The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-23
MERRITT TO
 QUIT RACE Candidate For Speaker May Withdraw. CONFERENCE, ARE HELD Wadswgl is Confident That
 Hpwlll Be Elected. GoS Aor Higgins, Before Going Home ~ for Holidays, Announces That
 He is Highly Pleased by
 Developments.

New York, Dec. 22.-Two important of the members or the New York State Assembly to consider the question of the speakership were heiu here today. All the Republican mem bers had beer invited to the first meet ing which was held in the Hotel Cadii- lac. Only the New York delegation in the assembly attended the second meeting. which was held very late at night.
 The first meeting was called by men who. J. w. wadsworth, Jr., said. were opposed to h,m, though he and every other Republican assembiyman were invited. Mir. Wadsworth sent out many messages to assemblymen who are sup porting him, advising them that no good purpose would be served by their attending the meeting.
 Although James T Rogers, majority leader in the assembly, and two other members of that body called on him and asked him to be present at the meeting, he declined to do so.
 Thirty-seven assemblymen were at the conference and some Of them were friends of MT. Wadsworth.
 E. A. Merritt, Jr., one of the leading candidates for the speakership. was present as also were several former candidates who dropped out of the con test when Governor Higgins declared in favor of Wadsworth. After having been in session more than three hours, the conference adjourned with out hav- ing taken any action whatever.
 Compromise Candidate.
 It had been reported that one of the purposes of the gathering was Co as- certain whether or not the members could agree upon a compromise candi- date for Speaker. but Assemblyman n Jesse Phillips. who had issued the call for the conference, declared that no compromise candidate WIS even dis cussed and that no test vote showing the strength of any candidate was taken.
 M:. Merritt said tonight that he Is not at all dissatisfied with stse result of the conference; that the purpose for which it was held was to bring the members together for frank discus sion of the situations: to inform them as to the present status of the contest for the speakership, and to forestall any attempts to bind the members to any candidate before they knew what the facts were.
 Tt was not an Odell meeting" de- clared Mir Merritt.
 Mir. Merritt was asked tonight whether, fin the event he thought it necessary for him to withdraw in the interest of a candidate who might be able to unite all the interests opposed to Mir. wadsworth, he would be willing to do so He replied: ..:. ... . q have not come to that yet" New Entry is Looked For.
 The appearance of such candidate would not surprise some of the men who are well acquainted with the sit uation.
 MT wadsworth said tonight: q re- gard the conference as beneficial tc me as having promoted harmony, which is the purpose of my candidacy wish to make it absolutely clear that I am not a factionist. It is not true that anybody has asked me to with draw from the contest. I am satisfied with the situation, and while l do not care to give my estimates of tho number of votes in my support, am assured of a safe majority.
 Adjournment was taken subject to the call of Assemblyman Jesse Phil lips, who said that he would issue another call if requested to do so. B. B. Odell. Jr., State Republican Chairman, left for Newburgh as soor as the conference adjourned and with out making any comment upon it.