New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-05
Constitutional Convention
Will Investigate Referee
System Here.
SUFFRAGE ISSUE
TO GO TO VOTERS
Delegates Expected to Drop
Subject and Let the People
Decide Next Fall.
rr,,m,s,ar Ccrrsponden, u The rrbur, ]

Albany, May 4-The constitutional
convention will investigate the New
York City judges and their granting OF
rich references to lawyers whose main
qualification is political pull.
This was assured to-day when a
resolution by Meier Steinbrink, OF
Brooklyn, was introduced calling on
the Secretary to furnish the delegates
with detailed information regarding
the lawyers appointed by various
Judges in the First and Second Jul
dcial disericts, including the fees paid
in every instance and the time con-
sumed by the referees.
While the resolution was referred 10
the Committee on Library and lnfor..
nation, the Committee on Judiciary, or
which George ". Wickersham, ex-
United States Attorney General, is
chairman, will act on the information re-
ceived, and submit to the convention
proposed amendments that will seek to
end a system that has been a fertile
source Of scandal for years.
Will Sidetrack Suffrage.
The question of equal suffrage prob
ably will not be dealt with by the
convention. All parties to the issue
ganization-appear to be willing to let
the voters decide the question al the
polls next fall without argument IN
the convention. They only want as
surance that nothing will be done by
the convention to prevent the issue
from coming to a vote. President Foot
and other leaders have said the con-
yention will take no action to inter
fere with the referendum provided for
by the legislatures of 1913 and 1915.
A hearing on the suffrage question
will be held tomorrow by the con
vention suffrage committee. Patrick
w. Cullihan, chairman of the commit
tee, has been assured by Mrs. Carrie
Chapman Gait, of the empire state
campaign committee, that she is more
interested in Strengthening out the
technicalities Of the vote than having
the issue brought TO the floor. This Is
the organization that in the past has
shown a desire to have the convention
deal with the proposition.
Mrs. Harriet Stanton Batch, presi-
dent of the Woman's Political Union,
which has opposed consideration by
the convention, called on Mr.. Root to-
day. and later says she received re-
neyed assurances that the issue would
90 before the voters next fall. Miss
Alice Hill Chittenden. president Of the
New York Association Opposed TO
Woman Suffrage, also visited the con-
vention to-day to discuss the PROPOSE
ton with leaders. Her organization
also is anxious that the issue be voted
on at the next election.
Herbert Parsons has a resolution be-
fore the convention which, if adopted,
would cause the suffrage question to be
dropped.
Seeks Highways Information.
A resolution that may result in an
investigation was offered to-day by
Herman j. Westwood, of Buffalo. 1t
calls for an itemized account of the
expenditures for highways construc-
ton in the various counties of the
state, to ascertain whether certain COM
panies have been favored by political
leaders and whether extravaganza has
existed.
First guns were fired to-day by OPP