New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-30
LEADERS MEET ODELL.
TALK REAPPORTIONuENT.
Desire to Make T7co Safe Senate
Districts, Saus Qmgg.

State Chairman Odell and twenty-five district
leaders conferred yesterday in Parlor d OF
the Fifth Avenue Hotel with reference to the re-
apportionment Of the Senate districts of this
county. During the conference Mr.. Parsons was
at the county committee headquarters. in the
metropolitan Life Building with Elections Com
missioner Page and Ambrose O. Neal, one of the
district leaders. When Mr.. Parsons was asked
if he regarded Withholding an invitation to the
conference as an affront 10 himself he said;
I think it was an unfrendly act. I appointed
a committee on reappOrtionment. with William
c. Wilson as chairman. We prepared map in
cOlOrs setting forth geographical boundaries of
the Senate and Assembly districts as they might
be carved no The map was wholly tentative
in its boundaries, and was reported to the
county committee. Perhaps some Of the leaders
assumed that it was final and saw in IT some
thing Objectionable. Our work was done openly
and above board.
The gentlemen who are meeting this afternoon
nj the Fifth Avenue Hotel seem TO he working in
secret. I believe that the plan that the COM
mittee has prepared for the reappOrtiOnment is
the best that can be arranged. It's fundamental
OBJECT was 10 provide three Senate districts
which. in normal years will go Republican
II is not easy in consolidating downtown As
sembly districts to arrange the boundaries
that all viii be satisfied. I hope that such a
plan can be prepared. l will not say that l ex-
pect one viii be.
At the State Republican Headquarters the
twenty-five district leaders met Chairman Odell
As there was not room enough downstairs. all
went to the larger room on the second foor.
where they remained for about three hours. dis
cussing district boundaries. 1t is understood
that the friends of Mr. Odeu will go ahead with
the preparation Of a map, and that it will be
offered to th- committee Of which Mr.. Wilson
is chairman. If the committee sees fit to ac-
cept it. then only one map will be offered for
adoption AZ tbs next meeting of the county COM
mittee. If not, then the OdclI men will vote to
accept the map they like the best
At the conference were Mess-s. German, Nc
Kee. Hoeninger, Levensor. Ven Cot. HaIpin.
Windolph. Wanmaker, Koenic. Quigg. Lexov.
Pine, Alexander, Raymond. Ten Eyck. HeaIy
March, Hackett Newstead, Pegnam, Newman.
and Strasbourger.
One Of the things which the Parsons men are
in favor OF doing is the squeezing of thirteen old
districts in the lower end OF the county into
nine new districts so as to allow for the making
Of necessary new districts i'm The Bronx. IT has
been learned that i'm the territory below 1Ith
street on the East Side. east Of Third avenue.
and below 2Sth street on the West Side. west
Of Seventh avenue. there are thirteen Assem-
bly, districts. and that the population warrants
/ the consolidation Of these into nine new dis
tricts. The troublesome question is. How shall
they be carved?
Ex-Congressman Quigg who took a promi-
nent part in the conference yesterday. said:
There is no factionalism in the reapportion-
ment matter. The conference to-day was not an
afront to Mr.. Parsons, nor was it a tribute
10 STATE Chairman Odell 1t a getting to-
gether of district leaders who want the reappor-
uonment of the Senate and Assembly districts
so done as to leave the leaders undiSturbed in
their respective districts. so far as practica BILE
II Is desired to make d least two perfectly safe
Republican Senate districts and one other dis
trict which In big Republican years will he Re
publican. This is about all that can be expected.
With this as a fundamental idea we are trying
70 satisfy the districts which viii be changed.
ne pan proposed by Mr. Parsons and his
friends prompted the apprehension that there
was an intention to destroy certain leaders as
ledueTS' or 70 put TWO or three I'm one district.
SO far as / know. the conference to-day was
open TO all the district leaders. There was no
call sent out. So many Of the leaders dropped in
lhat we had TO go upstairs to get the necessary
room.
Colonel George W. Dunn. former state chair
man, and State Chairman OdelI had a long chat
yesterday at the state committee headquarters.
Mr.. Dunn until yesterday was supposed to be
actively hostile to Mr.. Odell, and their coming
together caused a good deal of comment. Colonel
Dunn said last night:
was i'm headquarters chatting with Mr.. Little
when Governor Ode dropped i'm. I Chatted with
him. was natural 1t is strange that a man
who has been a member of the state committee
for twenty-five years cannot visit state head
quarters without provoking sensational COM
ment. There was absolutely no political sig
uificanCe in my chatting with Mr. Ode In fact,
did not talk politics. We talked rheumatism.
After the conference broke up yesterday it
was rumored that the Ode' men would lay out
the new Senate and Assembly districts so as 10
put the residence Of Congressman Parsons in
The 27th District and thus make two Parsons
men fight for supremacy in the 27th. The OdeH
said that any such rumOr was a fabrication
and that the scheme was absurd
Mr.. Odell returned TO NewbUrg on the 6.15
O. clock train.