The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-03
'ODELLS PLEA TO GOY$HGGNC
IN EFFECT HE BEGS THAT HE
BE NOT DESERTED.

X Advantage Of Being . Guest at the
Albany Correspondents Dinner to Try
10 save Ills Job as Chairman -Cladue
Arranged 10 Help Move Along.
ALBANY, March 2.-Pleading as il for his
life and plainly addressing his remarks TO
one man of an a~ssemblage Of several hun
dred. Benjamin b. Odell, Jr, last night
begged Gov. Higgins not to desert lin
and compel his retirement from the chair
manship Of the Republican State committee e,
No other construction could be drawn
| from the speech the State chairman made
at the annual dinner of the Legislative
correspondence Association.
The State chairman laid his plans care
fully. As is well known, members OF the
Legislature and others may attend the
| dinner upon the payment of the price
Politicians and Legislators greatly out
numbered the reporters at the Dime
| This year the cry of the Oddities was Pack
the dinner" William Randolph Hearst also
was to nave been present, and he was 10
nave received a demonstra ton, but at the
last minute he had the delicacy to decline
to take part in the scheme,
Friends of Odell sought invitations to
| the dinner and mana ged to get them, too,
Mr.. Odell was invited to be present as the
State chairman and he accepted the INVITA-
ton. This is the first time in the history
of the legislative correspondents dinners
| that the State chairman was a guest OF
honor. When George W. Dun was chair
man he was never invited as the guest OF
the association.
However, the Odell men arranged it
this year so thai Gov. Higgins sat to the
right Of the president Of the association,
| while on the left was 0dell. When Odell
! arose to speak there was a demonstration
that must nave pleased him. The mean
ing was soon discerned and the people
who planned it now realize that it was a
lame effort to throw sand in the eyesof
Gov. Higgins and to endeavor to blind
him to the real situation. The idea was to
make it appear that the present State chair
man was the lion Of the evening.
Other guests present were D-Cady Her
rick, District Attorney Jerome, William
Barhes, Jr., the chairman OF the legislative
committee of the Republican State com
mittee; V. V. Franchott, State Superin-
| tendent of the Public Works; Lieut.. -Gov.
! Bruce, Secretary of State John O'Brien and
| Speaker Wadsworth. The latter sat at the
side of Odell. They had not met since
January 2. when Mr.. Odell ate crow at
the Hotel Ten Eyck and fastened away to
Newburgh. Gov. Higgins did not speak.
The nile has always been at these dinners
that they shall not be serious. But Odeii
knew that this was an opportunity and
he had to grasp it. 1t was quite apparent
after he had spoken a few words that he
had studied his speech carefully and had
weighed the probable effect on Gov. Hig-
gins. He made a fervent appeal that the
Governor should not forsake him. He
gave some maxims for the Use of political
leaders, drawing a contrast between the
weak man, " who seeks to satisfy the public
demand, and the strong man. n goes
his own way regardless of public clamor.
Friends Of Odell intimate that no was
referring to Gov. Higgins's position on the
State Craftsmanship matter. He also dwelt
upon the ingratitude of false friends and
spoke feelingly of the impossibility OF
building up power by the purchased al
leeiance of men who turn their backs in
adversely.
District Attorney Jerome also made a
speech which has attracted attention.
He reiterated his assertion that newspapers
were influenced by the counting room and
that they misrepresented public sentiment.
When he got down to the insurance ques-
ton he urged the members Of the Legis!a-
ture to pay no attention to the demand
for the passage of the insurance bills with
out careful consideration and he said with
some bitterness that it was the duty OF a
public official to do what he thought right
rather than to yie'd to the public clamor'
| although he admitted it was more pleasant
to have the approval of the public.