New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-04
THE OUTLOOK AT ALBANY.

The defeat of the Governors recommendation
for the removal of Mr.. Kelsey is a grave dis
appointment to the public, for the Governor
elected on his record as an insurance re-
former, and the people wanted him to have
free hand in the management of the Insurance
Department under the law of his own drafting.
But the question is fntrinslcaly minor issue
compared with the Governors legislative pro-
gramme of which the utilities bill is of most
Importance. The defeat of the Governor in the
Kelsey matter does mot necessarily mean the
defeat of the measures which he advocates. At
the moment it undoubtedly Injuries the Gov
ernor's prestige, but Republican members OF the
Legislature hardly he so blind and foolish
as to defeat bills which the people want passed,
irrespective of party.
In his demand for the removal of Mr. Kelsey
the Governors advantages of position were at
their minimum. Mr.. Kelsey had many warm
personal friends among the Senators, and they
had some reason for thinking that refusal TO
remove him would not arouse public feeling to n
dangerous degree; for the fact is that the
great majority of the people are not yet edu-
Gated UP to the point of considering efficiency
in office Indispensable The low public standard
of official conduct, so long personal integrity
remains, is responsible for much OF this cOun-
try's Indifference to state and municipal mis-
government and Mr.. Kelsey profits by 1t, for
which even his sharpest critics testify. The
Governors position was, therefore, weakened
on the one hand by personal friendships, and
on the other by the impossibility Of arousing
any such public feeling in the Kelsey case as
would follow the defeat or Gripping Of the
utilities bill. For these reasons, and because
we do not believe that the Republicans at
Albany are bereft Of their senses, we do not
expect to see the most important measures on
1t is said that it poor politics to expose
the weakest position first to the enemy, but we
are aware that there has been no politics on
the Governors side of the contest. Mr.. Hughes
holds up In politics, which is nothing but COM
promises the ideal difficult in every field of life,
OF mo compromise" The novelty of his position
makes his contest all the more interesting for
those who have no deep concern in its outcome,
but 1t tends to isolate him from some of his
natural supporters. That he has the confidence
of the people to an extraordinary degree, per
haps because of this very ideality, the Kelsey
incident reveals. for while it not in itself
a thing over which intense public feeling could
be aroused 1t has nevertheless evoked a lively
manifestation of public support for the Gov
ernor.
= When we strike Mr.. Kelsey's personal friends
from the list of Senators voting to retain him we
have left an alliance which threatens the Govern
The Republicans in this alliance are Repub
licans in name only, just as Grady and McCar-
rem, their allies, are Democrats in name only.
They form a non-partisan combination to pro
mote their selfish interests. One reason
why the Democratic party cuts so contemplate
n figure in the state is that Its representatives
at Albany content almost TO a man, as the
servile tools of Grady and McCarren. TO be used
in the personal interests Of Grady and McCar-
rem. AS body they represent no honest parti-
sanship, but political freebOOting. Fortunately,
the Republicans usually found in alliance with
them are few in number GIN general the party's
representatives at Albany stand for honest par
tisanship 1t is the McCarren Republicans in
combination with the McCarren Democrats that
threaten Governor Hughes's measures. From
true Republicans this alliance can expect no aid
against the utilities bill, for personal
siderations like those in the Kelsey case can
enter into that question.