Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11

NEW YORK. January q. 1909.
Gov. Hughes is making lot of trouble
md causing a great deal of anxiety
among the republican leaders of this state
because Of the terrible way in which he is
interfering with 1.-The organization, over
turning tradition and presidents, and
denying the right of the Victors to the
spoils Neither the chief engineers nor
the rank and file of the machine found
any consolation in his first term, and
they are likely to find less in his second.
They simply do not exist SO far as the
patronage is concerned. But they might
have known that. They have no reason
to expect anything else. They cannot
accuse him of duplcity or complain that
he has gone back on them, because he
has announced distinctly and more than
once in their presence that no one VINO
supported him for governor need expect
an office He gave them this warning
before his nomination and afterWard; pc
fore the election and afterWard, ana at
all times, whenever the subject mas peeh
mentioned He has declared that he does
not believe that political service should
be rewarded by official appointments, and
that his theory of filling offices was to
get the most efficient men possible With
out regard to their political connections
Principles VS.. Politicians.
Such a theory as this is naturally I'M
popular, and a few years ago man
| who publicly professed 1t could not have
been elected to any office where there
| was patronage to bestow, but public opin-
| ion has changed There has been very
great advance in political ethics and
morals during the last quarter of cen
fury, and even in the state OF New YORK
oil
| parties and the administration, so long
as ANYBODY can remember, has been con-
! trolled by a political machine, Gov
Hughes has been twice elected upon d
platform of principles such as L nave
described.
Acting upon the principles he has de-
clared so frequently and plainly, Gov
| Hughes took particular pains in his IN
augural address to proclaim his lndepend,
| ence of the republican state committee ana
| the leaders of that party, and emphasized
| his attitude Immediately, on the first day
| of his second term, by placing under the
| civil service laws about two Thousand
county superintendentS, county engineers,
surveyors and other officials authorized
| by the new highway law. He announced
that all of them, without regard TO poiltl-
cal connections, will be appointed from
| lists of eigibles to be prepared by the
state civil service commission after ex-
| aminations to test qualifications of can
didates for the actual construction and
| maintenance of roads.
| Politicians Lose Road Commission.
| The governors action withdraws from
patronage of the republican machine about
one hundred positions paying salaries of
$3.50 and upward, whose incumbents Will
have employment of large numbers of
men in carrying out the expenditure of
fifty million dollars in the construction of
new roads. This fund has been raised
| by the issue of bonds voted by the people,
| and is to be expended pro rata among
| hfty-two different counties of the state, an
average of nearly million dollars to the
| county, which, as you may judge, places
| o tremendous political influence in the
hands of the president of the commission,
who is to receive a salary of $4,000, and
| the two assistant commissioners, who
| are to receive salaries of $1,000 each. This
| commission has secretary at $500, SIX
division engineers at $1,000 each, and a
| host of resident engineers, surveyors, in
spectors, clerks, laborers, etc, etc.
| The loss of the control of this patronage
| is the hardest blow that has been struck
at the republican party for many years
particularly as its majority in the legis-
lature included a provision making al
these officials exempt from the competitive
system of appointment under the regular
| civil service regulations. The action OF
| the governor does not violate this pro-
| vision, because it does not require com
| severe tests to prove the qualifications OF
candidates who present themselves.
Asks Greater Authority.
And as if this was not enough, the
theme of Gov. Hughes inaugural ad.
dress was unusual and threatening in its
significance. He did not talk about The
Igreatness and the prosperity of the Empire
state, as is usual on such occasions, but
vol hn liy,,if
tons of the power of the executive office
and asked for greater authority and re-
Sponsibility in making appointments anC
In controlling the heads of the admins
trative departments. What he says Is o
interest to all the states of the Union
because every governor is placed in 6
similar relation to his associate officials
and heads of executive departments Wht
are elected on the same ticket, and are
practically independent of the governor:
authority.
Gov. Hughes took strong ground tina
the chief executive of the state should
have direct control of all departments
no matter whether their heads were ap
pointed by him or elected by the people
in order to secure an effective, harmon
ious and symmetrical administration.
He also took strong grounds against TIT
use of patronage to secure support in TIT
legislature for measures of public i'm
portance recommended by the executive
of the state. ut is not the constitutions
function of the governor, he said. It
attempt, by use of patronage, or by bar
gaining with members of the Legislature
to secure the passage of measures he ap
proves" The more closely he conflne
himself to his own province the less con
fusion there will be.
Lobbyists Out of a Job.
He declared that the practice of pur
chasing votes for important public meas
ures by those of patronage, which pre-
walls in every state capital quite as mucl
as it has prevailed in New York, is no
only wrong, but is quite as pernicious a
the use of money or other indictments b
outside influences.
Everybody will concede the truth OF thi
proposition and ii applies to every state
But the politicians of Albany do not seer
to comprehend what Gov. Hughes
| driving at or why he should select sue
theme for his inaugural discourse. III
I has never used patronage in the way h
! suggests; he has never offered any sue
| inducements to the members of the leg
/ islature in Albany. On the contrary, h
/ has refused to do so again and again. an
\ has compelled the republican majority t
II pass laws which they did not approve
Il and which weakened their hold upon thei
Il constituents. They anticipate more of tn
Il same kind of legislation this winter, bu
H there will be nothing to detain the poll
H ticians and lobbyists in Albany. Thei
II business is obsolete. Their functions ar
II abolished.
New York City Bankrupt.