New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-01
ANTECOCA|NE BILL
NOW LIKELY TO PASS
Senate Expected to Approve 1t
To-day, Its Friends Having
Won First SkirmiSh.
WENDE ITS CHIEF OPPONENT
Wagner Defeats Erie Senator s
Shrewd Tactics and Puts
Measure Where It Can
Be Reached at Once.
I By Telegraph to The Tribune. !

rBy Telegraph to The Tribune.I
Albany. April 30.-After a series OF
skirmishes that ran all through the day
Senator Robert +. Wagner. majority
leader. carried the Walker anti-cocaine
Hill. designed to check the Illicit drug
traffic exposed by The Tribune. one step
further toward enactment tonight.
Senator Gottfried H. Wende. of Erie.
tried a shrewd parliamentary move al
most as soon as the Senate met this
morning, which. had 1t been successful,
would have killed the bill. lie secured a
poll of the Codes Committee. TO which
the bill had been rescued from "the
morgue." and forced the chairman to
report the bill out to the Senate. Then
II could have been sent by one objection
into general orders. with a mass Of leg
islation which has no chance to be
reached again at this session. just as
was done last week.
Senator Wagner. however. had been
warned of Wende's activities and had
reserved the right to object whenever
he learned what bills Senator Stilwell.
chairman or the committee. was trying
TO report out. The Bronx Senator got
two minor measures out. TO which Wag-
ner made no objection. and then pre-
scented his report on the Walker bill. but
the majority leader had suspected the
move and stopped IL with his objection.
At the night session Senator Wagner
began the final steps toward getting the
bill enacted by calling up n notice TO
suspend the rules and bring the Walker
bill up for consideration out Of its reg
ular order.
Wende's objections were supported in
part by Senators Walters and Murtaugh.
although neither went 10 the lengths
the Erie man did. Walters declared he
was uncertain " Their he could support
the bin or not. and Murtaugh had few
friends who We're doubtful as to the gen.
eral workings of the bill.
Only Ono Source Of Opposition.
II is evident from the skirmish tonight
that the bill will meet with some opposi-
ton when II comes up for final passage
tomorrow. All of the opposition. so far
as could be learned from the remarks OF
the Senators who questioned the bill.
comes directly as a result Of the letter
writing campaign instituted by the ohio
patent medicine concern which has a
monopoly OF an asthmatic remedy for
mula
After an examination OF the facts In
connection with this asthma relief. AS
semblyman Walker consented to certain
changes in the bill before It was sent
over to the Senate making provisions for
this relief. II II was specifically prescribed
by a physician duly licensed to practise
in New York State. but the fact that
these amendments were added has APP
parently not been considered by those
Senators who are still opposing the bill.
Senator Thompson, OF Niagara. whose
objection originally threw the bill into
general orders. took the floor tonight 10
convince his colleagues who are still In
opposition that their objections. like his
own, have been met by the amendments.
but some of them are loath TO accept any
evidence. notably Senator Wende. who
seems determined TO stand against the bill,
no matter how II Is amended.
Mr.. Wende refuses to listen 10 any
arguments In favor Of the measure In the
form of letters from judges. prosecutors
or other public officials concerned In the
effort to stamp out the illegal drug traf-
&c, and he practically admitted to-day
that large part OF his opposition was
based on purely personal grounds.
Proceeding originally from the oppos-
ton raised by the representative of the
asthma remedy concern Of Ohio, Wcnde's
present attitude seems 10 be based chiefly
on the fact that Assistant District Attor-
ney James A. Delehanty.' OF Mr.. Whit
mans stan. assured him at the public
hearing before the Senate Committee some
weeks ago that persons who buy the
asthma cure In question violate the pres
ent anti-cocaine laws.
Wende Likely to Lose.
AssemblyInan James A. Walker took
Senator Wende TO task. charging him
with making trouble on purely personal
grounds and solely because he cherished
grudge against Delehanty for his plain
talk. Wcnde made no response, except
TO insist that ne would take care Of the
bill
Despite the shrewd manGuvres Of
Wende, It Is not believed he Will be able
to check the further progress Of the bill.
Senator Wagner followed up the adj
vantage he gained In the debate tonight