New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-08
PATRONAGE AT ALBANY.
THE GOVERNOR PREPARING TO DIVIDE
THE SP0ILS.

OF NATURAL SELECTION.
[FRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE ]
ALBANY, Jan. 7.-Grover Cleveland, attorney-at-
law having become general counsel for the State Of
New-York. IS hard at work studying up his cases.
Every morning by $50 o'clock he is seated at his
desk In the Executive Chamber of the new Capitol
His mail, and voluminous mail it is.
already waits his oomingj and Private Secretary
Laurent and the other clerks are busy upon State
papers that will shortly be submitted to him for in
spection. Throughout the day and far into the
night the office is the scene Of active work. Any
one passing by the new Capitol up till IL o'clock
at night will the lights blazing in ithe Execu
tive Chamber, howing that the Governor is still
laborlng at his desk. He rarely reaches the Execu-
tive Mansion to get his nights sleep before mid
night. In the interval between the early morning
hour and midnight, q variety of work has
been done. Letters have been read and dictated,
fourscore political and official visitors have been
given hearing, some State matters have been de-
clded and beginning has been made In the inspec-
tOn of mountain of applications for office. The
little exercise that the Governor obtains he secures
by invariably walking between the Executive
Mansion and the new Capitol. Fortunately for
Mr.. Cleveland's health, these buildings are over
mile distant from each other. and the walk is di-
versed by Of the steepest hills and the deepest
gully in Albany He takes this walk four times
every day-moming, noon, at nightfall, and again
near midnight. Naturally his face il rapidly be-
coming familiar along Eagle and State-sts.
The present week his first hour of actual trial
will come By law he IS compelled this week to
nominate three persons for Railroad Commissioners
One of these persons has already been selected for
him by the commands of the same law. The
Chamber Of Commerce. the Anti-Monopoly League
t1,o NJ, Ice Ira. Ia nd Tran
ton wero authorized to name OF the Commis-
sioners In case they disagreed any two of the
boards were to name the Commissioner. They did
disagree, the Chamber of Commerce naming A.
Barton Hepburn, the chairman of the Hepburn
Railway Investigating Committee, and The other
two boards naming ex-senator John O'Donnell. who
lobbied" through the Railroad Commission law.
Governor Cleveland has been duly informed of this
action, and has decided that he must therefore
nominate Mr.. OD0nnell for Commissioner. 1t Is
10 secret that tho Governor would far prefer to
nominate Mr. Hepburn, believing him to be q
more suitable man than Mr.. ODonnell for
the Office Of Railroad Commissioner. 1t
has been suggested to the Governor that he should
appoint Mr.. Hepburn as the Republican CoInnis-
sioner To this he has replied that he would do so
were it not for the fact that Mr. Hepburn has been
so prominently identified with the Anti-Monopoly
Anti-Monopollsts had been given control of the
commission should lac be appointed. The people of
the State IN the Governors opinion, determined that
the Autobiography sentiment should have repTesen-
tation IN tho Railroad Commission, but not COM
plste possession OF it. Mr.. Hepburn has been in
formed that the presentation of his with that
OF O'Donnell is impossible.
+. b. Thurber. of New-York, the boss +" Of the
Anti tMouopoly League and the Board OF Trade
and Transportation. who insisted on the
selection Of O'Donneil. would therefore seem re-
sponsible for Mr.. Hepbun's exclusion. Practical
politicians say, however, that the Democratic
Senators would never have confirmed Mr. Hep
bum as an Anti-Monopoly Railroad Commissioner
because he is n Republican. and his confirmation
with that of the actual Republican Railway Com
missioner would give tho commission into the con-
troll of the Republican party. Tbs heroic action
they say no person could expect Of n Democratic
Governor aud Democratic Senate. j. u. Thurber
hastakep pains TO advertise the past fortnight that
Mr. o Donnell has been trimmer in politics; that
he has alternately been a Republican and Demo-
crat but lattcrly n fierce Anti-MOnopolist. Mr..
Thurber is also authority for the statement that
Mr.. O'Donncll voted FOR Governors Robinson and
Cleveland
Mr. O'Donnel is not likely to be confirmed as
Railroad Commissioner. There is some opposition
70 him among the Republican Senators, who would
naturally support him owing TO his former position
here IA d Republican SENATOR and the Democratic
Senators suspect that he IS a Republican wearing
the mask OF an Anti -Nonopolist. In confirming
him and a Republican commissioner they would
fear that they had made the Railroad Commission
Republican one. This they dread to do in Wow of
the vast political influence the Railroad Commits
sioners will acquire through their supervision Of
the railroads What the Democratic Senators want
Is an anti Monopoly Commissioner with Democratic
antecedents. In other words they want the cont rol
of tho commission. They would gladly have
avoided the embarrassment caused them by the
anti Monopoly feature of the Railroad Commits
sion law by amending that law when the Leg
slature met last Tuesday. The proposed
amendment would nave swept away this feature
and given Governor Cleycland unrestricted power
of appointing tho Commissioners But Governor
Cleveland forbade any amendment To the law. Ac-
cordingly IT was not made.
The Governor would like to appoint as tho other
Railroad Commissioners Ex-Governor Horatio Sey-
mour and ex-senator Herman. Expressing this
thought the other day to friend, the latter said:
"Well. Governor, you must remember these are
men of past generation, acquainted with its needs
but not with our own In the matter of railway
TRANSPORTATION. | doubt whether Governor Sey-
mour would accept tue office. AS for Mr. Herman,
he has declined 1t in advance"
Wen-nformed persons hero think that the Gov
ernor intends to appoint as the Democratic Railway
Commissioner some resident of Buffaloi not poll
tican but man of good business ability whose quail
ties have been familiar to him for years and whom
he can trust The name Of the man has not been re-
vealed.
As for the Republican Railway Commits
sioner. the gossips seem agreed that
ID NJ. t.a
Public Works, is likely to be chosen. Mr.. butcher,
they say, made very favorable impression upon
Mr. Cleveland in Buffalo the latter part of Decem-
Der when he called upon him to explain the work
ings OF the canal system. The friends Of Colonel
Anson s. Wood, Deputy Secretary Of State, are con-