The sun., 1908-04-30
WOODFORD CONFAB A PUZZLE
TO WOODRUFF, BUT COMING orr
TO-DAY JUST THE SAVE.

Report Around That sOme Kind Of Unit
Rule VIII he Proposed Ne JOFtty " the
states DELEGATES Expected At the AstOr
by President Of the Rughes League.
Gen. Stewart l.. Woodford,>president Of
the Hughes National League, expects ia
meet a majority Of the delegates at large,
alternates at large and Congress district
delegates 10 the Republican national con-
vention from the State Of New York In
conference Al the Hotel AStor this morning
The General had a long talk with the
Governor in Albany last Friday, and as u
result Of that conversation the General
has invited the delegates TO the national
convention to meet him. All Of the dele
gates at large with the exception Of Edward
II. Butler are to be there Mr. Butler is In
Europe. Senator Raines. one Of the alter
mates az large, told his friends yesterday
that he had not been invited to the confer
ence His invitation will come this morning
The delegates at large and their altsrnateS
we're instructed by the recent Republican
State convention TO use every honorable
means 10 bring about the nomination Of
Gov Hughes for the Presidency
Gen. Woodford had little 10 say last
night a. to the purposes Of the conference.
He remarked in his smiling way that the
idea was to got together for n personal
chat. Nevertheless, the calling Of such
a conference al this time was regarded
a. rather unusual Chairman Timothy
L. Woodruff said that he did not under
stand the motive Of Gen. Woodiord and
that the delegates at large and their alter
nates had been instructed by the STATE
convention,
The conference will be attended by Seth
Low and Frederick r Hazard OF the dele
gates at large. but just how many Of the
Congress district delegates will turn up
remains 10 be seen. Some Of them were
about town last night, and they said they
did not know what was up. Six OF the
thirty-seven Congress districts have not
vet elected their delegates. and Of the sixty
six delegates elected twenty-five are not
instructed for Gov Hughes But the vast
majority Of New York States Republican
delegates are instructed for the Governor
While Gen Woodford said that the pur.
pose Of the gathering was " be an informal
publlcans notably those from the organlza.
tion, who believed that the General had
an idea that In some way the unit rule
or the caucus rule should be clapped on
10 the entire delegation from the state
II this is attempted at the conference Chair
man Woodruff and his friends said that
the custom OF Republican State conven.
tIons since 1880 would be referred to, and
that inasmuch as the delegates at large and
their aternates and vast majority OF
the Congress district delegates had been
instructed for the Governor. no further
action was necessary. Gen. WoodiOrd, how
ever. knows the ropes, and he is perfectly
familiar with the fact IL was said last night
that il may he necessary to stimulate even
some Of the Congress district delegates
10 be a little more sturdy in their allegiance
10 the choice Of the New York Republicans
for President.
Nevertheless those who talked about
this matter said last night that they did
not know what Gen. Woodford had in
mind. A report TO the effect hat the
General intended TO offer a resolution al
to-days conference binding the delegation
to vote as a unit for the Governor was
variously regarded, and there were OBJ
jections to the alleged proposition.