Evening star., 1913-08-13

Gov Suffers impea chment by the
house of assembly of New York is the
first instance on record in the Empire
state Of the formal indictment of the
state executive. 1t precipitates sltua-
tion therefore without precedent, pul
for which the constitution of the COM
monwealth provides in the designation
of the lieutenant governor to act pend
ing the trial OF the charges by the
court Of impeac achment consisting OF the
senate and the court Of appeals sitting
Jointly.
Washington has taken q keen inter
est in the progress of the fight against
Gov. Sulzer by Leader Murphy of Tam
many, owing to the long residence OF
the governor in this city as member
or Congress- At the outset there was
immediate and unqualified sympathy
for Mr.. SulZer, for the charges sue
cessively brought against him were OBJ
viously inspired by political malice. to
dissuade him from his course in insist
ing upon the adoption Of a state pri-
mary system and in his refusal to
recognize the Tammany influence in
the filing of state offices. These early
charges however, were of trivial or
plainly manufactured nature, and 1t
was not until the allegation was ad-
vanced that the governor had made
false return under the law, of the con-
tributions to his campaign fund, that
serious attention was paid to the at
tacks. Quickly following this develop
ment came the charge. now included in
the articles of impeachment. that the
governor had diverted to his own per-
sonal uses. in the prosecution Of certain
Wall street operations. some Of the
contributions to the campaign FUND.
Upon the presentation of testimony to
this effect by brokers, accompanied by
documentary exhibits, the investigat-
ing committee promptly moved for i'm
parchment. and that motion has carried
after brief but vigorous fight in the
assembly in which the governors
cause was championed by a combina
ton of republicans and progressives in
opposition to the almost solid vote OF
the democrats.
An interesting aspect has been given
to the case in the last hours by the an
nouncement that Mrs Sulzer declares
that it was she and not her husband
who indorsed and used on his personal
account the checks given for campaign
purposes. This action was of no avail
however. in stemming the tide against
the governor. What effect it may have,
il adduced in the defense before the
court of impeachment, remains to be
seen.
Regardless of the merits of the
charges against Gov. Sulzer it may
well be believed that il he had been
considerate Of the wishes of the Tam
many organization he would have had
no trouble whatever at Albany, and no
move would have been made to obtain
information Of a derogatory nature. 1t
is due to this fact that even in the face of
the grave accusations, with apparent
proof that have been brought against
him, he still holds the sympathy Of a
large part of the public. From the day
that he defied Tammany he has been
subjected to an incessant persecution.
No efforts have been spared to obtain
facts to his discredit. His life has been
probed to every detail. From the be-
ginning it has been apparent that the
enterprise of blackmail. to frighten
him into subservience, and it must be
said for him now, in the hour Of his i'm
parchment, that whatever faults he
| may have committed, however true
may be the charges upon which he has
been impeached, he has at least been
engaged in a fight against an organ
ization that stands for all that is cor
rupt in American politics.