The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-30
MOT MUCH OF A N
Cruel Words Caught in Albauy's
whispering Gallery.

ALBANY, March eff any modest
and self-effacing resident of or visitor
to New York has Information as to
the whereabouts OF a moral issue In
a reasonably good state of preserva-
ton he will ear something to his
advantage on addressing Charles S.
Whitman, the Executive Chamber, the
Capitol, Albany.
Mr.. Whitman Is not particular that
the moral issue should be a novelty,
but he will insist that 1t shall not at
the present moment "a In use by a
Democrat. II must not have any rela-
ton to State or municipal finance, and
IL must not be in any way associated
with the Public Service Commission.
Mr.. Whitman has had all he wants
OF statistics for a while, and since he
heard four Public Service Commits
sioners on charges last week his pas
sion for the detection of ineiiciency
and neglect of duty has been consid-
erably cooled.
While it is true that Mr.. Whitman
will extract no small degree of pleas
ure from the cNtrusion of Edwin >.
Harris from the public service because
Harris knows something about the
States fiscal affairs, this triumph
will not wholly recompense for the
injury his original calculations on the
subject of n direct tax have inflicted
on a once shapely Presidential boom,
II pains Mr.. Whitman greatly when
the echoes OF confidential conversa-
tons held in tho corridors of the Capt.
toll reach him. Late last night he
caught these words:
Wei, BIZ, what do YOU think of
the Governor"
Hes "A pretty decent sort after all.
isn't hep"
ooh. | g1iess he IL but I toll We.
he amt made much Of a dent up
here"
1t will h seen that there is little
nutriment for ambition when such
conversations pass between loyal sup
porters as the Administration ends its
third month with a noble record Of
Democrats not ripped hui recon
structed out Of Jobs, and Republicans
associated p~rof,ably with the payroll
IN their places. True. there should
~. gratitude, but there 10 nonc. tie
heneficiaries OF recent ~reformatory
movements recognize only hat they
got their Just deserts. while the emf
nent applicants Who were turned
down know that they were betrayed,
defra uded and auominablv used.
Mr.. Whitman has not proved .ldl-
eul. He has sought 10 duck and has
done it ungraccfully. He has at
tempted 10 evade. and has not sue
ceed.d. He has CHARGED CALAMITY into
blind alleys and been astonished 10
earn thnt they had no outlets. So
he ia unhappy, and he is nor ON
forted by the suspicion that whenever
a visitor raises hand TO mouth he does
i TO hid a smile.
Hence tho desire for a mora issue
\ moral Issue may be supported by
a bold declaration IN favor OF virtue,
a faceful of easy tears and a stern
d~enunCiat.on OF vice. These require
no head worh no nomination Of rec
ords. no mastering OF columns OF
figures, no inquiry into the exact
status II the bank account. They
may he produced without effort and
without thought. nobody can asSail
them with crude t~abulat!ons and un-
confortoh'o citations from the est
mates. They carry themselves. and
NAV carry aub.'o' with en-.
Perhaps votes tor women may offer
an avenue OF escape for a tormented
politician. Nobody viii dare TO say
that in this issue an ambitious young
re'icf from the present annoyance.