New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-02-01
FOCUS OF ANTI-HUGHES
OPPOSITION.
Combination Of Senators Said To Be
Bent OF PreUepting Confirmation
of High5ody Commissioner
EBy Telegraph to The Tribune.

Democratic member of the State Highway Com
mission question which will come up again
with the meeting of the Senate Finance Com
r-ittee on Tuesday To prevent this there ap-
resrs 10 be about as open combination OF
Democrats and Republicans. under the leader
ship Of Senator Thomas z. Grady. Senator John
Raines and Senator Gotham P Aids as events
have produced here in many years And anti
Hughes men ere predicting iubilantly now that
the Senate Will refuse 10 confirm Mr.. Cool-just
when they haven't decided yet-thus ito give
the Governor another black eye"
Involved in this subject are the opposition to
Governor Hughes's direct primary scheme per
sonal dislike OF the Governor questions OF per
sonal and political interest on the part of his
soversaries. and. il charges of some of the Gov
error's advocates be true the possibility OF hav-
inE the Stats Highway Commission and all its
great work delivered 10 politicians and
tractors, 10 be used largely for their personal
profit II is question which will have 10 be
fought out openly in the Senate; for the feel
ing is getting so bitter that it seems unlikely
that Senators Aids and Raines will be willing
10 accept further responsibility for keeping the
nomination in committee In the Senate it will
bring about the first authentic ani-Hughes
lineup.
For nearly z month the nomination of
Mr Cook has been held up to permit Senator
Grady to Investigate Mr.. Cooks Democracy"
For g considerable part Of that time the Senate
Finance Committee has had before 1t material
certifying to Mr.. Cooks Democracy from the
chairman and secretary of the Democratic
County Committee of Jefferson County. from
various prominent Democrats living there whose
Democracy up 10 date has not been challenged,
documents showing that in 1904 Mr.. Cook was
good enough Democrat to preside over the coun-
" convention More than that the committee
has had material from every enrolled Democrat
IN Mr. Cocks town. declaring that nobody there
ever would think Of questioning his Democracy
VOTED FOR TAFT AND HUGHES.
But Mr.. Cook voted for Taft and Hughes. and
even displayed their pictures in his windows,
saws Senator Grady Mr.. Cook admits that he
did-he even asserts II unbushingly and de-
clares that neither he nor his neighbors regard
that act as having made him less Of a Democrat
Really it IS very nice question: that one. as TO
what constitutes a Democrat And since Sena-
tor Grady has raised it there have been many
here who ask who he is TO raise such a Ques-
ton. when surely he cannot have forgotten that
IN ''greenback aays' ne 5olted and made ndmer
ous stump speeches fer Ben Butler.
"If Mr Cook is not a Democrat we should be
violating the spirit of the statute If We con-
frned him, riding roughshod over the protests
Of the Democrats argue some of Senator
Grady's Republican assistants Plainly II was
meant that the minority member should be ac-
ceptable 10 his party associates member of
the commission. And they are bound by caucus
against him Now. if the case were reversed
We shouldn't want any Republican confirmed
VINO wasn't satisfactory TO the Republican or
ganfza1inn. And, really, it only shows that the
Governor IS not such a great man after all or
be would have selected some nominee who
wasn't open 70 any such criticism. just as he
should have investigated the Wallis matter
enough TO find whether there were or were not
any black spots before sending Mr.. Wallis's
name TO the Senate"
All that is the surface-the personal an
tazonisrn toward Governor Hughes and the de
sire 10 take fling at him any excuse plainly
apparent Almost as plain is the desire on the
part Of some of the Republican leaders to do
signal service TO Senator Grady and his Demo
cratic cohorts 20 obtain their gratitude and hold
their receipt "-for value received" against the
tine when those Republican leaders need help
% defeat the Governors direct primary plan.
Somewhat less open and less known is the fact
doubtless a contributory cause-that Senator
Ksines and Senator Aids each had his own
Democratic candidate from his own district who
naturally, according TO the oldtime give and
tske# political methods might be expected to be
advantaeec1ls to each Senator in the line OF
patronage and political dickering.
SENATOR ALLDss CANDIDATE
The Aids candidate stephen Ryan, OF
Norwich, t'henango County. who under state
Engineer Slene was q supervisor of highways
M. RYAN was recognized in the rural counties
by the Republican and Democratic county work
ers ss q clever dispenser Of patronage BY virtue
Of his line Of work he enjoyed friendly relations
with the smaller politicians in both parties, and
when be made an attempt to land on the com
mission was indorsed by boards of supervisors.
Irrespective of poIitics-some said because OF
politics-srom about half the counties in the
sfate Al the same time there were vigorous
protests which arose from persons who main
tanned that the state being buncoed IN the
quality of the work done on the good roads,
and vino held Ryan partly responsible Tor these
conditions. either through ineflciency or neglect
Senator Raines's candidate was E B. Norris, OF
sodus, Wayne County, who. while he hadn't
runoer of Endorsements which MI Ryan
achieved. likewise did not arouse such bitter
protests. IN general he was regarded thonsh' as
a man who. if appointed, would be splendid
adjunct m q Republican patronage dispensary.
As affairs stand not even Senator Grady has
Questioned Mr.. Cooks fitness for the place
Simply Grady and those whose bidding he is
doing would rather have their. own kind Of man.
and went 70 make the Governor understand
that IN this case at least. they won't take his
choies II the Senate actually refuses TO con-
firm Nr (soo, as seems highly probable. the
Governors course Of action will prove interest
ing In . somewhat similar case, when the
Seoate refused to confirm Ike" Baker for raii-
road commissioner Governor OdeH refused 10
make another appointment until the Legislature
adjourned when ne named Baker as recess
appointment and the next Senate conhrneo hlm'
but 81 seems unlikely that Governor Hughes