THE GOVERNOR'S HONORARIA.(Main)(Editorial)

To his credit, Governor Cuomo has lately been publicly disclosing the names of the persons and institutions that are the source of his honoraria payments. Unfortunately, the governor still finds it necessary to rely on honoraria to enhance his income.

For 1988, in fact, honoraria added to his total earned income even more than the $130,000 the governor earned for being governor. For the paid speeches at 13 different institutions and organizations, Mr. Cuomo received $150,000. Those groups included colleges and universities, as well as organizations like the City Club of Cleveland, the Oregon World Affairs Council, the Macedonian Patriotic Organization of Pittsburg and the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan.

Now, the most outstanding feature of those groups that "hired" the governor to give a speech is that perhaps none of them is in a position to receive any "favors" from the governor in return for the speaking fee. It is, as most everyone knows, a common practice for members of Congress to accept thousands of dollars in "speaking fees" from precisely those people who are out to influence how those members vote on legislation. Governor Cuomo, by contrast, appears to have taken pains to insure that a quid pro quo arrangement could not easily evolve. If you are not in a position to help the group from whom you are accepting honoraria, the governor apparently believes, why not accept it? Moreover, the governor likely believes that since he has cut himself off from the substantial earnings he could otherwise expect from employment in the private sector, why shouldn't he supplement his modest government salary with a little work on the side?

No one has yet accused Governor Cuomo of a conflict of interest, and it is very possible that no one ever will. As public officials go, he is probably one of the more honest. But the honoraria circuit has by now become a practice that offers a temptation to corruption. Not everyone, to be sure. But many, especially in Congress, now use the practice as little more than a means to funnel influence money from special interests into their personal bank accounts.

The proper response to this temptation is to outlaw the practice altogether. It is not enough to rely on the good character and intentions of those who do not abuse honoraria. Permitting the ethically sound to accept speaker fees for speaking only keeps the door open for the potentially corrupt to peddle influence.

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