New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-20
BUSY WEEK AT ALBANY.
TO PASS UTILITIES BILL.
Man Marx Opening of Contest Over
disappointment.
rRv releerarh to The Tribune.I


,- Nc q -yictorv for Governor Hughes in
80 -sseaee Of the public utilities bill in such shape
&c he favors but apparently the beginning Of a
long contest between him and the Legislature over
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT problem lies ahead In the
arar,s ~ his week. Everything now points 10
- esi1i,, for the utilities bill by which the
.,o,,rl,sbr7ents Of the Hughes administration will
10 rared The Republican Senators Will caucus to-
= rigbt on the Assembly bill. with few
s I,t+ a-,endrnents designed to perfect it. Nobody
now much DOUBT ''-@' t4-e O-44 VIII pe ihaue
marty measure.
Adopted by the caucus. the bill will be reported
fror, the Senate judiciary Committee. according TO
the uresent outlook on Tuesday, and after refer
.rce 10 the Finance Committee because of the ex-
repditures involved. Will be reported Immediately
from that committee. Meanwhile It will be hurried
through printing, but an emergency message may
he necessary that 1t may be taken up for passage
by Thursday. OF course, there will be debate
longer and bitter than in the Assembly. Sen
stor NcCarren is boaSting Of his opposition to
The measure, and if he chose TO use all the re-
sources Of opposition furnished by parliamentary
procedure could make things interesting for time
This seems unlikely. though, in view of the solid
Republican front which will be presented to sup
mort the bill
Amendments will be presented by the Democrats
in the Senate amendments We're presented by
the Democratic Acknowledgements with about the
same result. Proposals TO make the commission
elective insert broad court review. have the
Attorney General the legal adviser 10 the commits
sion-aI must go by the board before the thirty
two Republican votes, through the law
OF the caucus
once through the Senate the bill VIII have TO be
repassed by the Assembly because Of the slight
amendments made by Senator Page in the Judi
oiary Committee. That. too, will be a matter Of
course and the bill should be in Mayor McClellans
hands early week. If he sticks TO his promise
20 veto ii without unnecessary delay II ought to
be back here and repassed over his veto by both
houses before the end OF the legislative week.
FULLY TO CALL MEETING TO-DAY.
But in the mean time the far more vexing Ques-
tion OF reapportionment VIII have grasped the Sem
ale. Senator Tully, chairman OF the Apportion-
rnert Committee is likely call his committee to-
gether tomorrow for the first meeting. That
meeting without much doubt, Will settle the ap-
poruonIneut question so far as the Senate is con-
cerned-in fact, almost every Senator considers 1t
settled now. The apportionnent bill which every
body expects the committee 10 put out IS one en-
boiy1ng the Raines-Parsons plans-that is, the
changes in the 18th District in New York County
as TIE Parsons executive committee drafted them
and q complete letting alone Of all the rest Of the
state except the joining Of Richmond County TO
Nassau and Suffolk, 10 meet the criticisms OF the
Court Of Appeals on the % District.
Such q bill will be passed by the Senate. Of
course. II meets the approval Of the present Sen
ators and the political chiefs who had influence
enough get the Legislature TO adopt It last
Inevitably such a bill. If 1t became law, would
be challenged IN the courts by ex-senator Bracket
and others who fought last years bill in counties
which the Court OF Appeals did not take UP in its
decisions. Only those who have talked with Gov
ernor Hughes and know how firmly his mind is
fixed the necessity for reapportionment which
would stand the test Of the courts, and how strong
ly he desires one which its face is equitable
that II would forestau any appeal TO the courts
never expect to see such bill become q law.
Reapportionrnent presents TO the minds OF the
legislators and the politicians trained In political
workings and filed with a respect for the prece-
dents IN that world essentially different problem
from the problem presented TO Governor Hughes.
The points of view entirely different Talking 70
the periodical publishers at their dinner here on
Friday night. Governor Hughes reiterated his views
that Il made no real difference who was Gov
ernor what person represented district A or
district B in the Senate IL the tone of the pros
pective representatives were equally high. Natur-
ally this is heresy 10 politicians. It is doctrine
wholly foreign to them and their views Of life
time
The trouble is. Governor Hughes is not poll
tician," declared Senator, who has been on the
Hughes side, IN discussing the epportionment pros
poets He comes up here out of a law office. with
absolutely no knowledge of the workings Of politics
or The effect on the people Of such plan as he
has IN mind. admire Governor Hughes. and re-
spect him I have had good opportunities TO study
him this winter, and I think he is absolutely fair
and unbiased and willing to give the fullest op-
portunity for the presentation OF every argument
on any side Of question. And yet l can't help
feeling that he's little too much Of the theorist
for this particular situation. There are political
associations and sentiments which bind certain
counties together in Senate and Congress districts.
which probably the Governor never heard Of Yet
these things much 70 US. and. think. mean
much 70 the people themselves. I know they do in
my district
''Reapportionnent doesn't interest the people in
the least declared q Republican State Commit
teeman recently. Most don't know the num-
Der Of their Senate or Congress district and plenty
voters up the state couldn't tell you what coun-
ties were Joined make those districts. This
isn't like the public utilities bill the
count, which interested the people and affected
their rights this IS political question The Gov
has bitten of more than he chew, too, in
my opinion"
Yet another view may be quoted TO round out
the various ideas this subJect-this one pro-
pounded by Of the members Of the Reappor-
ronnent Committee:
Governor Hughes talks about a mathematical
apport!onment, and it's lovely thlng-on paper.
Yet dear sainted friends Root and Choate and
several others disposed Of any idea OF a mathe-
natical apportionment back IN 81, when they stuck
into the constitution few provisions that
county might have more than one-thrd OF all the
Senator's. and that two counties, adjoining or
separated only by public waters. could have more
than one-half Of all the Senators. There was the
fine Italian hand of politics work on New York
and Kings counties. Now, with that IN the consti-
tuition, what's the Of talking about 'nathe-
rnaucai spportonment' upstate?"
HAS NO PLAN OF APPORTIONMENT
All OF this isn't botherng Governor Hughes at all
He has plan of apportionment, and few specific
Ideas on the grouping Of specific counties despite
the plans and ideas attributed to him from time IN
time He will advance no plan his friends say: al