New-York tribune., 1910-05-25
Cobb Bill Will Probably Be Made
a Caucus Measure.
WILL TAKE ACTION TO-DAY
ORGANIZATION Men as Much Op-
posed to the Cobb Bill as They
Were to Governor
TBy Telegraph TO The Tribune.

BY Telegraph to The Tribune
Albany, May 24.-Following the action
of the Democrats, who to-day bound
themselves by caucus to oppose the Cobb
compromise direct primary bill, the Re-
publican Senators in conference tonight
voted to hold a caucus on primary legis-
lation tomorrow noon. This is inter-
preted by supporters of the Cobb meas
ure as an indication that it will be
adopted at the caucus, and thus be
passed by the Senate as a caucus
measure.
This conference tonight showed that
the supporters of this bill had not lost
strength Also 1t showed that several
Senators, including men like Holden and
Bracket, would not decline to enter the
caucus, although they were likely to be
bound to vote for that much of a direct
primary bill. foreign to their notions. So
legislators who hope to put the Senate
on record in favor of some kind of a
direct primary bill feel distinctly hopeful
Two votes were taken in the confer
ence tonight. The first was on the
Meade-Phillips bill. 1t showed that fif-
teen Senators were willing to support it
if it could be agreed on as the conference
measure. Next a vote was taken on the
Cobb compromise measure. That had
twenty-five votes behind it, although last
night and early to-day opponents of the
direct primary We're predicting that it
would lose votes hourly. When it became
apparent that no agreement could be
reached tonight, motion for a caucus
tomorrow at 1890 p. IN. was made.
That was carried by heavy vote.
ORGANIZATION Men Active.
All the pressure available on the part
of the Woodruff -Wadsworth- Barnes
combination of Republicans is being
brought to bear against the compromise
bill. just as it was originally against the
Governors bill. None of the Assembly
leaders, least of all the Speaker. wants
the Senate to pass this bill and put 1t
UP to the Rules Committee.
That body already is having its
troubles from advocates of the federal
income tax, who are pounding it for
refusing TO put the Davenport resolp-
ton before the Assembly for a vote. If
the Senate passed the compromise di-
rect primary bill and put that also
before the Rules Committee opposition
to its policy of holding important meas
ures from the Assembly would be re-
doubled The Speaker is a good fighter.
but he does not need much more trouble
than he is having just now.
Stories have been afioat charging two
kinds of a deal in which the direct pri-
mary legislation is concerned. One was
a revival of Representative Parsons's
charge that the New York City election
reforms We're traded off by machine Re
publicans for votes against the direct
urinary bill This was brought down
to date to-day by the defeat of one of
Mr. Wards bills by the lack Of three
votes. Mr.. Ward was very sore, and
declared that the Republicans deliber-
atelv ducked the vote.
The second was a report. originating
among Democrats, that certain Demo-
cratic Senators had threatened to vote
for the direct primary legislation unless
tbe Rules Committee killed the most OBJ
iectionable bills in the series designed
to prevent oral bookmaking.
The Rules Committee now has these
bills in it's keeping-all save one, the
measure prohibiting bookmaking with
or without writing The bill making
directors or trustees of racetracks liable
personaIly for gambling in those inclos-
,,res has not been reported by the COM
mittee. This is the bill regarding which
the Democrats were said to have made
their threats
Speaker Wadsworth, according to these
reports had given some sort of assur-
ance to the Democrats that they would
not need to violate their feelings by vot-
ing for the direct primary legislation.
May Kill Gambling Bills.
Certainly they were feeling very con-
f5dent to-day about the defeat of the
snfi-gambling bills. They did not hesi-
tate TO predict that the directors Iiabil-
jtv bin wouldn't come out of the Rules
Also, they said the anti
oral bookmaking bill would be amended
Continued on second page.