The Ketchikan miner., 1908-12-05
THE N. Y. sENAroRsHIP.

Raymond, the Washington corres- pondsnt of the Chicago Tribune. dis cusses the senatorial situation in New York and the men who aspire to sue ceed the present senator, Tn an inter- esting manner. He says, and there is DO doubt of his correctness. that the hand of Roosevelt is to be seen in the manner in which Secretary Root has forged to the front as a senatorial candidate. to the great embarrass- ment of the small fry that has been casting envious eyes on the seat Platt is so soon to vacate.
 Of Woodruff, one of the small fry, who would doubtless make a senator who would fully sustain the traditions made for the office hy Platt and De- pew, Raymond writes:
 IL will be remembered that prac- tically all the New York leaders were bitterly opposed to the governors re- nominaton. Woodruff was leader of them all. He and William Barnes, Jr., of Albany kept up the fight until the last possible moment, and they would have won and would have dis graced their party had it not been for the personal interference of President Roosevelt, who passed the word along to New York state that the governor 1 must be renominated at all hazards
 Every indication now points to the selection of Secretary Root as senator to succeed T. c. Platt- Two years from ION the legislature will be call ed upon to select successor to Sena- tor Depew. There is not one chance in ten that he will succeed himself. His successor is likely to be either Theodore Roosevelt or Governor Hughes. If there should be any such outcome of the New York situation it would give the Empire state for the first time in many years an adequate representation in the Cnited States senate. The state has had but one strong senator in the last twenty years. He was David B. Hill, at times something of demagogue, but none the less great lawyer. bril- liant senator, and a public man of high grade. When Hill was in the senate his colleague was Mir. Murphy from up state, who was a downright nonentity and never impressed him. self upon the senate or upon the 1 country.
 l Raymond's estimate of Platt and Depew is not tattering to those gentlemen, but for its substantial cor rectness there is DO doubt. Neither one of these two men, both of whom had national regulations in a way, ever was of the slightest value to the state of New York in the senate. They had DO personal influence, were not strong on any of the committees. made no important speeches, and never took any rank in the inner cir cle of Washington.
 Neither one was particularly trust ed, either by Mckinley or Roosevelt. For years Mir. Platt has been almost disabled physically. Mir. Depew sui iered great loss to his reputation through the insurance investigation and nearly succumbed to an attack ot nervous prostration.
 It mas been an unfortun fact that i the greatest state in the Union has had for so many years almost the weakest representation in the senate. The election of Elihu Root to succeed Platt and of either Roosevelt or Hughes 10 succeed Depew two years later would give New York state the prestige it deserves to have in the upper house of congress.
 l The choice of such a man as "Tim- my, Woodruff, or J. Sloat Fassett. or ex-Governor Black would not contrib. ute to the upbuilding of New York $ influence in Washington.
 It can safely be assumed that if MT. Root is chosen senator he will make his presence felt from tine start. In 1 the first place he will be the natural mou thpiece of the new administra- tion, just as Mir. Lodge has been ex- pected to speak for President Roose- welt. His great legal ability, his at- taiuments as sn orator, and his exper- fence in public affairs inevitably would keep him in the front rank of the senate. He would fill, to cer- tain extent, and perhaps entirely, the gap which was left by the resigna tiop of John C. Spooner of Wisconsin, and the whole country probably would be the gainer.
 L-yCu NCEC