New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-11
REPORTS INDICATE
WHITMAN STRENGTH
Roosevelt Campaign Has
No Effect, Advisory
Committee Learns.
TANNER ANSWERS AND
QUESTIONS OSBORN
Asks What Democratic State
Chairman Meant by "ChaoS
in Administration"

District Attorney Whitman had a
long conference with State Chairman
Tanner and several other members of
the Republican advisory committee yes
terday. They received most encourage
ing reports from all over the state, all
of the same tenor. Those from the
sections that Colonel Roosevelt has
visited indicated that his attacks on
Mr.. Whitman have had no effect.
Ludwig Nissen, a prominent ,nde-
pendent Republican. who was chairman
of the Hedges campaign committee IN
Brooklyn. wrote to Chairman Tame
yesterday to assure him of his cordial
cooperation IN the campaign for Mr..
Whitman.
b. W. b. Brown. former leader OF the
9th Assembly District, who was on the
Hedges general committee, sent word
that Mr.. Whitman and the entire Re
publican ticket would carry his district
by big majority.
After replying TO the question OF
William Church Osborn, chairman Of
the Democratic State Committee, az TO
how the declaring unconstitutional OF
the rural registration amendment TO
the election law would help the Re
publican party. Chairman Tanner yes
terday came back at the Democratic
head with question of his own.
Nov, having answered Mr. Osborn
question fully and at length" he said.
IL will ask him one. VIII he tell the
public with equal frankness what he
meant when, occupying the position OF
Democratic state chairman, on August
26. he said: There is simple and alb
solute chaos i'm the business admins
tration of the state"
Answering Chairman Osborn's query,
Chairman Tanner said:
THE answer is easy. If Tammany
Hall itself did not believe that such
legislation would hurt the Republican
party il would not have passed IT. Tam
many had absolute control of the Leg
islatures Of 1911 and 1918. In 1911
they passed an act compelling personal
registration IN rural districts, which
was declared unconstitutional. In 1913
they passed an act substantially re-
curing personal istratlOu in rural
districts by compelling the voter who
had not voted at the last preceding
election TO either appear IN person or
submit his own affidavit and that Of
two qualified electors in Substanti2tion
thereof who had 20 swear Of their per
sonal knowledge Of the date Of his
birth, time Of residence III the district,
etc. This latter act the Court Of APP
peals has just declared unconstitu-
tional
THE Court or Appeals. in the de
Csion handed down last Thursday, says
regarding this latest attempt passed
by a Tammanv Legislature:
1.-The prescribed form of affidavit re-
quiIes the atlantis, the two electors, TO
state on knowledge the date and place
of birth of the person sought to be
registered if not native born. the year
and court in which he was naturaliZed.
that he has resided in the election dis
trict for the last thirty days and in the
county for four months, and that he
has been an inhabitant of the state for
ole year. The vice of the requirement
is that selection is made of the per-
sons who are to make the afhdavitS re-
gardess of the posi- ility of obtaining
such proof and of its probative value.
Such selection is so arbitrary and un-
reasonable as to exceed the legislative
discretion. A moments reflection will
suggest to any one the difficulty of find
ing two electors in his community who
can swear TO the date Of his birth. and
in many cases it would be impossible to
find two electors who could swear on
knowledge to the necessary facts re
specting either birth or residence
The condemnation Of this statute is
concurred in Is AZ OF the judges of
the Court Of Appeals sitting.
"NOw as TO the extent to which this
Tammany law. if enforced, would have
cut down the Republican vote The
country voters are known to each
other and in many districts have to
travel many miles to vote. Personal
registration is unnecessary and a great
hardship TO them. The country vote is
about three-fourths Republican. Tam
many knows this, and the more voters
they can prevent from registering the
more is the Tammany gain. Hence
Tammany's repeated efforts to disfran-
chise the rural vote.
"The Republican vote in upstate dis
tricts is ordinarily between 100000 and
100000. Personal registration has
never been required. If registration by
/ three afiidavits were required, as in the
/ Tammany law Just mentioned, a regu-
/ lation which the Court of Appeals says
is so arbitrary and unreasonable as TO
/ exceed the legislative discretion it is
a matter of very easy deduction to ar
rive at the conclusion that at least one
man out of ten would be prevented
from registering. If one man out of ten
did fail to register he could not vote
and on this estimate. which is exceed
ingly conservative. the Republicans
would have lost at least 10000 votes
through an unfair scheme which the
Court Of Appeals has frankly con