New-York tribune., 1920-10-12
Miller Defies
Smith to Hide
Behind Alibis
Declares Governor Cannot
Dodge Around National
Issues of Direct Moment
to People of New York
Opens Upstate Tour
Says Republican Lawmakers
Provided Tools for Reor-
ganizing Work at Albany
From O sta1 coryespon6sxs


TROY, N. Y, Oct. II Con Board the
Miller Campaign SpeciaD.-In his
speeches on the first day of his two
weeks trip upstate Judge Nathan L.
Miller asked Governor Smith to answer
the following questions:
lis not the plan to have few men
sit around a council table at Geneva
to make decisions that will send the
young men of New York State into war
of grave Importance to the people of
this state?
2-Is not the fact that New York
State has contributed s1,400, 900, 900 to
the extravagant budget Of the Wilson
Administration this year a proper sub
ject for discussion in the state cam
paign?
3-ls not the need of doing away with
an autocracy built up by the Wilson
administration during the war and re-
storing democratic form Of govern- =
ment IN this country of interest to
citizens of this state?
Says Smith Can't Dodge
Judge Miller said that his opponent
could not dodge around these ques-
rlons, nor could he befog some Of the
real issues of the campaign by attempt
ing TO make an issue on the matter of
reorganizing the state government.
He cannot make an issue of the re-
organization of the state government" ;"
SAID Judge Miller. The reason is
simple. Every one IS in favor of that
Moreover, this is subject which was,
despite Governor Smiths efforts to
10 ho l.; ~.
creation of the men Of the Republican
party: 1t was adopted by the Constitu-
tlonal Convention of 1915, which was
overwhelmingly Republican. The last
republican Legislature adopted the
plan in substance
"Governor Smith knows the facts.
but he is putting forth this as an alibi
TOR performance. Other Cover
nors have effected economy in their
administrations with the same tools
thet Governor Smith has at his dis
posal. It will take at least two wears
to put the reorganization plan into
effect. Meantime the cost of govern
ment, unless there is retrenchment,
VIII go on mounting, thus adding to the
burdens of the taxpayers.
the real cause Of the mounting
cost OF state government is this: The
people have gotten it into their heads
III the last few years that it is pos
slble to collect taxes out of few, and
they have withdrawn their attention
from the way the state government was
being conducted.
"The result is that every state de-
partment which wants to extend its
actlvlties-and every department likes
to magnify itself-has been branching
out into new fields. Every group of
citizens who had some fad or fancy
to exploit did so at the public expense
and out of the public funds, because
there has been nobody to count the
cost.
THE practice has grown up in this
state of the Legislature committing
the state TO all sorts of plans and ac-
tivities, and then after the state has
been committed to these new activi-
ties they begin to look around to find
the money.
Get the Money First
"Now, the way to prevent that sort
of thing is not simply by reorganiz-
ing the state government-be because you
can reorganize the state government to
your hearts content and the same
thing will go right along-but before
spending your money, find it; before
launching out on TO new and untried
things look to see whether you have
\,
conduct the affairs of the state just
as you would your n household af-
fairs"
Judge Miller said that another alibi
offered by Governor Smith was that he
could not obtain cooperation from the
Republican Legislature.
Then the thing to do is to elect
Republican Governor" added Judge
Miller with a smile that not only
caused his audiences to laugh heart
lily but to applaud vigorously.
In all of his speeches Judge Miller
said that he was perfectly willing and
would continue to discuss state issues
with Governor Smith, and that he could
readily understand the Governors dis
inclination to discuss national uues-
tions.
But | shall not neglect" he de-
clared "to talk about the vital nara