New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-05
Constitutional Convention
Will Organize in AL
bany Tomorrow.
ROOT TO BE MADE
PRESIDING OFFICER
Manv Problems To Be Disposed
of in Session Expected to
Last Six Months.

tr,o-n A star Correspondent Of The Tribunel
Albany, April An the Assembly
Chamber here at noon next Tuesday
the constitutional convention. in whose
hands lies the revision Of the funda-
mental laws Of the state, will be caIIeo
10 order by Secretary Of State Francis
VI. Hugo.
After the bang Of the gavel announc-
ing the beginning Of what promises 10
be a six months session, Mr.. Hugo VIII
introduce the Rev William Herman
Hopkins. Of the First Presbyterian
Church of this city, who will offer
prayer. Mr.. Hopkins is Governor
Whitman's pastor.
Secretary Of State Hugo will then
administer the oath Of Office to the JOS
delegates. who will be sworn in IN
groups Of ten. They will then elect
their presiding officer. who Will De
Eihu Root, ex-United States Senator
This. according to the present pro
aramme. will complete the first day 5
work of the convention. On the fol-
lowing day the various committees
will be appointed and rooms In the
Capitol assigned to them and the clerk
Of the convention will be chosen.
Candidates for Clerk.
There are three candidates for the
clerkship- William ID. Cunningham, OF
Ulster County, who ran in the Repuo.
lican primaries for the nomination OF
Secretary of State; James I. Rogers,
of Broome County. and Frederick ham
mond, Of OnOndaga, Clerk OF the As
sembly.
With these preliminaries over, the
convention will adjourn for two or
three weeks. when the delegates Will
begin the actual work OF making a
new constitution for the state
Some Of the more important prob
lens that probably will be disposed OF
nv the convention are the short ballot,
reform in judicial procedure, reoI-
ganiZing the state administrative De
partments, providing for q state bud-
get law, giving the Governor greater
appointive power, old-age pensions
homo rule for cities, commission form
of government, conservation of natu-
raj resources, simplification Of the
election system, direct primaries, re-
duction in the number Of legislators,
greater pay for legislators and longer
legislative terms.
Mr.. Root was floor leader OF the
last State Constitutional Convention
held twenty-one years ago, over when
Joseph A. Choate presided.
Committee Assignments.
MANY of the most important commit
tee assignments doubtless will 90 to
the fifteen delegates at large. Those
chosen from judicial districts, whose
names follow in the numerical order Of
The districts they represent, are Her
bert Parsons, Jacob Bremen, A. j.
Clearwater, Edgar T. Bracket, Patrick
W. Cullinan, Jacob Gould SChurman,
Adolph j. Rodenbeck, John Lord
O'Brian and Charles II. Young The
other six are ex-senator Root, Henry
l.. Stimson, George W. Wickersham,
Louis Marshall, Seth Low and William
Berri.
Although Edgar NJ. Cullen, ex-Chief
Judge of the Court Of Appeals; Will
lam d. Guthrie and William NJ. WINS.
all Of New York City, we're not chosen
delegates TO the convention, IL IS pos
sible that they will sit i'm il. By law
when a vacancy occurs in any Sena-
tOrial district the two remaining dele
gates from that district may select a
successor TO the third. Some talk has
been current Of three delegates resign
ing in favor of Cullen. Guthrie and
WINS because II is believed they are
specially qualified for constitutional
revision work.
Successors to two delegates already
have been chosen I'm this manner.
Harry Z. oxford, deceased, of the
Twelfth District, is succeeded by Nor
gan J. O'Brien, and Harry H. Lewis,
resigned, Of the Sixth District, is sue
ceeded by Alfred O. Reeves