The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-18
NAMING OF SMITH
DENOUNCED AS PLOT
Attorney Wants Governor to
Smash Democratic Slate;
Sees Violation.

Alleging that a conspiracy was entered
into to defeat the direct primary law in
the designation Of Alfred E. Smith and
the other candidates for nomination on
the Democratic state ticket at the I'M
oficial convention at Saratoga, one
Daniel Danehy has set himself the task
Of preventing them from being voted for
a t the primaries. He has filed a formal
complaint with THE state Of New York
and its executive departments and
Charles s. whitman, Governor. and Mer-
ton f. Lewis. Attorney General. being
the chief executive officers OF said State
and departments" demanding that they
enjoin the Secretary Of State from GER
tifying the names Of the candidates and
the election boards from printing their
names on the primary ballots.
For fear that no action will be taken
by the Governor and Attorney General
the said Mr.. Danehy. who, according to
his letterhead. is an attorney and coun-
sellor at law. formerly at 2766 Briggs
avenue. The Bronx. and now Of is
Broadway. has written to the State Bar
Association and the various local bar
associations asking them 10 support his
complaints.
He informs them that he has also filed
similar complaint against the designa-
ton Of the three candidates for the
Democratic nominations for the Supreme
Court First district, and the Democratic
candidate for Congress In the Twenty
third district. The latter is Richard F.
McKiairy. The Supreme Court nominees
are Justice Victor ]. Bowling, Senator
Robert F. Wagner and Richard p.
Lydon.
In other years. Mr.. Danehy says,
similar complaints have been ignored
by the Governor, the Acknowledgement
and the Legislature. and meantime the
bipartisan political trust, thus encour-
| aged by the dereliction Of these Official
agencies, has been growing more auda-
cious in its efforts to destroy by trick
and device the law whose repeal by the
Legislature 1t well knows the people
would not countenance."
And Mr.. Danehy goes even further in
his heated denunciation Of the unoffica al
| way of selecting candidates. declaring
that it amounts to the private repeal
OF the law by means of the collective
force OF individuals. usurps. suspends
and supersedes the powers of tho State,
and Is in conspiracy under both the
State and national laws"
II the State officials take no steps to
carry out his ideas Mr.. Danehy wants
the bar associations to have them I'm
peached.
Although he mentions no names, Mr..
Danehy refers to William Randolph
Hearst's abandoned boom for the Demo
cratic nomination for. Governor in a way
to show that he sympathizes with the
publisher. On this point he says in his
complaint:
Some OF the objects and purposes OF
said Democratic party as represented by
| said State convention and conference in
| making the above designations were and
| are to coerce the primaries in favor OF
said designees and against other as
pirants who might want to be or become
| candidates. to make 1t more expensive
and discouraging and therefore possibly
| entirely useless for other aspirants to
become candidates against said designees
In said primaries.
in this respect II Ia an open and
notorious fact that one Democratic can
| didate for Governor who Is said to be a
very wealthy man and who had allegedly
gone to the expense and trouble OF get
| ting 100000 or more signatures to his
] primary petition under the belief that
the primaries would be free from unlaw-
| full pressure and influence from any
source was compelled to forego, and did
forego. entering said primaries because
OF the designation OF said Alfred e.
| Smi:;, by said convention and confer
Auce"