New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-03
LOGIC.

The state Is now favored with Mr..
Barnes's exegesis of Mr.. WOOdruff's
statement that Governor Hughes can
have a denomination if he wants one.
Says Mr.. Barnes's newspaper, THE Al
bany Evening Journal:
We assume that Mr.. Woodruff intend
ed TO let the Republicans of the state
know hat in his capacity as state chair
man he does not favor ructiOn. He be-
lieves apparently that IL Governor Hughes
should announce himself again, as he did
two years ago. candidate for Governor.
he will have sufficient following i'm this
state which is not closely affiliated with
the Republican party, which If the Re
publicans should in convention refuse
the Governor a denomination would be
aroused to irtemperance by the DemOc-
racy because of the Governors turn
down. so that they would either not vote
at all or else would help to elect the
Democratic candidate for Governor.
Mr.. Woodruff is logical. The Journal
continues. The Republicans ought not to
risk the chance of defeat which a turn
ing down of Governor Hughes. If a can
didate, would involve But" It adds,
1.-The fact remains that although a year
"agO the state convention could have
nominated some other candidate than
Governor Hughes without fear of the
loss of the state. nov in an off year,
with no Presidential ticket running,
amy ructiOn would be hazardous"
Although year ago the state con-
''vention could have nominated some
'Other candidate than Governor Hughes
without fear of the loss of the stater'
That hardly represents the position at
that time of the opponents of the Gov
ernOr. nor of Mr.. Barnes and his news
paper. They were saying then not that
some one else could be nominated with
cut fear of losing the state but that
some one else must he nominated or the
state would be lost. They were saying
then not that the Governor was the
strongest candidate available, but that
he was the weakest. At that time they
went so far even as TO declare that he
could not be elected if nominated.
With this in mind, il is interesting TO
hear The Albany Journal declaring
that il would now be grave "responsi-
bility" for the Republican party TO re-
fuse 10 renOminate Mr.. Hughes if he
should seek a denomination What has
made tine Governor SO much stronger
now than he was one year ago? Then.
even in Presidential year, he could not
Ice elected if he were nominated. and
now, in IA state election year. when il is
always difficult TO elect n Republican
Governor if he would take Il renomina-
ton he could be elected; SO the reason
ing of the same group of politicians runs.
And the last year the Governor has been
chiefly associated in the public mind
with a campaign for the adoption OF
direct primaries In this state. But direct
primaries. according to the same reason
ers, are ''socialistic," ur-American'' and
unpopular" Thus the man whom I'm
1905 IL would be suicide TO nominate"
and who since then has been busy urg-
ing Wild 'anarchistic' policy which
the people In their sanity have rejected,
has grown so In popular esteem that II
would now be suicide TO refuse him
nomination.
The logic of all this must delight the
Governor And so must the effort TO
smoke him out"