New-York tribune., 1908-08-29
FIGHT In CONVENTION :?
STATE COMMITTEE NUN.
Hughes Is Up to Voters, Says
W0odrwf-Barmes Pocahzes-

A., state baas,uszters ia West 9o.h street yes
ter5av. that the fight for and against the re-
nomination OF Governor Hughes would be car
ried directly into the convention. which is 10
be held in Saratoga on Monday September H.
All admit that the situation is the most COM
pley and perpleying with which the organization
In this state has had TO deal in years. Private
ly most OF them express their opposition 10 '"e
Governor Some of them declare that they De-
lieve it will be a mistake to nominate him. 9TH
CT. are As firmly convinced that TO refuse MIN q
denomination would bring disaster 20 the ticket
Timothy L. Woodruff chairman or the state
committee, made statement III when ne ue'
clared that any effort to interfere with the ifee
and independent action or the convention shoulu
be vigorously opposed Should the Fresiueh''
the national candidates, the members of the
state committee or any OF the leaders attempt
10 direct the course OF the convention. he de-
clared If would be 10 court disaster. Inc
statement of the chairman was issued after ne
had chance to talk over the situation "iih 'he
leaders. and was submitted 10 some OF them
for approval. He said;
SENTIMENT UNKNOWN"
1T is absurd to suppose that the executive
committee, or the state committee, woulo. uIioeI
any circumstances, take any action regarding
the nomination of candidate for Governor
do not see how any one can assume 70 kho"
what the sentiment of the great Repuoheah
electorate is until all she official primaries and
caucuses have been held, the delegates elected
and the convention assembled
LAS have said 20 all who have conferred
or corresponded with on this subject. the
delegates TO the Republican state Convention,
called TO convene at Saratoga on September II.
will number I,olo, representing constituencies
IN -O Il
Of Rapublican voters and elected by $50 Assem-
blv district conventions. composed in the asSre-
gate OF about fifteen thousand delegates, who
represent in turn every one of the 4,522 election
districts in the state
only these state delegates. when they get
together in convention. can convey TO the puolic
positive knowledge as to what the sentiment OF
the party actually is throughout the state NO
other means is at hand or obtainable for dcter'
mining It. not even the attitude Of the public
nress These delegates alone have the power
e, determine who our candidates shall be
There is no authority vested anywhere else
either TO direct or make nomination The
President. National Chairman Hitchcock and
Mr.. Taft and Mr.. Sherman have repeatedly as
sured the public and individuals with whom they
have discussed the subject that they have no
desire or intention of influencing or debating
who the state candidates 81 TIA party shall be-
Should the President, highly as his political
i,,dsn1sut is valued, or should our national can-
didates Mr.. Taft and Mr.. Sherman, or should
as chairman Of the Republican state Cumnit-
tee, or should the committee itself, attempt to
direct The course OF the forthcoming convention
for or against ANY candidate. such Il oourre
would invite Republican disaster in this mo-
mentous national and state cagpaisn.
INTERFERENCE, WOULD RE RESENTED" "
THE temper of the public mind is such as 10
resent interference in the discharge of the duties
Of the accredited representatives OF the people.
Reyond all this these delegates can be trusted
to voice the untrammeled sentiment Of our
party. which has given our great state fifteen
consecutive years of exceptionally able and in
corruptible administration of its affairs.
Any effort TO interfere with the free and in
dependent action of the convention should be
opposed by every individual who, is interested
in the election Of Taft and Sherman and the
preservation of the country from such disaster
as is to ensue from a Bryanized admins
tration of the government of the United States -
The members OF the committee present at the
meeting We're Ex-Governor Odeli. Colonel Dunn.
Of Binghamton: George w. AIdridge, of Roches-
ter; Frederick Greiner, of Buffalo; Colonel
John T. Mott. of Oswego; John H. oBren. of
.
Representative Herbert Parsons of New York;
Representative ]. Soat Fassett, OF Elnira Will
lam J.. Ward of Westchester, and Francis Hen
bricks. of Syracuse.
Almost as one man the members of the COM
mittee declined to talk for quotation regarding
the Hughes situation They lodged the issue
by saying that il was best to wait and see what
the convention would do. Privately they ex-
pressed themselves much puzzled at what
was the right course to pursue. The wish TO
turn down the Governor was apparent in most
of them, but the courage Of their desire was
lacking in all except William Barnes. jr.
You may say he declared, that my oppo-
sition to the denomination of the Governor is
unalterabie. shall fight him into the conven-
tion hall. if necessary. My delegates will have
a caucus on Monday night and will be in
structed for another candidate"
1t is understood that the Barnes delegation
will be pledged TO Speaker Wadsworth. Mr..
Bryan if the Governor were renominated was
absurd
One of the members Of the committee who
has had as much experience in political bat
ties as any man in active politics in the state
expressed it as his personal impression that
Governor Hughes would not be renominated
Asked who the candidate would be, he replied
"Ch, there are "A number of good men"
THINKS HUGHES WILL WIN.
Another member of the committee said he
could not see how the convention could very
will escape the force Of public sentiment and
that he believed the Governor would be renom-
mated, in spite of all the grumbling.
Touching on the stories OF the leaders that
the sentiment OF the people is opposed to the re-
nomination OF the Governor. the following oc-
crrence in one of the local districts recently Is