The sun., 1905-09-06
10 AGREE ON HEAD OF TICKET
uEiRST MEN TO HAVE THE SAY
.yORD, G.iINOR OR STERN?
To.mo orrows Fusion Conference to Talk
Platform First Cutting says the Cts
Have 40 Candidate and Hdcl! Is
seeking to Dodge Responsibility.

Have NO Candidate and Ndcl! Is
seeking to Dodge Responsibility.
II looked last night as If the statesmen
who are 20 settle the fusion question at
Thursday nights meeting (or, rather, who
are to attempt to settle 1t on that occasion)
would unite on a candidate-ether ex-Sena-
tor John Ford or Supreme Court Justice
William j. Gaynor; possibly Louis Stern,
who is to arrive from Europe within few
davs. Mr.. Stern's friends said last night
that the use Of his name at this time was
without warrant.
In other words, the fusionists, headed
by Mr.. Odell, MIR. Cutting and Mr.. Hearst
are to unite on candidate in opposition to
Mayor Mcclellan, 80 that there shall be but
two main tickets in the field. that headed
hy Mayor Mcclellan and that headed by
fusionists, who have temporarily appro-
prated the platform Of the Populists and
the Socialists.
J'p to last night the Populsts and the
Socialists, with their sweeping platform
for the municipal ownership Of public
utilities and SO forth and 80 forth, had not
been invited to confer with their brethren
on Thursday night
But the main point Of yesterdays con-
fabs all pointed to the belief that there will
10 but two main tickets in the feld-that
headed by Mayor Mcclellan and that headed
by the choice of Mr.. Odell, Mr.. Cutting and
Mr.. Hearst.
1t begins to look as IL the Municipal Owner
ship League will be let name the head
of the fusion ticket. Cha irman r. Fulton
Cutting Of the Citizens Union made it clear
Yesterday that there Is little possibility
that his organization W ill suggest another
name, now that District Attorney Jerome
has announced his views.
benjamin B. Odell Jr.. for the Repubh-
can end of the combination, will not advo-
cate the nomination Of a straightout Re-
publican. For such candidate Mr.. Odell
would be held responsible, and it is re-
sponsibility which he is seeking to evade.
foreseeing, as some Of his friends say he
does, that there is no prospect OF Mayor
McClellan's defeat next November. Mr..
Odell will take, and take thankfully, the can
didate agreed upon by the Municipal
Ownership League and the Citizens Union.
Mr.. Odell will concede anything which will
bring about a fusion ticket. because the
burden of the defeat OF such ticket would
20 some extent be lifted from his shoulders.
The second of the fusion conferences is
to be held tomorrow night at the Repub-
lean Club. Because Of the unsettled state
Of affairs in the fusion forces it has been
decided that there shall be 10 attempt to
discuss candidates. The program mapped
out is that before talking over candidates
again an agreement shall be reached on
the principles OF platform which will meet
with the support Of all the organizations
Joining in the fusion movement. 1t Is
intended at tomorrow nights meeting to
have a resolution adopted binding the
representatives OF the different bodies
attending the gathering to the advocacy
Of certain issues. Chief among these will.
Of course, be the municipal ownership cry
Of william r. Hearst's league. .
If the Municipal Ownership League
has it's say, the first name they will submit
will be that of Justice Gaynol He is now
In EUROPE, and 30 far as could be learned
last night Mr.. Hearst's men are Using his
name without his knowledge or consent.
The second choice of the league is ex-
Senator John Ford, while City Court Justice
Seahury is its third pick. A delegation OF
citizens from the West Side waited yesterday
on some of the heads Of the league and
suggested the name of Recorder Go6.
Chairman R. Fulton Cutting Of the Citi-
zens' Union came to town yesterday from
his country home at Tuxedo and issued
this statement:
1T is great pity that Mr.. Jerome denies
lis the privilege OF considering him for the
head of the fusion ticket. Four years Of
such mayoralty as he would give us would
go far to destroy the sources OF Tammany's
power and to break up ring rule in this city.
Standing primarily for the independence OF
city government from the control Of ma
tional parties and believing it fundamental
to all reforms, the union could find no other
citizen who so emphatically embodied such
independence.
The union has been charged with un-
faithfulness to its original purpose, but no
action more consistent with that purpose
can be imagined than the nomination OF
Mr.. Jerome for Mayor. His election would
have been peculiar triumph for non
partizanship and would have materially
contributed to permanently establish that
common sense principle OF business ad-
ministration in this city. His views on
municipal ownership as described in the
interview reported this morning are iden-
tical with those Of the union. 1t Is sure he
could be trusted to carry out those views
oourageously and judiciously from these
standpoints.
In points Of availability and executive
capacity, too the union found in Mr..
Jerome its ideal candidate for Mayor. II
could not faithfully pursue it's purpose il
1t passed by so rare citizen to select An
other to head the ticket. It believed he
would be winning candidate. 1t COM
menced to inquire into his availability
months ago, and its reports were uniformly
favorable. Nobody can say the acceptance
of a nomination voluntarily rendered him
by fusion would have sapped his inde-
pendence. He would never have accepted
If his acceptance implied any obligation
to the nominating bodies. Although he
had nothing to gain by it, and it was con-
trary to his wishes, am still persuaded he
would have accepted il the Republican
party and the Municipal Ownership League
had promptly and cordially adopted the
Citizens Unions proposition to nominate
him
1t is apparent from this statement that
there is little sympathy or cordial feeling