Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-18
STAY HUGHES BILLS
New York Senate May Throttle
Governors Reforms.
BLAME REPUBLICAN LEADER
None of the Measures He Recommend
ed Have Been Passed.
"A COMBINE OF POLITICIANS
Friends Of Merritt Power Grab and
Police Measure Enemies Said to Be
in Close Alliance.
A COMBINE OF POLITICIANS


to face with the fact that the legislature
has not yet passed one of the many re-
forms he recommended in his first message.
1t is not because of lack Of time that the
legislature has failed to act Eleven weeks
Of the session already have been FILTERED
away. Legislative leader after leader has
called on the governor to assure him of his
undying support of the executives policies
and then has hurried back upstairs to sing
lulabies to the sleeping committees
Mr.. Hughes is convinced that it is no acct
dent that his recommendations are not
among the bills already passed by the leg
islature. Accidents of that kind do not
happen in the capitol unless they are care
fully prearranged.
There is little doubt that there is COM
bination among the republican leaders OF
the senate to delay action on the gov
ernors measures. They have not yet sort
ed over all these to decide which to put
through. which to emasculate and which
to kill altogether. Then the leaders do not
know yet just how to fight the governor
for in fighting the governor they will have
to fight public sentiment, and that is a
new problem for some of them. Pending
their decision on all these points they are
holding up practically all of the governor S
mea SureS.
-
mendations has been passed by either
house. and that particular measure affects
neither public service corporations nor the
politicians. 1t is the child labor bill. The
senate has passed it and it has been re-
ported out of committee by the assembly.
Tied UP in Committees.
All the other recommendations of the
governor, with one two exceptions are
tied up in committee. Yet, with the single
exception of the public utilities bill, these
measures have been before the leg stature
long enough to be inteligently considered
and disposed of. Here is a list of the more
important of the governors measures that
are still. in committee:
Public utilities bill, introduced March
and now scheduled for a hearing before a
joint meeting of the senate judiciary COM
| mittee and/assembly railroad committee for
March ~.
New York city mayoralty election re-
count bill, introduced on January 3 and
held up ever since in the judiciary COM
mtteeS of both houses.
General elections recount bill, also held
Direct nominations BILL introduced on
January 8 and held up in the ;.>-.ciary
committees.
Massachusetts ballot bill, introduced on
January II and held up in the judiciary
committees. A hearing is scheduled on
this measure before the assembly commit
tee on Tuesday.
Bill to prevent fraud in state political
committees and conventions. introduced on
February 7 and held up in the assembly
judiciary COMMITTEES.
Bill to abolish the expensive board Of
canal barge appraisers introduced on
February Ii, and still held up in the ways
and means committee of the assembly.
Bill limiting expenses of candidates for
election. introduced February II, and
reported out of assembly codes committee
with amendment.
Ii the leaders in the senate were to lave
their own way not one of these bills would
ever become a law. The assembly is more
inclined to stand by the governor and give
him nearly all the measures he asks for.
But even the assembly probably will not
vote for the Massachusetts ballot bill the
general elections recount bill and the direct
nominations bill.
The governors fight is to be with the
senate, and how much he will get from
that body one can predict at this time.
The senate will fight everything in order
| to make it appear that what 1t does finally
give to the governor is a great concession
on its part. The governor is going to ask
for everything that he originally recon-
mended, and he is going to put the respon-
sibility for what he does not get on the
legislature.
The biggest fight will be over the public
utilities bill. 1t Is believed a modified form
of that measure will finally be passed.
The senate is strongly opposed to both re-
that neither one will be passed.
Coordination" is Scented
Some developments which leaked out to-
day point to the possibility of a close COM
bination being formed in the senate be-
tween the opponents of the Bingham police
reform bill and the advocates of the Mer-
rift constitutional amendment to allow the
flooding of state lands in the Adirondacks
by private power and pulp mill interests.
These are two matters in connection with
which there has been much talk Of doodle
funds, and both measures are coming up
for consideration this week.
The Bingham bill will have a hearing be-
fore the senate cities committee on Tues
day afternoon. The Merritt resolution will
have a hearing before the assembly judi
ciary committee on Tuesday afternoon and
before the senate judiciary committee on
Wednesday afternoon. The Bingham bill
has passed the assembly, but the Merritt
resolution has not been passed by either
branch of the legislature. Mr.. Merritt.
despite all the expressions of opposition to
the measure privately by his colleagues,
expects to get the measure through the
assembly by reason of his personal popu-
the railroad committee and has the power
to hold up or pass out the bills Of members
in that committee may have something to
do with the personal popularity feature.
In the senate the friends of the Merritt
resolution hope by trading off votes against
the Bingham bill to be able to get their
measure through that body. The plan Is
| only in its infancy, as 1t was not thought
of until last week, but a vigorous effort
do tn int