New-York tribune., 1905-07-17
SMITH AND EQUITABLE.
Senator. 1t Is SAID. Might Hare
Been Director.

Trenton July 10 (Spec1a)-JdiiieS 1'''i'i'
right to Carlsbad when he reached Europe
and will remain there until he starts Ior nom
earIv in. September The ex-senator had no'
taI,an the famous baths for two years. and MS
system needed them This he discovered Wheh
examined by the German physicians ana tn"'
ia vhv ne will undergo the treatment steadily
instead of travelling around. The DemocFatc
leader writes that ne feels better in the snort
time since his arrival, and expects 10 return AZ
fine shape for all that is ahead
The Tribune stated not long before Mr. smith
sailed that he had several plans iald OUT
for prosecution at an early date. and that some
Of them had been assigned to his faithful lieu
tenants II Is told from very conhdentiai anu
reliable quarter that one Of the plans was %
have been executed in his absence, but has
proba bly, been disturbed by some recent events
Smith is a great friend OF Thomas F.
RYAN. as the report goes. That he is close
friend Of ex-PresIdent Cleveland is we'll known.
RYAN had made more or less of confdant OF
Smith as to his insurance purposes. For SOM
years the Mutual Life Insurance Company mas
taken considerable interest in New-JerSeS
financial affairs The Mutual controls trust
companies and has for quite while, in Jersey
City. Bayonne. MorristOwn, and Orange
The Senator. as president Of trust company
I'm Newark has had in mind the disposal OF stock
control to the Mutual interests through MI
Ryan II was to he part OF the gigantic scheme
so recently carried out by Ryan. involving the
Equitable and Washington Life primarily. Pre-
vious to Smiths departure for Germany 1t was
intimated to the ex-senator that his friend
Cleveland was TO be one of the Equitable trus-
tees and would like to make his Jersey cOmpan-
ion one of the directors. The ex-President is
said 10 have appreciated what the ex-senator
did for him a year ago at the National Demo-
cratic Convention in st. Louis, when he carried
q letter of declinaton written III Princeton. He
would be glad. according to the statement, to re-
turn the favor in some way, and he felt that to
have honored Smith with a dictatorship in the
Equitable might be gratifying all around
The plan seems TO have failed and two
sons given. One is that Smith not
qualified in the Equitable matter because he was
neither stockholder nor policyholder and the
other reason is that publicity is now extending
to the Mutual and possibly other insurance com
panies, and. therefore, Smith might prove more
useful to Ryan and his associates in another
direction 1t is said that owing to the same
new turn in events. there will be further pur-
ehases OF trust companies in New-Jersey just now
by insurance companies This may render it a
little harder for Smith to carry the he
has threatened against Thomas y. McCarter.
Then one of the ex-Senator's political plans
seems to have gone astray. Under cover of the
Colby movement Mr.. Smith contemplated reap
ing some advantage for his party. AS The Trib-
une said in an interview with Smith some
weeks ago. the Senator rather regretted Colby
coming into the limited franchise fight so soon.
as it interfered with a scheme 10 make short
time franchises a Democratic issue. But all the
same the warhOrse thought Colby and his plat
form would be squeched. and then with free
field the Democrats could make a glorious
aIRp Ea~ff
night, however by the Essex County Rapub-
ican Committee OF the Colby platform, practi-
caly in its entirety muzzles the Smith guns
completely in that particular
That action of Friday night is so generally
talked of as one of the clever moves of Major
Carl Lentz that the wisdom of il all is not made
much of. The major is an able and clever
politician and only the most bigoted would
argue TO the contrary. The careful observer of
what has occurred in Essex during the last few
months has noticed that the major was not
boasting. as he so often has. of what he intended
to do. He has spoken of Everett Colby with re-
spect and without sarcastic reference. except in
the one good natured tilt regarding Rockefeller
He is known not to agree with all his associates
In many particulars He recognizes that the
resolution may have appeared clever and uhex-
pected. but Mr.. Dufield has expressed himself
along the same lines in conversation for some
weeks.
OF course. the outcome OF Friday shows that
whatever the result at the primaries. the Colby
platform has won in advance. no matter what
the intention of the Duffield resolution really
was. The Republican party, far as it's
county committee is concerned. is pledged to
the essential features advocated so strenuousIv
by Colby What Mr.. CoIEy's personal political
fate may be is another question Logically il
looks as though the adoption of his principles
ought TO mean the Endorsement of the candf-
date. To repudiate the man after accepting his
measures does not appear rational or consistent
At heart it is doubtful whether Lentz objects to
Colby's candidacy. He knows Colby is honest
popular, a splendid fighter and liberal i'm all
that aids 9 campaign. Duffleld and Lehlbach
favorable oil
but their opposition is likely largely personal
Colby would not only be very strong candidate
for Senator. but he would help the rest Of the
ticket greatly. II viii not do to make the
Colby platform the platform OF the party unless
a man is nominated who energeticalIv ana
heartily indorses the planks