The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-02
MISQUOTING The PRESIDENT
TO SAY HE FAVORS THE RAINES-
HEARST RECOUNT BILL.
Tha Have Long Been Foo Enough
for the Rest OF the People Of the State
VINO Occasionally Run for Office Oner
the Same Protection to Him as to Them.

VINO UcchSiOntiIy nun tOT uutcc uHeF
the Same Protection TO Him as to Them.
Gov. Higgins returned to Albany yester-
day, but the usual number of week end
Republican Senators and Assemblymen
who come to New York to spend Sunday
remained. They didn't talk about 0dell,
or when he is to be retired as State chair
man, or the insurance bills, or anything
much save the Raines-Murphy recount
bill, the special measure which was de-
signed to save William r. Hearst from
making application to Acknowledgement
Mayer to bring quo warranto proceedings
in al effort to establish his claim that he
has been ~defrauded out of the Mayors
chair. The programme, it was said, is to
vote tonight both in the Senate and the
Assembly on the Raines-Murphy bill,
The discussion Of the bill yesterday by the
Republican legislators led to a number of
interesting statements, one of which was
that President Roosevelt favored the
measure. 1t was even stated that the
President made his views known to Repre-
sentative Herbert Parsons at a recent talk
in the White House and that Mr.. Parsons
carried the Presidents views to Gov. Hig-
gins, Speaker Wadsworth and Leader More
land at Albany. Another statement was
that Representative James w, Wadsworth,
father OF the Speaker, conveyed a similar
MESA &c from the President on his recent
visit to Coy. Higgins.
There must be some mistake about that
said a Republican who had just talked
with tn, President on the subject, "for
l understood i'm to say very pointedly
that il Mr.. Hearst was entitled to the
Mayors chair he should certainly have it,
but that his remedy was In law, by applica-
ton to the Attorney-General to bring quo
warranto proceedings, and not by the way
of special legislation Of the character of the
Raines-Murphy bill"
The Presidents views on this measure,
it was explained, were specific; that Mr..
Hearst had not exhausted his remedy
in law to establish his claim to Mayor
McClellan's seat and that the Raines-
Murphy bill was special political legisla-
ton and Of doubtful expediency.
Some Republicans have been supporting
the bill with the argument that Mr.. Hearst,
posing as a political martyr, would be
a dangerous political antagonist in the
approaching gubenatorial campaign and
that the Raines-Murphy bill will terminate
his martyrdom by establishing Mr.. Hearst's
standing as to the Mayors chair. In other
words, they favor a political bill OF a special
character to At a special situation and would
put upon the statute books Of the State a
law which is designed as a political ex-
pedient for the approaching State CAM
paign.
other Republicans said that the Raines-
Murphy bill, in its retroactive clause, was
clearly unconstitutional and If tested would
be so declared by the courts. Still others
said that the bill should be 30 amended
as to be entirely general and not specific
in its character and that there should be
nothing in the bill which could be inter-
preted as a design to help or hurt either
Mayor Mcclellan or Mr.. Hearst.
"If this bill should ever conflict with the
Republican party's interests in the State"
said a close friend of Senator Raines, we
would repeal it
Republicans opposed to the bill on the
ground that special political bills are not
founded on political wisdom pointed out
that MI. Hearst, the day after election, or
five months ago, declared that he had bales
of evidence Of fraud in the mayoralty cleo
ton on which to base his application to
Attorney-G General Mayer for quo warranto
proceedings. A couple of weeks ago in
response to an inquiry from the Assembly
the Acknowledgement announced that Mr..
Hearst had made no such application. If,
it was stated, Mr.. Hearst had had those
bales of evidence OF fraud he could have
gone to the Attorney General in November.
other Republican critics Of the bill said
that the election laws of the State had been
respected by all classes Of its citizens, ex-
cept that part of them which called for
the unwieldly ballot, that the Raines-
Murphy bill provided for keeping the State
in a perpetual turmoil over election dis
putee and that Mr.. Hearst should not seek
to evade maintaining his contention in the
method provided by long time law.