Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1905-12-23
EX-GOVERNOR oDELL OF NEW
YORK BITTERLY AssAILs
CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
COMMENTS ON sPEAgERsHIP CONTEST
ACCUSES PRESIDENT AND GOV.
ERNoR HIGGINS OF TRYING
TO WRECK PARTY.

ernor B. B. Odell, chairman of the Re
| publican state committee, made a
| statement during the day in which he
charged President Roosevelt and Gov
ernor Higgins with deliberate at
tempt to wreck the Republican party
of this state for their own personal
| ambitions. He declared that if dis
| aster ensued they, not he, will be re
| sponsible.
Mr.. Odell's accusations were part
! of his comment on the situation grow
| ing out OF the contest in the Repub-
lican party in this state for the speak
ership of the New York state assem-
bly,. Mr.. Odell declared himself in
favor OF E. A. Merritt, Jr., several
days ago. On Monday last Governor
Higgins came out in favor of ]. w.
| WadsWorth, Jr. Mr.. Odell said:
Il notice that Governor Higgins said
he never was for Merritt. Shortly
after election l went to Governor Hig-
gins and asked him whom he was for
for speaker. He eliminated all but
Merritt and said that neither New
i. York nor Buffalo could have it because
/ it would stir up opposition against the
cities. | asked him if Merritt would
be satisfactory to him and he asked
me to see Merritt and ask him some
questions. | saw Merritt and reported
to the governor and ne said he was
satisfied. I clearly understood he was
for Merritt and was never so surprised
as when he switched his trolley. This
is the worst case of duplicity in poll
tics | have ever known. Merritt is
absolutely right in saying that the gov
egpor agreed to support him. He of
fered to the governor to stay out of
the contest if the governor wanted
him to do so.
Sore Thumbs Visit Washington.
Lied by the collarless and coafless
young men who took us all to defeat
in 1891 (apparently referring to j..
Sloat Fassett) William Barnes, Jr.,
Colonel George w. Dunn and others
with sore thumbs visited Washington
and stirred up this trouble Ii Presi-
dent Roosevelt had the good of the
party at heart he could have sent for
me at any time and would have been
glad to confer with him for the sake
of obtaining harmony in the party. If
that had been done all this trouble
would have been avoided without war
fare.
Il charge President Roosevelt and
Governor Higgins with deliberately
trying to wreck the party in this state
for their own personal ambitions. II
this means party disaster they, and
not | and my friends, are responsible.
They, and not 1, are to blame.
$50 far as gratitude is concerned
Governor Higgins certainly owed me
something. Instead of putting out the
hand of friendship he chooses to throw
stones al those who have been his
friends. IF the president wanted re-
form l was friendly and they could ,
have had it. I charge him and Gov
ernor Higgins with injecting their
personality into this matter. Their |
harmony consists of knocking They |
had time to write letters in support of I
District Attorney Jerome in the last /
city elections, but never said a word
for WINS. They have done the dam
age and will have to take the conse-
luences.
"The president sent for Olcott '(for-
nerly candidate for chairman of the
Jew York county Republican commit
ee) and then threw him down."