New-York tribune., 1909-03-08
BIG ISSUES AT ALBANY
PRIM4RY BILL AND NEW
CHARTER THIS WEEK.
Opponents Of Gorernor Responsible
for Injection of Personal Element
Into Primary Reform Fight.
[By Telegraph to The tribune. ]


supposed To be acceptable to Governor Hughes;
amendments to the Public Service commissions
law to put telephone and telegraph companies
under the jurisdiction of those bodies, with
amendments to the rapid transit law and the
general transportation law to stiften few
weak spots and effect changes designed to help
along subway building in New York city ana
a proposed charter for New York City.
The New York City charter and administra-
tive code will be presented in report from the
Charter Revision Commission. which has been
at work on this problem for approximately two
years It is expected on Monday night Ihe
Public Service commissions legislation, also
looked for tomorrow night, will be the result
of conferences of both commissions and thelI
legal staffs. in which Governor Hughes has taken
part the last OF them as late as yesterday An
informal body, self-Constituted. and known mere
as the steering committee" consisting of rep
resentatives of the Brooklyn Young Republican
Club. Senators Hlnman. Davenport and Travis
Assemblymen Hamn, Allen, Green, and occa-
sonally other legislators with Dean Alden the
Governors legal adviser. as ex-officio mem
Der. will bear the responsibility for the direct
primary legislation.
over these propositions will arise most Of the
stress and strife of the legislative session. ana
unless a great part of the indicated or surface
opposition to the Governors views regarding
these matters fails to develop. this strife hids
fair 10 be as intense as was that of the last ses-
sion over the anti-gambng measures Cmet III
this. of course will be the primary reform prof.
oct Intrinsicallv lacking any quality resem-
hing moral ISSUE" such the wiping out OF
protected gambling on racetracks, this proposal
OF the Governors appeared likely snort uihe
ago to become the embodiment Of all moral IS
sues" in politics, because the opposition OF GER
tain party politicians brought into the contro-
versy the dread figure Of bossism. with It's alies
of graft and loot.
This was not by any desire Of Governor
Hughes II was due to apprehension on the
part Of his opponents who feared an indiscrinh-
nate. party destroying. leader killing measure
which the Governor would press with emphasis
How far afeId their trepidaton had led them
the Governors Brooklyn speech showed How
badly these antagonists Of primary REFORM III
i,,red their own position by that point'ess oe-
nunciation Of the Governor and his proposal be-
fore his position was defined they probably DO
not yet realize
r,srnas Uoodrufr and others OF the oldtimers
with Wadsworth, the young Speaker, respected
b,- his legislative associates as their chief asset
have made this issue. They themselves intro
ayced into this proposition q personal element
which Governor Hughes carefully left concealed
under ceneralities until they pulled II TO the
surface That element in the situation IS Oouhu
- become source Of strength for Governor
Hughes the more these politicians produce It.
WADswoRTHs OPPOSITION,
1DdicatIons Of coming trouble not lacking.
sneaker Wadsworth, because he has been De
,,ord suspicion of unworthy motives per-
soraII, and has the affection and esteem ot ue
Assembly, represents the most dangerous ele-
ment Of opposition to the Governors proJecl III
the Legislature. His environment and methoos
Of thought render the proposition OF direct
urinary repugnant to him, and the very 'lo-
lence Of his antipathy To this matter has caused
hin, 70 ,,se all his resources in opposition to IT.
Immediately after The Tribune declared some
time ago that Assembly leaders had planned to
hold a caucus on the direct primary bill as soon
as II was introduced, and believed that In that
caucus the sentiment against it would be so
strong as { assure its death. the Speaker deilled
the story and laughed at the very idea. Ae'
within the last week reports to that same erect
even more detailed than the information on
which The Tribune's original story was oased'
have been current here. Hughes men declare
that Speaker WGdsworth is making this Ques-
ton a personal affair-n other words that he is
annealine 10 such members as he knows feel
especial regard for him to stand with him IN
opposing any change in the primary laws More
than that these same followers of the Governor
assert that the Speaker did that even while ne
was making out committee assignments. II
that charge were true it would appear like re-
vival of oldtime tactics abandoned in the lower
house since the Speaker first took the chair
there.
Whether or not these statements are true in
detail. the bitterness of the Speakers opposition
IN any form of direct primaries is beyond ques-
ton and his strength in the lower house makes
certain a hard fight there over this legislation
Senator Raines also is against that idea, al
though he, older and more cautious than the
Speaker, has deferred any pronounced stand on
the question until the actual bill was before him
And the antagonsm of Woodruff, Barnes ct al
will have its representation in the Legislature
Just now ii is circulating Its views broadcast by
means of the Republican State Committee and
upstate newspapers
Despite all this in the lull following the Gov
ernor's Brooklyn speech the feeling has been
growing that he will win in this contest His
supporters say confidently that the more agita-
ftion over this scheme there Is the more certain
il is to find favor in the public eye. Elihu Root
| in that speech before the Barnes organization
on which the anti -Hughestes had builded their
hopes showed how widespread was the feeling
| that the Governor was obeying popular bidding
| in his attempt to make party organizations truly
| representative.
| THE more your bosses oppose the Governor in
! thus following public sentiment the surely
they make the people support him." declared
| one Hughes man recently in analyzing this con-
| dition. THE boss is against this thing; he
| fears it, perhaps Therefore. the people, op-
| posed TO bosses on general principles, say it's
| bound to be q good thing. And can't see that
| all the ar uments against this change in pri-
! mary system on principle material in this
| case If the people really want 1t. as they ap-
pear to. it's their right to have It, whether it's