El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-16
SPECIAL SESSION
FOR PRIMARY BILL
SuIzer Calls New York Legislature To-
Eether and Enemies Say He VIII
Receive Rebuke in Defeat


Albany, n Y. June 16.-COnvened in
extraordinary session by governor Sui
Zer, the legislature met today 70 con-
slider again the governors direct pri-
mary bill which was decisively defeat
ed at the regular session. Opponents
Of the measure, which seeks TO abolish
state conventions. predict its defeat
despite the governors statewide cam
paign in its behalf
Friction Becomes Acute.
Friction between governor SuIzer
and Charles F. Murphy over direct
primaries became acute in April last
when the Blauvelt direct primaries
Dill called the indirect primaries Dill'
by its opponents, was jammed through
the senate. MUrphy's lieutenants, with
the whip hand, drove the WiEwam
senator's into line and the bill went
through. On the following day gov
ernOr Sulzer designated senator Duha-
mel, of Kings, and assemblyman Els
ner Of New Ork, to introduce a di-
rect primaries bill in this senate and
the assembly. respectively. which met
his views of what a bill should be to
conform TO the Democratic platform
pledges
The governor held that the party
promised the people a direct primary
legislation, statewide in scope and
covering every elective office.
On the other hand Murphy and his
followers asserted that the governors
bill was impracJiCable and unWieldiy
and that it pledged political parties to
complicated and intricate changes
which could not be successfully car
ried out.
On April a governor SuIzer vetoed
the BIauvelt bill, denOuncinE il as a
fraud" and a miserable maSeshift.'
His own bills were introduced about
that time with an accompanying hint
from the governor that If not adopted
without amendment a special session
with long antI-Iammany fight
would result
On April 30 the DuhameI bill was
killed in the senate by a vote of ~ TO
s, the Tammany senator's being abb
sOluteIy in control, despite the fact
that the progressive" Republicans
and almost all of the upstate Demo-
Gratis with the exception of Erie cOun-
~ had lined up with the governor. Fol
lowing the defeat Of the bill the COVER
nor announced that there would be an
extra session and he prepared for one
of the most remarkable fights Tam
many has ever had with an official
which it had elected to office.
Stormy Session Held
The assembly took up the EiSner
bin. It was q foregone conclusion
that it would be defeated. Governor
Suffers friends in the assembly. how
ever, made a strong fight The lower
branch of the legislature remained i'm
session all night on May 2 and early
on the morning of May 8 killed the
Sulzer-Eisn bin by a vote of 90 70
~. Consideration Of the Sulzer bills
in both the senate and the assembly
was accompanied by most remarkable
scenes in which the Tammany legis-
latOrs bid defiance to the governor.
NituperatiOn was openly poured upon
his head.
WITHOUT waste of time Sulzer set
about his direct primaries campaign.
He enlisted the aid of scores Of pro-
gresslve Democrats. as well as such
men as Col Theodore Roosevelt. VIII
liam r. Hearst. Clarence Shearn,
Ralph Pulitzer and district attorney
Whitman
On May 8. SulZer issued prOClama-
ton calling special session for June
Is and Immediately commenced his
fight by addressing three meetings
in Buffalo in one night. during which
he explained his own direct primaries
bill and attacked the Tammany bill.