The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-11-26
SUCCESSOR TO ROOT
YOUNG MAN OF FORCE
j. w. WADSWoRTH POSSESSES
ABILITY OF A PRAcTl-
CAL KIND.

| j. W. WadSworth, the newly elected
senator from New York to succeed
Senator Root, is only 81 years old and
is a farmer. He Is graduate of Yale,
was an enthusiastic baseball player
enlisted as a private in the Spanish
American war and saw service in
Porto Rico, served several terms in
the New York legislature and was
speaker of the assembly. In an in
teresting sketch Of his career the New
York Sun says:
There is something fascinating
about Mr.. Wadsworth--no one seems
able to say just what 1t is; 1t Is ap-
parently a blend of qualities. 1t was
potent enough to win the exuberant
support of President Roosevelt when
Governor Higgins decided in 1905 that
he wanted Mr.. Wadsworth as speaker
of the New York assembly. Wads
worth was then serving his first year
in the assembly, He became speaker
at the age of 2S.
"Clean cut, straightforward, honest,
we'll educated with a mighty pleasant
voice and charming manners young
Wadsworth was and is well calculated
to inspire genuine affection among
those close to him and popular liking
and enthusiasm among the voters Of a
whole state.
How He Became Sneaker,
How did he come to get the speak
orship with a rush? 1t was really an
reception situation that brought him
into it. Governor Higgins found a
| Legislative house cleaning necessary
and required man entirely uncon-
2ected with political tangles at AL
bany to do it. He finally hit upon
Wadsworth, who was young, clean,
reshy come to the capital and of a
vigorous and pleasing personality, with
! family, an excellent personal record
outside politics and the approval of
President Roosevelt to back him.
For years small clique had con-
trolled mainly through the committee
on rules, all the important legislation
that came before the assembly. To-
ward the close of the legislative ses-
sion every bill was committed to the
care of this committee and its will
practically decided the fate of any
measure, regardless of its merits.
"Now this committee, like all others
/ ~ hn
fore to clean out this legislative pig.
eonhole Governor Higgins had to get {
lspeaker untrammeled with politica
ALLIANCES. He got his man in Wads
worth, who had the courage to nam
a new committee and leave out Of |
such warehouses; as James T. Rogers o
Broome and Louis Bedell, Odells as
semblyman. AS a result the end o
that winters legislative session wa
comprised without any of the usua
scandal centering around the rule
committee of the assembly.
; improved Legislation.
1.-THE best thing was that Speake
Wadsworth's house cleaning didn't sto
with the rules committee but extende
to most Of the committees Of the as
: sembly He lifted the legislature on
Of a rutland a pretty bad rut at tina
and did much to end graft at AL
|, bany
He kept the speakership until 191
= and then quit politics for the time be
ing. He had found himself in a pos
ton of tacit opposition to Governc
Hughes, and 1t had hurt him. He di
, not come out and openly attac
r Hughes, as did William Barnes, Geore
Aldridge of Rochester and some Of tn
, bosses, but after letting some insul
ance reform bills through the assem-
e bly, it became evident that Speakt
Wadsworth's views on new legislatio
lidn't go far enough to suit the Hught
program. Governor Hughes We
mighty popular then and Mr. Wad'
!; worth was reelected with a reduce
majority. The next time, reasonab1
0 sure that he could not retain II
. speakership If reelected, he got out
0 politics altogether; but, as has bee
y said, only for the time being.
% Not Reformer.
. "Mr. Wadsworth Is not reformer'
% lust regular republican who b.
10 lieves in organizatit n methods, but b.
~ lieves also in honesty above and b
Il yond everything else. He opposed d
10 rect primaries because, he said, exper
20 ence showed that the rich man hi
~ an absolutely unfair advantage in /
" candidacy under the system of dire
Is nominations.
ie "IIe has long favored short ball
4. biennial sessions of the legislatu'
Mt four-year term for governor and tw
l. year terms for assemblymen, and
has an instructive horror Of reformt
a., and believes that political machin