New-York tribune., 1910-10-21

/ W no cleo YESTERDAY
where the future dictator laid the founda-
| ton Of his power. He read law with Hart.
and little more than year later. when
hardly twenty-one, he was admitted 20 the
bar.
short time afterward he vas elected
q Justice Of the peace. and his political
career was fairly begun. In the Sd Ward
| where he lived, he cultivated the acquaint-
ance Of the bottom layer of society. and
from II soon built UP a strong personal
machine In those days Eluira was a
nire Of political corruption. and the young
| lawyer became the subject Of many tale
Of vote buying, repeating and Other SINH
lar practices. In a little time he was boss
| Of the city. AS one Of his first moves he
had himself made City Attorney.
I In 1865 he reached out a little into state
! politics as delegate TO the state conven-
| ton Two years later he went to the AS
! sembly for two terms. He became mem
Der Of the Judiciary and Railroad commit
tees, and quickly won a reputation in Al
bany a clever manipulator-
Those were Tweed's halcyon days. The
! New York City boss had already fixed on
/ the new Assemblynlan as a good man to
know. Through Tweed Hill had borrowed
/ the money with which he had bought con
/ troll Of The Elmira Gazette" In that
1 first session OF the Legislature Assembly
man Hill voted for the notorious Tweed
| Ring bills. and at tle bosss request op-
posed the impeachment OF the corrupt
/ Judge COrdozo and spoke in defence Of
George Q. Barnard. an equally venal mem
ber OF the bench. Through HiITs machi-
nations Cardozo was allowed TO resign.
But in 1872 came the period OF reform
and Tweed doom was in sight Samuel J.
Tilden was a member Of the judiciary
Committee 10 which Hill had been reap
pointed. The latter attached himself TO
the Tilden following. and became known as
q reformer- The committee voted for the
Impeachment Of Barnard. and chose Hill
as one Of the managers Of the prosecu-
ton He got a large part Of the credit for
Barnard's conviction.
Following this so-called induction into
the reform ranks Mr. Hills efforts for
years were devoted 70 furthering the TiIden
interests in the southern tier Of counties.
With the election Of Tilden in 1874 Hill
was recognized for the first time as
power in state politics. He became a mem
Der Of the state committee under Ttlden's
chairmanship. In 1877 and again in 1880
he was himself chairman Of the committee.
He had now won a wide reputation as a
speaker and presiding officer.
But in the mean time Mr.. Hill was busy
ing himself with local affairs as well. He
became an alderman. and in that capacity
for z time ruled Elnira- He always de-
lighted IN petty ofhcehoIding and in small
political fights. In 1882 ne became Mayor
or the city.
Al the same time he began 20 lay plans
70 get the nomination for second place on
the state ticket during the coming cam !
paign- His leading rival was George /
Raines. Of Rochester. brother Of John
Raines. The chief aspirants for the gov
ernorship were Roswell P. Flower and
Grover Cleveland. then Mayor Of Buffalo |
Hill fought for Cleveland's nomination. and /
It was largely through his efforts that the /
Buffalo man vas named. and the Elmira /
Mayor got second place on. the ticket That |
was the year Of the Stalwart- -Halfbreed /
fight in the Republican party, and the re-
suit was a sweeping victory for the Cleve- |
land-Hin ticket
When David 3 Hill ascended the plat |
form 10 take up his new duties as Lieu /
tenant Governor he gave an iliustra- 1
tion Of his contempt for precedent and his /
TO run things himself. He /
made & speech outlining what the legtslat-
i've programme Of his party would be dur
ing the coming session, thereby usurping /
the place Of party leader. hitherto invari-
ably left TO the regularly chosen floor /
leader
Then in 1855 came Nj HIS promotion
70 the governorship, to which he was af-
terward twice elected, thus serving as the
states chief executive for seven years
consecutively. simultaneously with his
becoming Governor MI Hill was also
Of n by
the resignation Of Daniel Manning. 10 be
come Mr CIeveland's Secretary Of the
Treasury. The new Governor had Re
pubIfcan ma iority IN the Legislature and
the hCht that followed was merry one
Hill vetoed a hundred or more favorite
bills of the members Of the majority and
they in turn refused 10 ratify his appoint
nents. His first regular session and the
S,eciaI session that followed came n an
end and the deadlock was stil unbroken-
L was Hill who. during his second term.
ed away with hanging and substituted
electricity in state executions II was IN
this second term also that the aqueduct
scandal came 10 light Il vas charged
thar a deal was entered into whereby
the Aaueduct Commission gave the con-
tract for a new section Of its work 10 the
firm Of one Of its members. who at once
sublet me work 20 a lower bidder al
1roft of $50 600. In the Legislative inves-
rigatfon Of 1883 II was charged that Gov
ernor Hil had been interested in thess
arrangements and that they were intimate
Il connected with notes he had drawn TO
nay the campaign expenses
Perhaps the event of Mr.. HIS career
-,os, bitterly criticised the stealing or
the state Legislature On December T.
,so7 Isaac n Maynard. then Deputy At
.o-,ev General. acting under Hills orders,
.la one Of the three copies of the election
-..,,r,s of Duchess County from the office
= che state Controller. and Storm Emans.
-,orl ~ the board of canvassers of Dutch
=. ~ounfv. who had been sent TO Maynard
- r5,u under Ma ynards advice removed
- ,,opv Of the. returns from the mail
>, tsiU as Governor and took the third
-. IRON, Frank Rice, Secretary Of State
In 1897. ,,,,.
- .5,-tsed the Board of State Canvassers
,e,,,e another set of returns from
r.,..,ose county. which had been declared
r--,,s..,a,,, and barred out by an order Of
ne court Of Appeals. and on December =
- boa-d Of which Mr.. Maynard WIS
-aa,,to- followed this advice
-. 80 the 18th Senate District TO
. +---e-..s and made the Senate Dem
Ocratc -, - ,,.,,a. /