The Washington herald., 1907-05-05
Gov. Hughes, 80 Fight.

GOV. Hughes continues 70 speak wisely.
like a statesman, and 10 act courageously,
like an honest man. We have had no
such force in high office since Samuel j.
Tilden was governor of New York Gov
Hughes can neither be bamboozled by
able men skilled in scoundrelism nor
frightened from the path OF duty by the
appeal for party harmony" If every
State of the Union had az it's head an
executive of such clear mind and resolute
purpose, half the ills of the body polite
would soon be cured. Hughes has faith
in the people. He has precious little re-
spect for organization" He has asked
I.O fayOrs of his party at Albany in those
measures of strictly public policy he has
esp0used. In his attempt 10 Gust Kel-
sey from the office of superintendent Of
Insurance he was defeated by "a combina-
ton of Republican and Democratic sena-
tors. He proved by the austere record Of
facts that Kelsey was incompetent and in
efficient. To his way Of thinking, that was
sufficient 10 cause Kelsey's removal To
him there was no politics" in the case.
AT Elmira "a few hours after Kelsey was
saved by a corrupt combination at Al
bany. the governor spoke thus.
4 belieTe the time has come when the people wiH
held their officers mere strictly 90 account fer the
manner in which they perform their duties and rep
resent their constituencies and that along with this
increased sense Of responsibility there win be a viii
iusress to repose IN their chosen representatives. ch
power viii enable them 10 discharge their public
trust"
On the subject Of his public utilities bill,
which also is doomed to defeat, he quoted
a conversation with "a distinguished rep
resentative Of large railway interest
from whom he attempted 10 ascertain
definitely what powers in the proposed
law were objected to, and learned that
the real point was that the railway rep
reseatative wanted to go from the com
mission to the courts. Addressing him
self 20 this point, GOV. Hughes said:
NO mere iusidjcus assault could be made upon
The integrity and independence # the courts than
10 throw upon them the burden Of settling these
administrative questions Gf great public interest IN
c-nrcctiou with which the public patience IS so
severely tested. Ia connection with these matters
II administration the pslale demand direct repre-
szutation and direct accountability. II the Hygis-
dicuu q the courts, wide as il now Is with ref
oeucs Go matters which are properly of judicial
ttsnltdltg, alDul0 Dc IutNgr EilShel TO embrace
merely administrative matters. it Eill surely lead
20 an agitation fer Mdg5shiIs with short terms.
and fer other measures which will mase the Judges
more directly accountable 10 the people as admin
is;Iatire officers should b.. You must have
The commissioners directly responsible TO elected
c5c.T who Us directly accountable 20 the people as
whole
There Is no spirit of compromise in this
sort of talk. 1t is plain. direct. and un-
derstandable. 1t comes from d man
learned In the law, experienced in its
practice of profound respect tor the
bench, but VINO would protect the courts
from the injurious and unconstitutional
burdens which compromise of the strug-
gle now going on all over the country be
tween the people and insolent corpora
tions would inhict upon them. Gov.
Hughes will not win his night this year,
and maybe not next year, because he VIII
not compromise but that in the end his
principles viii triumph is as certain as
that the institution of African slavery
was destroyed, root and branch.