New-York tribune., 1910-08-13
! MAKE WAR ON WOODRUFF
Progressive Leaders will Insist
That He Retire as Chairman.
"OLD GUARD" is ACTIVE
New Version of Taft's Views
Conflicts with That Already
Made Public.

Made Public.
j Convinced that Timothy l.. Woodruff not
| only wants, but is seeking. reelection as
chairman OF the Republican State Com
mittee, and just thoroughly convinced
| that to retain him head of the or
ganization would be a serious handicap in
| the coming campaign, the progressive
| leaders in the party have become exceed
| ingly active within the last few days.
| Mr. Woodruff will find the fight of his life
! on his hands if. in defiance of President
Taft. of Colonel Roosevelt and of many
of the other leaders OF the party. he in
sists on reelection
Last winter, when agitation arose for
! the deposition of Mr. Woodruff he gave
assurances that If allowed to complete his
! term he would retire at the next state
! convention This had been the understand
| Ing until Tuesday, when Mr. Woodruff, in
| Beverly announced that he might be a
candidate to succeed himself. He had just
had a talk of more than two hours with
President Taft. and the impression that
Mr.. Woodruff conveyed was that President
Taft was unconcerned to whether Mr..
Woodruff was or not a candidate
He also conveyed the impression that
President Taft and Mr.. Roosevelt were
in accord so far as the impractica biltty
Of direct nominations was concerned, and
that the New York State convention would
probably go no further than to fndorse the
Meade Phillips bill which really provided
for no direct nominations of any account
Leaders Were increduous.
The progressive leaders here could scarce
ly believe that President Taft had changed
his mind about the advisability of Mr.
Woodruff's retiring to the political back
ground They wanted to know just how
the situation stood, and diplomatic in
quiries were made.
1t was said yesterday by one who pro-
fessed he had learned what the President
said to Mr. Woodruff that not only did
the President give Mr.. Woodruff no en-
coragenent to seek a reelection. but told
him frankly he ought to retire.
The President is said to have told Mr..
Woodruff that, while he did not purpose
to mix up in the affairs of the party in
New York State. he would if asked. frank
ly say that in his opinion. the best inter-
ests of the party here demanded the re-
tirement of Mr.. Woodruff.
He reminded Mr.. Woodruff that the un-
derstanding was that the state chairman
would not be a candidate TO succeed him
self, and expressed the hope that Mr..
Woodruff would not see fit to so contrary
to that understanding.
As for direct primaries President Taft
is said TO have expressed the opinion that
the state platform should contain an un-
equivocal declaration for some feasible
form OF direct primaries. President Taft
had said last spring that he thought the |
Cobb bill admirable measure
Mr. Woodruff's Friends Busy.
Following the state chairman's own an
that he might be a candidate
for reelection, the Progressive leaders heard |
that Mr. Woodruff's friends were getting |
active upstate. |
II was learned that the "old guard were
starting a campaign to retain control of the |
organization. Then Chairman Woodruff |
called meeting of the state committee
for Tuesday in this city
Although ostensibly only for the purpose |
of making arrangements for the state con- !
vention and ratifying the reapportionment |
of delegates, the Progressive leaders began |
to wonder If the Woodruffites would not at
tempt 10 spring some sort of a surprise in |
the way of an Endorsement of the state |
chairman.
Chairman Woodruff declares that only |
the formal business spoken of in the call |
will be transacted, but the Progressives will |
be on their guard.
Lloyd &. Griscom, president Of the New |
York County Committee. will attend the /!
meeting, his first meeting of the state COM |
mittee, as a proxy for Deputy Attorney !
General Prentice. Mr. Prentice is away. |
and Mr.. Griscom lives in the same Con- !
gressional district as the Deputy Attor- |
Eey General. he feels perfectly free to go to |
the meeting as his proxy.
1t may be that nothing will come up at |
the regular meeting to cause lineup of |
the Woodruff and anti-Woodruff members |
OF the committee but il is safe TO say there /
will be some careful canvasses made out F.!
side
Cannot Be Re elected.
The Progressive leaders feel confident !
that Chairman Woodruff cannot be re-eIect-
ed chairman but they realize that the "old !
guard is out apparently TO make all the |
trouble possible.
Some of them feel that the lack of vigor
in the anti-W oodruff movement in Kings
County has given Mr.. Woodruff assurance
to go after the state chairmanship again.
The Woodruff men in Kings County
have been saying that they could down
Ri b,Tt bot |