Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-01
MEETS,
Smith Defeats Colonel Baxter For
 New York Assembly Clerk.
DEMOCRATS NAME PALMER.
Minority Leader h Speech Accuses Governor Hughes of Extreme and Offensive Partisanship In Connection With Appointments.

! Albany, N. T., Jan. H. The legis-
 lature convened in annual session at
 noon today. Aside from the results of the caucus nominations last night the main interest centers in what the gov ernor will recommend in his annual
 message to the legislature. The fact that the document is to be viewed as the crowning achievement in the gov ernor's public life. together with its
 possible bearing on him as presiden- tial possibility. has made it matter of great interest. The governor kept his own counsel in preparing this mes sage, as he did the one year ago. Caucuses preliminary to the opening of the session were held last night by the Republican and Democratic mem
 bers of the assembly. James W. Wads-
 worth, Jr.. of Livingston was nomi- mated without opposition by the Re
 publicans for third successive term
 as speaker. The only contest in the
 Republican caucus was that for the
 clerkship, Colonel Archie E. Baxter of
 Chemung. who has been clerk for
 twelve years, being defeated 67 to g
 by Ray B. Smith of Onondaga. who
 has been assistant clerk for the past
 six years.
 George M. Palmer of Schoharie was selected without opposition by the
 Democratic caucus as the minority
 candidate for speaker, this nomina- tion carrying with it the floor leader ship of the minority.
 The majority leadership, which goes by custom with the chairmanship of the committee on ways and means, is still in doubt and lies entirely in the control of Speaker Wadsworth.
 It will not De announced until the speaker makes public his committee assignments, after the preliminary re- cess of the legislature. It lies between Jesse &. Phillips of Allegany and Ed win A. Merritt, Jr.. of St. Lawrence. Gossip lately has favored Merritt. but the Phillips. adherents last night show ed much confidence. Speaker Wads- worth would say nothing about it.
 Palmer in q speech to the caucus said fin part:
 Our governor was elected at time when no other candidate in the Repub- lican state ticket was successful, Be- cause of this and other exceptional conditions tradition or legend or halo has been created to the effect that the governor is sort of Republican, Dem ocrat or Democrat-RepubllcSn or near nonpartisan, largely indifferent to partisan distinctions oradvantage This halo has been badly damaged how ever. by his recent extreme and most offensive partisanshlp displayed in ap- pointing Republicans to the surrogate ship in New York and to the supreme court judgeship in the Second district in place of Democrats elected by a heavy Democratic constituency to those judicial positions"
 Palmer advised his colleagues to CO., operate with the governor whenever and wherever his policies are for the popular welfare. but not when they aiC iOt tuf ment of himself or his party, Let us apply -fhe acid test to see whether his policies are the pure metal"
 Assemblylnan q. H. Whitney of sar- atoga presided in the Republican eau GUS. Mir. uamn of Wayne nominated Speaker Wadsworth and Mir. Francis of New York seconded. Mr.. smith. . for clerk. was nominated by MT. Ham. mond of Onondaga, seconded by sIr. | Murphy of Kings. Colonel Baxter was nominated by Mir. Merritt and second ed by Mir. Wainwright of Westchester. | Colonel Baxter's distinguished war record was dwelt upon by both speak CTS.
 Frank Johnson of Erie and Henry c. Lammert of New York were nomi- hated to succeed themselves as ser reant at arms and stenographer re spectively.
 It is expected that adjournment will be taken until Monday evening.