The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-27
SHEPARD RET|RES FROM NEW YORK
 SENATORIAL RACE
Asks Democrats to Unite and Break the Five
 Weeks Deadlock
LITTLETON URGES
 MURPHY HANDS OFF
Shepard's Letter to Montgomery Hare Announces His Retirement and Discusses Embarrass-
 ing Conditions in State

ing Conditions in State .fa .
 New YJ1S oruary 26.-Edward NJ.
 Shepard, in a letter to Montgomery Hare. tonight announced his retirement from the fight for the United States senator
 ship to succeed chaunced M. DePew He
 adds that in his opinion William F. Shee
 hans retirement is imminent and warns
 the democratic members of the leglsla- ture that unless the members unite
 promptly the extra session of Congress
 will find the state of New York only
 half represented"
 Earlier in the day Martin w. Littleton,
 congressman-eleet and self-announcei
 candidate for the senatorship. had issued
 a statement pointing, does Mir. Shep-
 ard to the grave responsibility resting
 on the democratic legislators and calling on Charles F. Murphy. leader of Tam
 many Hall, to cause the retirement of MT. Sheehan and break the five weeks
 deadlock at Albany.
 MT. Shepard's Letter MT. Shepards letter says in part:
 
 Albany for more than five weeks after the date prescribed by law for the choice.
 One week from today the seat of the new democratic senator will be ready for him at Washington. Unless the dem ooratic members unite promptly the ex- tra session, which now seems probable and
 in which the legitimate opportunity and
 the responsibility of our party are to be of the very first order. will find the state
 of New York only half represented. And what l should regret even more-it will exhibit the democratic party of the state
 as seemingly incompetent to perform the
 most elementary demand of statesman like politics.
 No doubt such incompetence real or seeming, is preferable to a surrender of the very integrity of the party or of it's loyalty to the public cause which belong of right to it, and for whose sake and for whose sake alone, so many have given to it an almost lifelong devotion. Can | it be that we must remain longer in an utterly unnecessary dlema between such incompetence and such surrender? Has not the dilema already been sufficiently disastrous? May it not soon prove fatal l to the party future, at least for our day | and generation? Must there be-f we are | to learn--in every county democratic
  democratic Schoharie?
 Sheehan's Election Impossible "tt was plain month or more ago that Mir. Sheehans caucns nomination had aroused a democratic opposition % iai- pnrtant and persistent as eo render in- possible his election by democrats. l as- sulie therefore, not onls li,at Mr. shee- han will not be chosen but that at this late day that fact Is clear to himself and | his supporters. Like everybody else Tn the state. he must know that as long as the majority of the democratic legislators continue to vote for him in deference rurely to tiie imaginary obligation Of their caucus, no solution of this democratic difficulty would be possible. Assuming. however as we must, that there Is to De A solution-assuming we surely may that Mir Sheehan's withdrawal IS imrni- nent, there rests on the members of the democratic minority grave further re- sponsibility.
 Mr. Shepard here reviews the circum- stances which brought his name before the legislature, and continues; ..The impending end of the candidacy of Mir Sheehan seems to me to require some change of programme to which n a slight degree I can perhaps contribute. Now that the long-contnued obstruction | tn a genuinely democratic choice is prob | ahlV give way to other and more effective | votes. I should be glad if you, as my | friends, would make it clear to the minor ity who already have voted or who might hereafter vote for me- that am definitely and absolutely outside of the list from which candidates can be chosen do not and shall not. however withdraw from political activity from warm support of the democratic party
 Words to the Minority | With himself finally eliminated as d candidate, MT. Shepard addresses some friendly words to the minority with the hope that they twill make their choice with view to the serious and far-reach- ing relations which the senatorship bears to the democratic party in our state and | the nation"
 | He denounces Tammany dominance of the caucus which chose Mir Sheehan, and declares that the democratic party can never succeed in this state when it is generally believed that Tammany con- trols the nominations.
 New York, February 26-Martin w. | Littleton made public today letter to Charles F. Murphy, asking the Tam many leader to leave the legislators Of | New York state free to register their | own will anal air their own choice in | the election of the successor to Senator | Chauncey M DePew He tells MT. Murphy that by holding the democrats | in the senate and assembly to their caucus pledge for William r. Sheehan 1 he is jeopardzing the prospects of na- | tional democratic unity and of demo- | cratic success in the next presidential. l campaign and acting counter to the wishes of the democrats of the country. | Mr. Littleton expressly denied that
 he asks the Tammany leaders support | for his own candidacy and writes he | says. in the interest of party unity. 1 He predicts that if the deadlock con | tinues the Canadian reciprocity treaty. | tariff reform and the proposition to
 elect senators by direct vote may fall for want of democratic senator from New York.
 l The present deadlock. he declares, will be broken easily if MT. Murphy would withdraw his influence, which he chara acterlZes as an "endurance | test" to determine whether Tammany Hall can extend its control to other sections of the state.
 Torpedo Flotilla Arrives