The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-09
TWADDLE IN NEW YORK.

A number of the newspapers of New
York are indulging in rhapsodies over
the reelection OF Governor Hughes
that look, so far as print can be made
to look, like fanciful caricatures of a
fine portrait. The following from the
New York Tribune is a sample Of the
sort of thing to which we refer.
Many reasons for congratulation occur
TO the mind rejoicing In Governor
himself is to be congratulated upon his
well deserved triumph. The Republican
party is 10 be congratulated upon the
to be SO SSn tbe
tion OF SO valuable servant. But It
seems, most of all. that the people OF
the State deserve congratulation upon
people rule7' In the election of Mr.,
Hughes they have ruled. and they have
striking manner, that they are 1T to rule
-,excellently At to rule, They have
shown their appreciation OF the highest
| qualities In public life. intellectual and
moral leadership Of q superior variety.
| high ideals and an unbending adhesion to
| them, unselflsh devotion TO the public In
terest and courageous defiance OF every
force opposed TO st. Fl fine faith in reason
and steadfast refusal 20 stoop to any
demagogic act. Men went about the
state saying that man exhibiting these
| but the people have shown that he was
not too good for them. that no one like
him can be too good for them. They
| have shattered the old Illusion that In
aiming high In public life there is dan
| ger OF going over the peoples heads. and
| nave thereby tremendously encouraged
| the faith OF every one who believes In the
| people and popular government
Now, if Governor Hughes had run
away ahead of his ticket; if his vote
had demonstrated him TO be the idol
name gave the ticket potency and
strength, then that sort of rhapsody
would havo been complacently in order.
1t would have fitted the case as a glove
the hand.
But no such conditions are seen in
Hughes's favor, from the vote. On the
contrary, he ran about 125, 200 behind
Taft in tho vote: and it was expected
all the time that this would be about
the result. To laud the people of New
York, therefore, for their appreciation
of Hughes is about as if one should
out to the woodshed and gives him
a severe trouncing does so because of
his high regard for what the boy has
been doing.
Governor Hughes deserves all the
good things that ever have been said
in his favor. He is the ideal public
spirited, unselfsh, high minded execu.
tive. He believes uureservedly in the
people; he is sure that they will al
ways do right if they are given the
opportunity His strength in this has
been in showing them their opportu-
nifty. He has never played the dema.
gogue nor the small politician He
has steadfastly refused 10 make
"deals' with anybody, Even where
his heart has been set upon carrying
any special measure of public policy.
he has steadily declined to pay for
votes of legislators in its favor, by
entering into any combine, involving
patronage or any other form Of trade.
He has put tho question squarely be-
fore the Legislature on its merits, and
on that alone; and he has given uuan-
swerable reasons why tho measure
should be enacted. He has been n con
stant surprise TO the old.style politician,
who usually expects to get some return,
in patronage or otherwise, for his sup
port of any proposition that anybody
pandered to by Governor Hughes; and
the fact that he could bring such pop
ular pressure to bear upon tho members
as TO compel them to vote for reform
measures was n startling shock to
them. They resented it and were op.
posed TO Governor Hughes's pomina
tion, feeling that he would bo slaugh-
tered mercilessly by his own party at
the pools And he was knitted terribly. |
Nothing but the phenomenal landslide
for Taft pulled him through. To
claim. therefore, that the reelection of !
Hughes was an exhibition of high cit
by New Workers, is about rs !
logical as it would be to cite the escape !
Of some precious article that was car
ried along In n cyclone as proof posi- |
tive that tho cyclone had come along /
for the express purpose of preserving
the treasure intact. That sort Of talk !
won't do. The fact is, that the voters
Of New York deserve censure for not
rallying to Hughes and givin~ him the !
greatest vote of the day; not praise
for so voting as TO leave him l25000
behind his party's Presidential plural
jty,