New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-24
To DIVIDE THEM EVENLY.
A NEW PLAN OF REPRESENTATION IN THE
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
THE SENATE PASSES A BILL ALLOWING SIX
TEEN DELEG GATES-ATLARGE TO BE CHOSEN
BY EACH OF THE TWO GRE.
POLITICAL PARTIES
[BY TELEGRAPH To THE TRrBuSE.l

|
| Albany Jan 23.-Thc Democratic party again
announced change Of policy upon the Constltu-
| tional Convention bill tonight. Up TO Friday
noon the Democratic leaders thought they would
! abolish minority representation in the Convention
| little later in the day Senator McMahon, OF
| New-lork, persuaded Governor Flower to adhere
To- the plan of dividing the thirty-two delegates
at-arge evenly between the Republican and Demo
cratic p1rties. giving sixteen 10 each. Tie
| Governor instructed the member, of tie Statutory
Revision Commission to ool: into the legal queS
tions Involved in the proposition ma 10 by Senator
Mcmahon, that each OF the great political parties
should be limited 70 nominating sixteen men for
dclcgatcs-at-largc. but permitting voters 70 vote
for thirty:tWo delegates The members of the COM
mission decided tndt this could legally be done,
and 50 reported 10 Governor Flower and senator
Mcmahon. Armed with this authority, Senator
Mcmahon drew up another Constitutional Con-
vcnton bill
This measure was placed upon the desks OF all
| the Senators tonight, and in due time Senator
Mcmahon had it substituted for the measure pre-
viou.ly passed. The Republican and Democratic
Senators interested mainly III the clause pro-
| viding for the election of AN equal number OF
| delegates at.largc This provision Is given below
Article THE number OF delegates To such Convention
| shall be 100. hundred and twenty-cisht there
sall be elected by Senate di-tics and shall be- knoNh
district delegates Senate d>tr!cv >hhu DE-
titled to elect four district delegates Thrtyt"o Geeg''
shall eectd for the state at large and shall De- known
delrsa,es.atlsige Each per.on emitted to Not" oF
Member Assembly such election shall De entitled To
vote th'rcat for four district dcc2ates and hirty.t"o
d'lrratc>atiarRe in his election district aud not
| elsewhere. The four persons receiving thc
highest number Of for district delegates in 'aeh
senate ds1lct shall be elected district delegates The
drtytwo persons receiving the highest number of vote,
stat, Tor dclcgatosatarce shall be elec''d drc-
gse.ailoce except that than sixteen Of said
candidates for delegates atarsc shall be named by the
party which, last general election east the greatest
numbr OF votes and that not than sixteen OF said
candidates for Gecsatsatlargs shall be named by the
rorty which. general election. cast the next
| highest number Of votes.
10 will he seen that this proposed law in effect
SAYS to the delegates 10 the Republican Stale
Convention TO be held next fall, and 10 the dole
| gates 20 the Democratic State Convention 10 d"
held at the same time, that they shall not
nominate more than sixteen persons for delegates
at-largc. although thirty-two such officers arc TO
be elected But this does not prevent any voter
from voting for thirty-tyo persons for DELEGATES
| at-argc The right OF voting is not limited IN
any manner only the right Of nomination in the
case Of the Republican and Democratic parties.
Senator Mcmahon explained carefully the pro-
! visions Of the now bill, ard found them accept
able 10 all but enc Of the Senators, namely, S"na-
tor Mullin. Republican, Of Watcrtown. who 'N-
| pressed the opinion that no constitutional Con-
vention ought 10 be held
Il have 10 doubt, said Senator McMihon,
that the People, party. the Prohibton party
and the Socinst-Labor party Will ht able to
SECURE at the hands OF tho great political parties
4 larger representation in the convention than
! tho wonld have been able to obtain hv m"
minority representation scheme We at first adopted
We have taken ont of the bill all OF the pro-
visions recording nomination lY ceftt'c'''' we
also have deprived the convention OF the power 10
fill vacancies in Ia own ranks which was deemed
unconstitutional. We provide for speclai "'c-
tion of delegates if the convention ASKS iof one ~
fiji q vacancy ] ask for the immediate pd'siS Sc
of tbc e. since every inspector Is hapc 10 III
dictmont if lie does not soon obey the OonS'i'u-
,ional Convention act Cf 1872 which Is sun uh-
repealed I'D
The Republican Senators SAID tha' 'nc9 "U"'
no, offer any objections to the DILL an" S'' '",'
,houpht certain amendments oug ught TO ne inaI, 1h ~
the 10 put II IN Dct,'r Sad St Sna,or Ne
suggested several ath'Hhur'"''' "'
' asva,or Rocsch then asked this question Is
II nor unconstitutional TO proVld" tl9' W. l1 m't
bers of certain political party shaI not li"No @
moro than sixteen nominations where there are
thiriy-tyyo places 10 he lllcd ,lo.s of rho
That is not tho opinion Of tho members OF .he m
Statutory Revision CommlsSioh' rcplie" "'"''0
McMahon. Nc,xro, that
II seems to me- said Senator Ne. artcn. 'nrs ars
this il an extraordinary pTccei'ht lnaO Ai ADI p
| cstnbIishinc You limit the Dcmocratic ana ~ ~
nrblic,n nortics 10 making only certain nun"
H"r nf nominations Could you not J'Hb e rs
legally limit their right 10 make no'',a m ictd
only half certain number 0t JuuLIrS -. hould vote
Would You also dcclar" that th'y snoui' N''
| cor nnl,: half /, Governor? ~ Naught"r} >, 49,.
Senator McMahon said that hr thoncht ,Ins LIE
70 l.