New-York tribune., 1918-01-28
Veto of Restoration of Con-
vention Would Alternate
Machine Workers
Brown Plans Measure
Senator and Barnes Forces
Draft Proposal for Return
to Old System
(Staf Correspondence

ALBANY, Jan. 27.--Elon r. Brown,
majority leader of the Senate, and
other legislative leaders have been
quietly at work during the last week
whipping into shape a bill restoring the
state party convention
The measure will be ready in about a
fortnight. It's chief provisions as ten
tatively determined upon arc:
Nomination by party convention of
candidates for Governor, Lieutenant
Governor, Secretary of State, State
treasurer, State Engineer, State Con-
troller, Attorney General and the Court
Of Appeals.
Conventions to be held not less than
one week and not later than two weeks
after Primary Day.
Delegates to the coventions to be
CHOSEN at the party primaries on the
basis for one for every 500 votes cast
Tor the respective candidates for Gov
crnor at the preceding state election.
On this representation there would
oe ] ,664 delegates elected to the Repub-
lican Convention and 1868 delegates to
the Democratic Convention.
Some Direct Nominations
AS it is now framed, the bill leaves to
the voters, as at present, the nomina-
ton ,., by direct party primaries Of can
dldates for the national and state legis-
latures, and for all local Offices The
details of the measure have not been
worked out. The principal proponents
OF the bill are Barnes men, which is to
say. antiWhitman men. And they
claim that they have been assured of
the support Of some Of the Democrats.
If the bill passes the Legislature it
will be vetoed by the Governor. This
action is anticipated by the Barnes
Brown forces.
"We know that Whitman will veto
tho bill.' SAID one OF them 81 don't
believe there is a chance Of passing it
over his veto. In fact, our present in
tention is not to try that. But his veto
will make him an enemy of practically
every Republican worker, for the aver
age machine man in both parties is for
repeal a complete repeal-of the
direct primary law and return to the
old convention system. And the Gov
crnor, be assured, will not have the
easy time in the primaries that he fig
uros on
Governor Expects Victory
Not only is the Governor figuring on
" ai inoN'r ~ Ine pTit1dTIeS, Dut
third term and lighting chance for
the Republican nomination for Presi-
dent in 1920.
/ To make impossible the realization
Of the Governors ambitions is the
avowed aim of his foes, who are, with
scarcely an exception, Barnes men.
And in this connection The Tribune
correspondent was informed by the
chief actors in the Barncs-W Whitman
row that, despite published reports to
:he contrary, there has been no at
tempt st reunion on the part of
either Barnes or Whitman. The
Barnes people charge Eugene NJ
Travis. State Controller, who was
with the Barnes people year ago but
is now with the Governor, with being
! the principal circulator Of these
stories.
One Of the chief arguments used by
the Barnes men in their fight on tho
Governor is that there is an inherent
resentment IN the people against third
term pretensions. This was one of
their stock verbal shots in their war
on Colonel Roosevelt. And they also
say that the unrest among the farmers
who are largely Republicans, will find
an outlet in an attack on Whitman in
the primaries.
Three men most prominently mon
toned to run against Whitman are
Alphonso T. Clearwater, Of Kingston
formerly Supreme Court Justice
Nathan l.. Miller, Of Syracuse, who re-
signed from the Court OF Appeals in
1915 TO resume the practice Of law, and
/ Supreme Court Justice James c. Crop
sey, OF B-ocklvn.