New-York tribune., 1907-06-27

OF the original Dill, the Assembly passed the puDHc
utilities bill by vote of 140 to O. Amendments Oh
no general import followed IN the Senate, until on
May % the upper house took vote and the Dill
was adopted Al to 6. To these amendments the
Assembly agreed unanimously. The measure then
was sent to Mayor Mcclellan of New York City
for his approval He vetoed It. as everybody had
expected he would do; but the Legislature, keenly
alive to the necessity for the enactment of such
legislation repassed it his Veto and Governor
! Hughes signed it a few days later.
THE MAYORALTY RECOUNT
Probably next In Importance and general interest
among the Governors recommendations that
for the enactment Of a recount bill which should
settle speedily tho question raised by William Ran
dolph Hearst as to who was the rightful Mayor OF
New York City. Originally merely OF interest 10
New York City outside OF the broad principle u1i-
derlying the question. the state campaign last ran
had made Hearst's assertions of interest to the
state at large and to the entire country De-
| MED recount through quo warranto proceedings
/ by the former Attorney General. no sooner was
/ the Hearst Attorney General installed than MT.
Hearst obtained from him promise or speedy
/ reopening Of his case. But the Governor WahIeu
bill which should apply specifically to the Hearst
| case. and at the same time some provision made
| for future cases. Senator Page and Assemblyinan
Prentice introduced practically the same bill which
| last years Legislature failed to pass II went
! through the Assembly with flying colors. At that
! time its prospects for speedy passage by the Sen
looked good but for some reason the bill stuck
/ IN the Senate Judiciary Committee. Two or three
weeks went by. and the Hearst supporters became
alarmed. They used all their efforts to force the
committee TO report the bill. Senator Page, Its in
! trOduCer member or the COrAilNLlSe, anu
! found that Senator McCarren's efforts were hoIu-
ing the bill Senator Page worked hard for its re-
! lease. Finally Senator Grady. representing the
Iammany Hall interests, served othcal nouce t4at
( he would discharge the committee from
further consideration Of the bill If 1t were not re-
ported soon. Considerable work brought 1t
out, and despite McCarrens protests it was passed
This bill, too. certain Of being vetoed by the
! city government Indeed, at time so seriously
this phase OF the situation considered that
/ Senator Raines drew up general bill amending
! the election laws which would permit Hearsts de-
! sired recount Republicans decided against this
on the ground that the whole affair was politics.
and that Hearst easily could repudiate such bill
and attack the Legislature for enacting it, while
he could not repudiate the PagePrentice bill which
| he and his followers had said acceptable.
| Therefore the recount bill was sent TO New York,
! 10 be vetoed 1t Was-not by Mcclellan himself
/ but by the president of the Board OF Aldermen,
/ Mr. McGowan. 1t was repassed speedily by the
Legislature. and with II a supplemental bill de-
! signed to take away all Mayor McC1elan's objec-
tons 10 the original BILL which, he decared. pre-
vented his having any say as to what ballot boxes
! should be opened and saddled great cost him
as a defendant In such action. This bill also
| disapproved by MCGOWAN and passed his
veto by both houses 1t is now in the Governors
hands. The Legislature utterly neglected to pro-
vide any procedure for recount in future cases
similar TO the Hearst-2fcClellan issue.
FOR OFFICIAL PRIMARY BALLOT
The enactment of the Prentice BILL providing for
an official primary ballot. marked big step for
ward toward clean and we'll administered prima-
ries. The failure OF the passage by the Assembly
to-day of the Travis-Green measure providing for
an optional direct primary ballot IS regretted by
the friends Of the Governor who worked hard for
its success.
Early in the year Senator Travis and Assembly
man Green introduced their bill Both come from
Brooklyn where the direct nominations question
has been canvassed thoroughly IN the last two
years and where State Chairman Woodruff has
spoken for 1t repeatedly. The bills held IN
committee and seemingly were destined to die IN
committee. Yet in the closing weeks OF the
sion they reported. owing to tho dilgent ef-
forts of Senator Travis Meantime. though. Sen
nB,~Fg 11rTvr NVer7 ~aI
at the request of State Chairman Woodruff a
mandatory bill This was done because under the
leadership OF the Dady faction much opposition TO
the optional system had been stirred up in Brook
lyn on the ground that one party could not afford
10 go to the expense OF direct primaries II tho
other not compelled TO.
When the Travis bill reported rs introducer
worked hard TO get votes enough pledged to pass
It. He thought he had accomplished his purpose
His bill reached the calendar. All at once
Senator Gchrist sponsor for the opposition bill
began a bitter attack on the Travis bin and Sena-
. tor Horace White, OF Syracuse. denounced direct
nominations a Tad" and 'ideaistic dream Of
| reformers. which would not any OF tho Gus
tomary evils OF primary day. Between them they
swayed sentiment against the Travis bill TO such
extent that when Senator Gnchrist offered his
mandatory bill amendment 20 the Ira
Wis bill 1t adopted and passed
At that point Governor Hughes entered the field
He examined the Gilchrst and Travis bills and de-
teTmined that the Travis-Green bill would dt IN
with the Prentice bill for Official primary bal
lot and tho Of the two which he could
sign. This fact, communicated TO legislators by
Senator Travis put different phase on affairs He
had the vote which passed the Gilchrist amend
ments reconsidered those amendments stricken out,
and after the proper time had his own bill passed
The Assembly failed to pass the measure to-day
The Prentice bill. meanwhile, had been passed
by both houses
REGULATION OF CAMPAIGN EXPENSES.
Another bit OF legislation for which the Repub-
Icans take much credit to themselves the
Wainwright amendments to the corrupt practices
of last year This bill. too passed only
after special message from the Governor. which
accelerated considerably It's tagging course; but
the Legislature in following the Governors recon-
menda ton. put itself record favorIng strn-
gent regulation Of campaign expenditures The
Wainwright bill was intended to stop the gaps"
which experience Of year had shown in last years
law. Chiefly ii designed to correct two big
omissions against which Mr. Wainwright protested
vainly last year These the provisions in the
law exempting from vOuchered accounting all ex
penditUres OF SO under. and exemptinG from
accounting campaign committees receiving a total
of less than 500 OF contributions Beyond that the
bill provided that candidates well committees
must render accounting for all their campaign
expenses and introduced several significant changes
in the procedure to prevent any wrggling out of
responsibility when committee candidate
under question. Tho bill not passed exactly
Mr.. Wainwright introduced IT, since 1t requires
vouchered accounting for all above S.
The response to Governor Hughes's request for
suitable labor legislation, both that for reoEgan-
ization OF the labor department OF the state and
bills designed to prevent enforced labor Of minors.
was especially gratifying. Many bills on this cub
feet were presented Out of the number Assembly
Hooper's bill, providing for a complete recon-
struction Of the labor department. making the
commissioner of labor statistics and The factory
inspector deputies in the department. became
law. A companion bill by Senator Agnew, provid-
ing the penalties for violations OF the provisions
ard rules established by the Hooper bill, also
was enacted and signed by the Governor. Senator
Pages bill limiting and defining the hours Of labor
minors in factories provoked hot fight In both
bouses It amended and reamended and