New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-08
IN THE FAMILY.

Governor Dix is in some respects
| fortunate man. And he Is clearly
religious one. He keeps In mind the
Scriptural injunction: But II any pro-
wide not for his own, and specially
'for those Of his own house, he hath
denied the faith, and Is worse than
IAN infidel." Most men in the Gov
ernor's chair when they had high Of
| fees to fill would find 1t necessary TO
| look far and wide in search of quail
| fed experts. Governor Hughes, when
he wanted an expert on traffic for the
Public Service Commission, had to
send TO the Interstate Commerce Com
mission for one. When he wanted
State Historian he had to go to a uni
verslty to find a man Of the required
training. But Governor Dix is in bet
ter luck. He can find in his own fam
| fly and business circle qualifications
for any post Thereby he serves the
state and exercises that most perfect
Of all charity which begins at home.
When he needed an Historian all he
had to do was to pick up neighbor
and fellow trust company director,
whose eminent fitness would have been
overlooked by anybody else. Another
trust company associate was just the
man the state wanted, and but for him
would have missed, for a Superinten-
dent Of Banks. When he had to retire
from the state committee he had his
own business partner available to keep
his party in the right path, and when
there was a vacancy in the Pubic
Service Commission he did not have
to look abroad, for he was well assured
that there could be no man more TT
for the job than that same Mr.. Hup-
puch. Now that the Dix wall paper
business requires Mr.. Huppuchs at
tention the state is saved from irrep-
arabic loss in his retirement through
the Governors possession Of a conven-
lent brother in-law. He is ready for
all emergencies. The Confederates
used to say of General Sherman that
there was no use in destroying rail-
road tunnels in front Of him because
he carried duplicate tunnels in his
equipment. So with Governor Dix;
vacancies are no trouble. He always
has relatives or business partners at
command.
Brother-in-law Douglas is a modest
man, and he never let anybody out
side the family know Of his fitness for
this Office. Probably no outsider ever
suspected it. His familiarity with
lumber barges and the schooner traffic
of Albany is perhaps known to some
extent, but his expert knowledge Of
railroad affairs had not been under
stood, and no other Governor would
have been likely to light upon him.
The state is therefore fortunate In
having Governor Dix still In Office to
make the discovery. 1t Is also fortu-
nate in the Governors superiority to
appearances. Washington would not
appoint a nephew to high Office
which others thought he deserved, and
rightly, as was proved when the next
administration appointed him to serve
for more than quarter Of century
as one Of the most revered justices Of
the Supreme Court. Washington was
wrong and Governor Dix is right.
He rises superior to complaints of
nepotism.
Mr.. Sulzer may perhaps feel the stu
alton embarrassing. He must accept
the brother-in-law and nominate him
to the Senate, or in turning him down
seem to be discourteous to his prede-
cessor and blind to superior merit. But
even If he does want the place for
somebody else he should reflect That
the Dix family has had raw deal"
from Murphy and that 1t ought to be
allowed to save something from the
wreck Of its hopes.