New-York tribune., 1908-01-06
THE WEEK In ALBANY.
assembly Committee assignments
TO-dau-EUentful Session Predicted

Albany. Jan. 5.-speakor Wadsworth's announce
ment of committee assignments in the Assembly
will the feature of chief interest when the LNs
islature convenos tomorrow night LOT the hrs'
whole week of the 13st session. While the speaker
has not disclosed any of his appointments, most OF
the principal chairmanshps have been discounted
especiallv that of the committee on ways and
Means which carries with it the leadership OF the
majority. There seems no doubt now thae thS WIN
go to Edwin A. Merritt jr. of ST. Lawrence '" no
was Speaker wsaswortfl's chief competitor III 'HS
historic speakership battle of two years ago. when
Ex-Governor Odeli and his friends in the Repuh-
lican state organization staked all on the nsh, ,o
Mr. Merritt and lost Jesse S. Phillips, OF Ale
gany, who has been the only other important Cav"
didate for the majority leadership. WIN propap'S
he chairman of the Committee on Judiciary.
Other important chairmanships are now expected
to he distributed about as follows: General Laws,
Green of Kings; Codes. Hammond or Cnohoae"'
Cities Murphy, Of Kings; Railroads, WainWrish''
of Westchester. or Harnn, of Wayne; insurance
Surpless of Kings; Electricity, Gas ana WAFER
Suppiv Fowler of Ulster: Excise, L. c. Whitney
of Osweeo and Public Health. G. II. Whitney oil
Saratoga
The unusually short preliminary recess ihoicd'eu
the desire of all concerned make the coming
session A brief and busy one, but the important
matters recommended by Governor hughes almost
certainly involve a long and eventful contest This
is especially true of the recommendation WIN re-
gard to racetrack gambling. If there were no other
major subjects to be considered there "oaid De
every reason to anticipate protracted and bitter
struggle. It is generally understood that oeha'o-
Agnew will introduce the first bill to do away WIN
racetrack gambling. recommended by the Gov
ernor This is expected on Monday night
What will develop with regard to banking legis-
lation cannot safely be prophesied For seVerai
years there has been a tendency toward Increased
restrictions on distinctvcly banking business zone
by trust companies. Both in the discount and saw
ing fields the differences have been about details
Now that the so-calied Hepburn commission ap-
pointed by Governor Hughes, and Bank Surerln-
tendent Williams well as the Governor hinl-
self have brought the matter definitely into the
foreground probable that this Legislature will
enact laws along this line Bills TO embody the
specific recommendations of the Superintendent OF
Banks being prepared. The banking bilIs III
troduced last week in the Senate are not this de-
partment bills. which may not in fact, appear Tor
days
Senator Page has three banking bills. which he
will probably introduce tomorrow night He Of
fered them last Wednesday but they were technl-
cally defective and he withdrew them. One or
them eniarges the technical definition of conspiracy
by adding that any banking official who violates
the ordinary obligations of trust is guilty Of con-
spiracy. Another extends the time Of bringing a
proceeding from two to five years. and the third
would the effect of allowing the conviction of
a bank official the testimony of an emIloye,
which is difficult on the ground that the one
is accomplice of the other. This would be
changed by providing that accomplice shall: only
exist where financial benefit has resulted.
Prompt action Is likely to be taken the bill
proposing reorganization of the staff and line of
the national guard presented last week by the
Wainwright Investigating committee. Any action
TO meet the requirements of the militia act of Con-
gress. better known as the Dick BILL must be
taken before January 21, when the time limit OF
the Dick bill expires. 1nssnuch there is
siderable opposition both in and out of the national
guard to the proposal to make the state militia
uniform in all details with the regular army, there
will probably be interesting features in the progress
of this bill.
On Monday night Senator Travis is expected to
introduce a direct nominations bill, which win be
general in application but permssive in form,
recommended in the Governors message The
Massachusetts ballot bill. also recommended by the
Governor. is nearly ready
No session of recent years opened with the intro
1uction of many important measures found
their way into the Senate last Wednesday. They |
ranged all the way from fiVe-cent Coney Island |
fare bill 10 a constitutional amendment increase
the salary of the Governor from SO 900 TO S25 GOO
There is doubtless a large grist bills in the |
Assembly bill box, placed there by members at the
session last Wednesday, but it will not be opened |
until tomorrow afternoon. If past experience is |
index. members who have to the |
Legislature with the expectation of making a name
for vigorous and prolific lawmakng took advan- |
tage of the first opportunity to introduce measures
which they had been at work since their cleo |
ton. and when the box is opened tomorrow it will |
probably be found to contain proposals for new |
laws applicable to all parts of the state and all
the real and fancied ills of the body polite. They
will be promptly referred to committees and the |
vast majority of them will be heard of again
Whatever its length, there be doubt that |
the session of 1908 opens with promise of being one
of the most eventful and interesting many years
LABOR Law VIOLATIONS.