The Washington herald., 1913-12-28
A Review Of the Notable Events Of the Year 1913

and unyielding struggle between himself
4 and legislature of his own party. Sui
ger had been a Tammany Hall Democrat
for many years. He had also been a
member Of the House of Representatives
at Washington for some eighteen years.
and had not participated actively In
political affairs OF the State Of New
i York.
4 There was no break between Sulze.
and his political associates until after
election. Then troubles came rapidly.
Contrary to the expectations Of his Tam
!, many supporters. the new governor
showed a marked independence in the
matter Of appointments. The men he
appointed to positions within his gift
were men with good records, but they
were not the choice of the machine, and
tho State senate proceeded to block
them.
The fight came to a climax when the
governor made an effort to enact a State
primary law to secure the nomination
of high officials by direct popular action
This was a matter which reacted vitality
against all the political machinery In
the State, and II practically left Gov.
Sulzer alone in the fight The legislature
adjourned on May D. having declined to
pass the primary bill which the gov
ernor demanded. Although he could
have had little hope of obtaining re-
versal Of this action, Gov. Sulzer called
a special session of the legislature for
June 16..
The governor took the stump and at
| tempted to bring popular pressure 70
bear upon members of the legislature.
Tammany's attitude remained mistaken.
The special session again rejected the
governors bill and the fight became more
bitter every day. Gov. Sulzer declared
war openly upon the Tammany leader.
and Tammany made no secret of its in
tention to retaliate. Unfortunately for
the governor. his enemies were In pos
session Of the means to bring about his
downfall
An investigating committee of the leg
islature' was set at work to find material
which might form the basis of charges
in impeachment proceedings. 1t began
| its task in July, and for weeks the leg
islature did little but mark time. Finally.
a new line of attack was developed.
and the committee began to investigate
the governors private financial affairs.
The committee reported that II had found
that money given by various parties to
assist in the election of the governor
had been deposited to his private ac-
count, and had not been included in the
| return OF receipts and expenditures
made by him several weeks before his
Inauguration.
On August IS the vote was taken in
the legislature. the roll call showing
seventy-nine in favor OF Impeachment
and forty-five against. The assembly
had $50 members and the vote was taken
at o'clock in the morning, after an all
night session. Immediately another COM
/ plication arose. The legislative majority
| declared that the decision to bring
charges suspended the governor from
office and put the lieutenant governor in
| his place Gov. Sulzer and his advisers
held a contrary opinion and. as a result.
confusion reigned in the State executive
department
| On September IS. the high court OF i'm
peachment-composed OF members of the
State senate and the judges of the
Court Of Appeals-convened at Albany.
After a trial lasting three weeks, the
governor was convicted on three OF the
articles of impeachment His removal
from the governorship was decreed by a
vote OF 20 to Il. but he was not disquali-
fed from holding Office in the future.
| An unusually spirited campaign was
in progress in New York City. and the
overthrown executive threw himself into
II with all the energy he could summon.
espousing the cause OF the anti-Tammany
: fusion ticket headed by John Purroy
Mitchell for mayor. He announced him
self as a candidate for the assembly
district in which he resided, and was
elected by majority which kept pace
with the other phenomenal anti-Tam-
many majorities of that election.
Political Activity in Other Lands.
| After several months of discussion.
Premier Borden's naval bill. which pro-
posed a contribution to the British Navy
OF three dreadnoughts, to cost 81, 900 900.
was rejected by the Canadian senate.
Sir wilfred Laurier. ex-premer and
present leader of the opposition, was
| instrumental in the defeat Of this
| measure. A number OF changes in the
| Canadian tarin were made, and a parcel
post bill was passed.
| Gen. Mario Menocal, third President
of Cuba, was inaugurated on May 20.
| In August there was a new Castro at
| tempt to regain power in Venezuela, but
II was suppressed by President Gomez,
who had been given dictatorial powers.
| Two United States cruisers were ordered
| to Venezuelan waters to protect Ameri-
can interests. Other political and revolu-
| tionary movements in Latin-America
have been unimportant
| On January Is, after q debate which
had lasted nearly two months, the Brit
ish House Of Commons passed the home
rule bill to its third reading and final
stage. Immediately after its passage in
the Commons the bill was sent TO the
House of Lords, where II was debated for
four days and then rejected. 1t then
went back to the Commons. In order to
become a law in spite Of its rejection by
the Lords it must be passed three times
| by the Commons with important amend
ment. A bill thus passed will receive
the royal assent despite the Lords veto.
1t has already been passed twice by the
Commons, and upon its third passage,
next year, It will become a law.
On January II. Raymond Poincare,
who had been premier Of France, was
elected ninth President Of the republic.
As premier he displayed strong. dis
tinctive personality and kept France in
the center of the European stage. He is
regarded by his countrymen as the most
capable national leader since Gambetta,
and he has already disproved the famous
French political saying that while the
king Of England reigns he does rule,
and the President of the United States
rules, but does not reign, the French
President neither rules nor reigns" In
his first message to Parliament, Presi-
dent Poincare emphasized the necessity
| for adding materially to Frances MILL
| tary force. This had the effect of in
creasing the peace footing Of the French
army 50 per cent.
Political events in Germany during
ne year point to the fact that the de-
Aands Of increasing militarism are be-
soming more and more burdensome. On
January 30, for the first time In its his