New-York tribune., 1910-09-11
THE DEMOCRATIC STILL HUNT"

or mutineers.
THE DEM0CR4TTC STILL HUNT
If Mr. John a Dix thinks that he can
/ get all the Democratic factions TO unite
/ in still hunt this fall for the state
/ offices he is destined to a rude awak-
ening The Progressive Democratic
/ League. which doesn't understand the
virtues of stiffness. has just issued 4
/ call for state convention to meet in
! Rochester a day ahead of the regular
/ Democratic State Convention. The chair
man of the league did not participate
in the exchange of high thoughts and
| Symbolistic suggestions which occurred
| last Thursday night at the ''over one dol
| lar dinner at the Hotel knickerbocker
He evidently hasn't the symbollsdc gift,
for unlike thesspeakers~ at that euphuistic
reunion he believes in getting down to
details and putting things in plain Ian
guage. He wants TO know what the
Democratic leaders who talked there
really meant and whether they are 60
inc to tell the voters what they mean
when they draw up a platform at
Rochester.
There is the direct nominations issue,
for example It didn't figure in the ora
tory at the dinner BIT Mr.. LuStgarten
truly says that it buLks larger in the
public mind Just now than any other
issue in state politics. Talk about re-
storing power in party government to
the voters would have CARED the Demo
cratic bosses gathered at the Knicker-
booker tables as unpleasantly as it jars
Mr.. Barnes and his fellow Republican
bosses. The Cobb primary bill was
beaten in the Assembly by a bipartisan
combination of bosses, and the restora-
ton of popular rule would mean
greater shake-up in the Democratic or
ganization than it would in the Repub-
lican organization. Tact in handling
such an issue was required in an as
semblage in which about two-thirds of
those present owed their prominence in
politics to the system of rule from the
ton represented by Charles f. Murphy
in this county and by Mr.. N1cCooey, the
successor of Patrick n. McCarren. in
Kings County.
The Progressive League is sadly want
ing in tact, however and it intends to
find out what the Democratic unifiers
and still hunters" are going 70 do about
direct nominations. Are they also going
10 repeat the extraordinary performance
of two years ago. when they denounced
government by commission" and de-
manded the abolition Of the commissions
created to supervise the operations of
public service corporations? The league
VIII be on hand at Rochester 10 see that
the Democratic State Convention does
not adjourn after merely sending SYM
,,athetic greeting 10 the shade Of Thomas
Jefferson.
It does not appear that Mr.. John G.
Sheehan attended the knickerbocker
dinner. If he had attended and had been
allowed 10 dispense the reflections which
he contributed yesterday on Demo
cratic Opportunity TO The Evening
Post he might have had to be expelled
as a thoughtless disturber Of harmony.
Mr.. Sheehan deals too much in partlcu-
lars. He told The Evening Post that
though Democratic success was plainly
in view it would be dangerous to NOM
mate man for Governor among whose
''he is an attorney for some great cor
''poration." He described the ideal candi- |
date as "a leader who will appeal alike
'to the farmer, the workingman, the |
radical and the conservative Demo |
''crat: in fact, man who does not con- |
''sider himself better than his party and |
did not hesitate TO support the candi- |
''dacy Of William ]. Bryan for President |
s'and William r. Hearst for Governor"
That is almost as annoying as Chair |
man Lustgarten' demand to know what |
the Democratic party is going to do |
about direct nominations. What is to |
become of the Dix harmonizatiOn scheme |
and its chief promoters if no Democrat |
can he considered eligible for the gov
ern0rship who voted against William J.
Bryan or William r. Hearst? If Mr. |
Sheehan'S view should prevail the
Democratic party would find itself CON
ducting an inquisition instead Of ''still
hunt