New-York tribune., 1908-12-31
BUSY ON HIS MESSAGE
GOVERNOR HUGHES WORK-
ING DAY 4ND NIGHT.
Recommendations for Primary and
Ballot LazcS Likely To Be
the Features.
LBy Telegraph to The Tribune. ]


Albany Dec. 30-While new state officers
legislators and a sprinkling of political leaders
are Assem- bling tonight preliminary to the in
auguration ceremonies Governor Hughes is
clUseted with his secretary and stenographers
at the Executive Mansion, working night and
day on his message TO the Legislature. This he
hopes TO have completed and printed early next
week, in readiness for presentation to the Leg
islature when it convenes on Wednesday
II is taken for granted by the politicians here
that the important features of the message will
be recommendations for the enactment of
mandatory direct primary nominations law and
correlative primary reform measures and re-
formed ballot law, already urged by the Gov
ernor in both years Of his present term. And
whatever the attitude of organization leaders
on other subjects which the Governor may urge
they are practically a unit in declaring their
oppositions to both these measures and their
determination to fight them to the end
Not as some of the reformers say, that we
are afraid of these measures" declared one
leader tonight Il think If wanted to We
could control nominations just easily under
any direct primary system we could now, but
because I and all the other men l have talked
TO on this subject believe the present law, with
some changes, would be the ideal primary law
and we see grave faults in the proposed system
The same thing applies TO the reform ballot
affair"
Nevertheless there is a feeling among the
legislators here that with these things the feat
lres of the Governors message they cannot be
dismissed cursorily, they have been for two
wears but must be considered seriously and act
ed on in good faith 1t is probable that Joint
committee Of members of the judiciary COM
mittees Of the two houses will be designated TO
gain information about the workings of these
laws i'll other states more especially the direct
nominations scheme in this connection the ap-
pontment of a chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee is of considerable interest. Senator
Davis. at present chairman, is mentioned as
likely to succeed to the craftsmanship of the
Cities Committee. left vacant by the election Of
Senator White as Lieutenant Governor Senator
Cobb thus would be left senior member, and is
an active candidate for the charmanshfp. But
Senator Bracket, formerly chairman of that
committee is to return to the Legislature this
session. and has been candidate for his old
place 1t is puzzing all the politicians on the
ground to know whether precedent demands his
appointment turning down. Mr.. Bracket is
not friendly 10 the Governor. Senator Cobb is.
Senator Davis. while on general propositions
Hughes man. owes his election each time to
Fred" Greiner, postmaster of Buffalo, who is
one of the leaders counted against the direct
nominations system.
Aside from these matters there is nothing in
sight which seems likely to provoke any extreme
differences between the Governor and the or
ganization men. Much speculation exists wheth-
er Governor Hughes will take any stand on the
LIQUOR question and Sunday opening of saloons,
either by recommending a local option law or
high license scheme. The men who in previous
years have backed the local option measure have
been active recently. The organization men
probably would not oppose a higher license:
some of them might fight a local option recon-
rnendation as they fought the anti gambling bills
last session.