New-York tribune., 1922-10-12
Opponent Finds Machine
of Government Faulty.
but | Made Ii Work, He
Sa $ i n Watertown
Denies Wrecking
Reorganization
Voters Decided Against 1t,
Led by Tammany; Cites
Figures of Economies
From a star Correspondent

!
| WATERFOWL, Oct. 11.--When AL
! fred E. Smith expressed the opinion ir
his Yonkers speech that under the
present organization of the state rov
| ernment the Governor "is out Of the
picture entirely" as far as appropria.
tions go, he branded himself as beine
incompetent to manage the states
affairs, Governor Miller declared to.
night in the course of vigorous
attack on his adversary.
| while l assert that have not un.
dertaken to infringe upon the authority
of coordinate branch of the govern.
ment," said Governor Miller, "still ]
claim that I was not entirely out of
the picture-as Mr.. Smith admits he
was. n confessing that he was unable
| to maka this machinery of government
work, confessing that as Governor all
he was able to do was to sit in his
big chair and see the wheels po
round, he is now asking to be restored
to job which he says he cannot per.
| !orm unless the people give him diff
| ferent tools.
|
Il have not asked for different ma
chinery. assert that it is possible
to make the existing machinery work
claim to have demonstrated that it is
possible to make the existing ma
chinery work. ! assert that the eS
listing machinery has worked, and be-
cause the existing machinery has
worked, because a different snirit has
been infused in the state government,
because the people are satisfied that
they are getting service for their
money, and that mounting cost of gov
eminent has stopped, the demand for
reorganization of the state govern
ment by constitutional amendment.
Whlch was so keen under Mr.. Smith S
administration, has now practically
ceased.
"Ihe truth is that you can't make
the machinery of government fool
proof, You can't by constitutional
amendment change human nature.
You cant by constitutional amend
ment naake it impossible to- have gov
ernment administered for favor. : You
cant by constitutional amendment
make it impossible to have log rolling
and to have public measures decided
not upon their merits but according to
the wishes Of those who ask for them.
Inc only way you can do that is by the
selection of the agents to administer
| the government. Whether the ma.
chinery is good or bad, it will work
we'll or ill according to those agent }
and their disposition to render public
service.
Reorganization Issue
Now as to this charge which he
says is the paramount issue, that
destroyed this beautiful scheme of re-
organizing the state government by
constitutional amendment. What ia
the fact? The fact is that a plan of
! reorganization was submitted to the
people in 1915. 1t did provide among
other things for the appointment of a
great many officers who are now elected
by the people. 1t did provide for the con-
solidation in few departments cf the
activities of the state government now
spread over number of departments.
On the whole that plan was undoubt-
edly an Improvement on the present
structure of the state government. |
supported that plan and voted for it
at the polls.
u asked Mr.. Smith to say what he
did with reference to it. l am not pre-
pared to say what he did personally,
but know and the people know that
the organization to which ne is sub
servient, Tammany Hall, did all that
it could to defeat the constitution sub
mitted to the people in 1915. The fact
was notorious. The fact is that Mr..
Smiths organization actively, openly,
opposed the adoption Of the constitu-
tional amendment and the people de-
feated it by over 100000 majority. The
plan was defeated then, not by me later
on. 1t was resurrected by Mr.. Smith
when he would be Governor merely to
provide an alibi for his own failure of
performance.
II went into Office feeling that. it was
more important to make the machinery
at hand work than to devote myself
exclusively. to the task of getting diff
ferent machinery I was elected to ad-
minister the state government, not to
point out to the people how they could
improve their system of government
by constitutional amendment. have
administered the state government.
have made it's machinery work. did
not, as Mr.. Smith says, in consulta-
tion with Speaker Machold, put the
constitutional amendments in the waste
Basket or throw them out of the win
dow, but, if a change in administration
proved that the need of changing our
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