirably fitted for that role, and he has |
PLAYED it well in State politics.
Just what plans Hill has in mind for leg |
islative enactment there are as vet but few |
inklings. His first step is to get a unani- |
nous vote Tor Ed Murphy as Senator His |
cocks successor While Murphy's election |
seems certain there is just enough doubt |
about it to make necessary close watching |
of the slender Democratic majority on Joint |
ballot Hill proposes to do that, and |
therein he again demonstrates his useful |
ness to-Murphy. For nearly ten years now,
Hill has played with the fortunes and am |
bitions of almost everyone who has come to |
The front in the Democratic ranks here. He, |
therefore, knows better than anyone else |
how to handle the Legislators, and how to
play one off against the other. 1t will be
at this game that Hill will be engaged
while others are enjoying the seasons holi- |
DAYS and the New Year will not be many
hours old before the results Of his present
kecretiYe efforts will be public propertH.