New-York tribune., 1909-01-01
LEADERS AT ALBANY.
HARMONY TALK HEARD.
Fight Expected on Primary and
Ballot Legislation. HOzCeTer.
fBy TsIsxraph 70 m. rrisune. J

by Telegraph 20 Ths Tribune
Albany. Dec. 31-On the surface harmony be-
tween Governor Hughes ard organization men.
and efforts toward Cancellation: under cover.
preparations for a fight against enactment of
any direct primary nominations and ballot re-
form legislation That seems TO be the situation
On the eve OF the inauguration OF Governor
Hughes and conpIets set of Republican state
officers Legislators. state officials and poiti-
clans ara here tonight and the business OF most
OF them appears to be to get information or 70
form alliances for the fight on those subjects
which all believe is unavoidable
State Chairman Woodruff came hsrs this al
ternoon talking harmony between the Governor
and the organization" Immediately thereafter
he entered into series OF conferences with up
state leaders who make no secret OF their cpp0-
sition to what everybody expects VIII be the
Governors chief legislative recommendations
The newspaper OF William Barnes. jr-. one
Of the anti-Hughes leaders. tonight contains
three column, carefully prepared editorial at
lacking the direct primary scheme side By side
with another editorial under the caption
Hopes which expresses the wish that there
should be no personal acrtnnouy this year be
tween the Governor and Legislature. Seeming
ly, even the question Of patronage. though vsx-
ing. is playing second part in the calculations Of
all the politicians. save as possible weapon ii
the impending fight
Most OF the important state leaders came here
tonight. Fred Gretuer. OF Buffalo; John F.
O~Breu. Of PIartsburg; Herbert Parsons. ot
Manhattan. Mr. Barnes himself; Ray Smith, Of
Syracuse. who IS Francis Hendricks 3 first lieu
tenant-a.I nave been talking with the state
chairman Ind the various state officers Speaker
Wadsworrh and Senator White the new Lieu
tenant Governor, have been included in some Of
the conferences. which have considered lsgisia-
tive subjects as we'll as discussion u patronage-
Senator Raines, majority leader, who has been
n touch with the various upstate leaders,
stopped of at Utica on his way here 20 see
+ James s. Sherman. It cannot be said that there
is any hard and fast ombinatton Of the leaders
/ TO fight the Governor on his primary and ballot
reforms any more than there Is any combination
+ against him on the question OF patronage NJ
/ which there Is considerable for him and the new
| state officers to dispense t IS certainly true
/ that there is a unaninitv Of opinion among all
/ the leaders on the subject Of the ballot and
/ primary reforms, that they use rhe same arsu-
u7ents against them IN almost Identical phrases,
/ and express disuaste for them Also fl IS true
/ that the organization" as entirety IS not
holding traffic with Governor Hughes or patron
aga questions-iargeIy because % experience
: gained IT the last two years.
state Chairman voodrur discussed these
phases OF the situation frsIy tonight He made
it plain that the Organization had backed no
. candidate for appointment by the Governor and
would back none. Individual members of the
. Republican organization, he said had favored
various persons. He would not say whether ne
vas ors Of the members who had done SO
Senator : Percy Hooker was generally re-
zardad nv organization men "a a splendid car
dfda+. for chairman OF the new highways com
mission said the chiruan. and ex-Asseubl--
man Hooper. Of Essex County, as the engineer
member ot that body.
THE fact that the organization a. an Or
g77fzation has not suggested or backed ranal-
dates does not mean that there IS any breach
,- lack Of harmony between the organization
and the Governor" said Mr. woodruff Pressed
. m define the existing relations he said me
organization viii support the Governor and N1-
hold his hands on al things where If thinks
f- would be rtghe in doing SO There IS oar-
I -7orv between is II fact, the Governor mas
. sro7.-- every desire toward Cancellation and On
bA m good terms Now, this does not mean r77E
all members Of the organization at all times VIII
I agree with the Governor on everything tha1 -
NOT u, be expected Tr did not happen even
--i-b an Odsu and a Higgins. II has rot hap
nened with Hughes. would indicate on-
natural differences or on'u.on-
chairman woodruff Committed nfrF-'f and
1a
s,,nnort Of A direct nominations bill. 'if iJ were
NJ the right sort" without specifying what so7l
that might be A. the same time he said he
L--e- from talks with upstate leaders that they
nara nrarricallv unanimous In their opposition
Tn 7rv direct primary measure, that senator
r7zfn-s and Speaker Wadsworth would 7E'l
against the passage Of any measure and IHal
-o1i-lcisrz in other states where the system
was in force had mighty poor opinion OF IT,
The Kings County committee again t.i7 year
"a IN --z--io11s vears. adopted q resolution I'r
-,-s-7fa-orv direct primary nominations no
z,f5 The Governor last year favored 4 per
--,.szi-a system We could not agree WITH 1iIn
~ thar as il would have compelled US, the
minority party in the greater city, % adopt tHe
s--s-a-7- and have let out the Democrats 2.2'
no avs he favors the mandavorv measure 4
.-.- cav whether 7 shall agree with him unit.
r r-r,ov- lust what he recommends
.--~- sr,pgastion 70 make the system apF."
r.- -, >savr York city would suit us in Kings
( county if tr were mandatory there know the
: .--- man are bitter against direct noul1a-
.s know from talking with many men
s,, western states that tHsv don't t1'7N
+ ,.l,--- or IFS workings out there for mans raa-
80 vz-r,rre- or not the Kings county orEant-
+,. viii sr,prort the Governor on tul7 q1es-
- --frL depends entirely on -he nature
/ - ..,s- he -ar0rrlerds and rhe bills presented
- ,. and some measure being pressed which
-ss,,s +-1prarticsbre or Objectionable. naturally
W., couldn't support it,
~, woodruff said he had not heard 7f any
. -t-e.rf,y man who favored the Massacr1-
+-z ballot He did not see the Governor roc
d,, brr expects % 90 So tomorrow"
chairman Parsons got here late sra'.7i. Si''.