New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-07
Reconstruction, Not Ripper Bills.

Governor Whitmans first recommendations TO
the Legislature, if carried out, will take the ma
cb;norv of government Of the state back to where
it was when Governor Hughes went out oil once
The Board Of Claims will again become a Court
Of Claims. There will be bipartisan highway
Commission. with one member an engineer. Ihere
will be a single Conservation Commissioner cor
responding TO the Forest, Fish and Game Com
missioner. having under him bureaus Of experts
corresponding to the stafTo of the old Game Com
mission. the Water Supply Commission and the
other bodies absorbed into the Conservation Com
mission. There will be one State superintendent
Of Elections The Democratic creations, the de-
nartnent Of Efficiency and Economy-woful mis-
nomer-and the Fire Marshal will be wiped out
All this is probably necessary. The Democratic
risdeeds and misrule of the last four years must
no obliterated before state government on an or
derlv. efficient. economic basis can be taken up.
Nevertheless, there is much more TO DO than the
Governors message recommends to bring the
state government TO what it ought to be. More
important than all the specific changes IN tne
form of state departments are the spirit IN whicn
the changes are made and the manner and method
of CARRYING out the departments work. On us
face the Governors message recommends nothing
but series of ripper bills to undo what the Demo-
Gratis did when they took charge Of affairs Inc
Democrats we're roundly cursed by most OF the
state for the ripper bills they passed, abohshlng
what their Republican predecessors had slowly
built up. There is no particular reason why the
Republicans should expect better treatment or
more credence in their protestations OF honesty
of purpose-until they prove them. The Democrats
shifted department control TO suit themselves In
order to grab Jobs. The Republicans must prove
some better motive and abstain from job grabbing
10 get full credit for these new shifts as reforms
Up to date some of Governor Whitman's Repub-
lican associates in office have shown much the
same spirit as that of their Democratic prede-
cessors in appointing district leaders and party
workers to fat places. The man in the street sees
no difference between Controller Travis's filing
his office with Republicans from Brooklyn, Man
haitian. Albany, Buffalo and Intermediate sta
tions and Mr.. Sohmers having taken Murphy
supporters from around the state for the same
Jobs. when he held office. Attorney General Wood
bury, in appointing Mr.. Aldridge's protege, eX-
Senator Lewis, more recently William Barnes S
right-hand man at state headquarters, to be his
first deputy, and Lou" Payn's man, Sandy
Smith, to be second deputy, made no improvement
over the Democratic method of dispensing jobs
The same policy applied to the workers in the re-
constructed state departments would leave the
Republican administration and Governor Glynn's
no more different than two peas in the same pod
The public believes, and has reason to believe
that it cannot get its moneys worth from political
leaders who become offcehoders. 1t distrusts
them and will continue to distrust them whatever
party label they wear. 1t is unfortunate that the
Whitman administration is already loaded with
some of them These proposed department changes
must not be made the vehicle for transporting
more party hacks to the public payroll. If Gov
ernor Whitman wants TO keep this administration
free from the antagonism which wrecked Mr.
Glynn's career, he will have to use all his personal
and official powers with his associates and the
Legislature to keep their party organization from
exploiting the state government.