Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-22
ROOSEVELT WARS
ON WADSWORTHS
An Alliance With Gov Hughes Meant
to End Their Power in New York.

President Roosevelt is said to be
the principal factor in one of the bit
terest fights that has yet taken place
in New York state. 1t is said that
the friends of Gen. Wadsworth and
his son may lose all appointive
places.
ALBANY N. Y, April o2-When Gen.
James W. Wadsworth told President
! Roosevelt that he was wrong, very
| wrong" in his fight against the beef trust.
he invited a war which as one result cost
him his seat in the House of Representa-
tives and which as a further consequence
enabled his foes to build up an organiza-
ton which threatens to smash the Wads-
worth machine in Livingston and Genesee
counties and wipe out the dynasty which
for years has ruled the western section of
the state of New York.
Representative Wadsworth is nothing If
not fighter, and his allies lined up with
the enemies of Gov. Hughes when the
latter appointed Frederick C. Stevens as
commissioner of public works, thus pac-
ing the vast patronage of this office In the
hands of who, gerrymandered out
of the state senate by the influence of the
Wadsworths, became their bitterest polit-
ical foe.
When the Wadsworth men lined up be-
hind Otto Kelsey in his fight to retain the
Office OF state superintendent of insurance,
they antagonized Gov. Hughes, and it is
hpli her
working alliance between the President,
whom the elder Wadsworth denounced as
''fakir and a humbug" and the governor
whose reform program is blocked by the
generals allies here, to destroy the Wads-
worth influence in the republican party Of
the state.
Speaker May BE Beaten.
Not only will the heads of federal en-
ployes who are supporters of the Wads-
worths fall, but as an out2rowth of the
fight it is believed there will be a new
speaker of the assembly next winter This
will not be because James w. Wadsworth
jr., will be beaten for the speakershp, but
because he probably Will be prevented from
returning to the assembly at all. This is
deplored by nearly every one here, as the
young man is most popular, and 1t had
been hoped that his position would not be
dragged into the conflict. President Roose-
welt N5hI on tliS W duSN OF III anu
it's political adherents is giving SO much
encouragement to the antWadsw OFT tn
camp in Livingston county that the man
to beat young Mr.. Wadsworth has already,
been picked out, and even members Of the
Wadsworth machine admit that the young
speaker probably will be beaten
All the members OF the WadsWorth ma
chine are worried over the situation. They
are beginning to realize that disaster has
overtaken their machine, which up to last
election had dominated republican politics
in western New York for many years. 1t
is not the mere taking away of jobs by
the President that is worrying the Wads
worth men SO much as is the fact that
public sentiment ali over former Repre-
up whatever the President does against
the Wadsworths.
Few Wadsw orth Jobs Left
There are few appointive federal jobs left
to the Wadsworths now and they are eX-
pecting the rest to be taken from them
shortly. They were surprised when Archie
Sanders resignation as internal revenue
collector for the western district of New
York was asked for by the President a few
days ago, because they thought If the
President wanted his scalp he would have
taken 1t the first of the year. However,
the remnants of the Wadsworth machine
would not be surprised now if the Presi-
dent should ask for the resignation of John
A. Merritt of Lockport, collector of Gus
toms at Suspension Bridge. which is a very
fat job. 1t is the only big federal place
left in the Wadsworth camp.
This fall the fight will be limited to the
Wadsworth assemblymen and to local Of
fees. The year after If successful then
the fight probably will be continued against