New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-03
REPUBLICANS BOLT GAS.
NINE LEAVE CAUCUS.
Remaining Senators adopt Bills
after Making Price so Cents.
IBY TELEGRAPH 10 THE rRIBuxE.l

Aipany, May 2.-The lobby succeeded in break
ing up the caucus Of Republican Senators to
cohsluer gas tonight, and nine of those present
lett the meeting rather than be pledged TO vote
Ior the bills introduced by the Stevens commit
'ee' when it was proposed TO turn the confer
eiice INTO caucus the nine Senators who left
'he room were Bracket Brown, Cassidy Cog
eesha!l' Davis, Fechter, Gardner. L'Homme-
oieu and Hinman. Senators Amber and Wilcox
old not attend the conference but thew vers
understood TO stand with the boilers Senator
armstrong while remaining in the caucus, is
Understood to oppose 75-cent gas
Inc senators leaving the caucus were not in
eii'iIe accord in their sentiment with resnect
- 'i'e blls. Senators Cassidy and Coggeshall
were opposed TO all the bills Senator Brackett
sald ne left the meeting because he would not
pe caucused on the State Commission bill and
was ready to beat all the bills rather than
'e 'iIdI pass. Senators Davis Brown Fechter
ana Gardner are understood TO be opposed 10
'o-cent gas. Directly after the nine left the
ROOM the motion to make the bills party meas
ures was carried by vote Of 81 incIudino +be
proxies Of two absent Senators. Carpenter and
hlsoerg' This was done after the 73-cent gas
Dill was amended to read so cents.
AS the meeting broke up Senator Raines was
seen passionately denouncing the action of the
OoiIers 10 Senator Cooper, of Brooklyn. Those
people, he said, ARE not worthy of the name
OF Republicans. They are not Republicans"
FOR FIGHT OVER REDUCTION
The main fight developed on the reduction Of
the price Of gas. and il was on this proposition
that the majority Of the boilers took issue and
departed. In this list are the men who have
steadily opposed all gas legislation in the pres
ent session-the Brooklyn Senators and Gard
ner and Buffalo Senators. Davis and Fech-
-n~ or,I II
agara power fame Opposed to the State
commission bill, but ready to support all other
bills were Senators Cobb. Bracket and Hin
man.
Senator Bracket explained the situation of
the boilers thus:
We have all left the caucus because we were
unwilling TO be caucused on one or several of
the bills am ready to vote for all bills except
the commission bill but ready to vote against
all TO defeat t1at bill if it is necessary"
To the nine boilers should be added the name
Of Prime. Wilcox, Amber and McEwan Sen
ator Hill is in Europe, and Senator Barnes is ill
senator Armstrong, who, in conference, opposed
the 15-cent gas bill, stayed in caucus and is said
to be willing to abide by the result
At the close of the meeting Senator Raines de-
clared that he would have twenty-six Republi-
can votes fer the bill, but this is doubtful He
showed every evidence of his intense indignation
al the deseruon of SO many Republican Sena-
Tors What is . be expected now is that the
Iarnrnany members will decide, on the orders of
their organization to make political Capital by
voting for the price bills and claiming credit for
their passage. Their opposition to the commits
sion Dill VIII probably kill II unless q, special
session is called. The three boilers Bracket
Hlnman and Cobb, who supposed to favor
the other three bills, will give twenty-four Re
publican votes for the price bills. two less than
are necessary. and these will probably be Sc
cured. A special session will apparently be nee
essary to pass the commission bill.
OF the Senators opposing the programme to-
night the majority are the men, who have al
ready earned the name of "McCarren Repub-
hcans" Frankest of ali these boilers was Sena-
tor Cassidy who declared himself against all
the bills. Senator Raines in his final announce
Elent declared that the had decided to
amend the 75-cent gas bill to an S0-cent bill
but that otherwise the bills stood as before, and
would be passed. Senator Stevens expressed
keen disappointment at the result of the caucus,
but declared that he believed that in the shape
that they were now decided on the bills would
be passed.
The amendment to the price bill raising it
from 10 TO 50 cents, will give the Democrats
the opportunity to make fight for the original
recommendation without running any danger of
passing the bills. special session would seem
tonight TO be the only solution
The Democratic members of the gas
mttee Senator Grady and Assenbyman Pal
mer hard at work preparing minority re-
port which it is believed VIII consist In con-
currence in the bills submitted by the Repub
can members with the single exception of the
bill providing for a State commission which will
be opposed for political reasons. Talk of the
situation to-day developed the fact that this is
the bill that the opponents of the report of the
committee are most hopeful of defeating. al
though it creditably reported that this bill
was least distasteful to the gas corporations Of
the State. The interesting situation has been
made clear that there is hardly a Tammany
legislator who has the temerity to declare him
self against the bills submitted by the gas
port of the committee, and the majority of them
say privately that they expect to vote for the
bills and that their sole excuse will be that the
committee has adopted three Of the provisions
recommended by the Mayor namely - cent gas,
more frequent inspection Of gas metres and the
permission for the city to use its surplus water
for power purposes as provided by the TOmpkns
bill The minority has until tomorrow to sub
nit its report but it is generally assumed that
this will be the character Of the document
JEROME'S COMMENT
An interesting comment on the gas report was
supplied by District Attorney Jerome who was
in Albany to-day, and said;
I have really read but little of the report.
ru+ iudging from the published accounts it
seems to me good report There Is one aspect
of the question that seems TO me. living as 1
do in a tenement district, Of great importance
which has not been touched upon anywhere
The reduction in substantial degree or the
cost Of gas 10 the people Of this district is or
1,ast froportanCe The average tenement 1aHlIy
consists of six people in three rooms Ihe sltua-
tion here in summer in NeW-Hork, with q
climate that is really tropical in its character Is
something that appeals 10 me. Now, II you can
oct the price of gas reduced materially so that
IT, rod hot stove is banished and gas Is uSed
co. cooking much has been accomplished ICI
the ouestion of the storage ol coal IS Ho 9iIa'l
o1e md the carving of coal for cooking up three
al iG