New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-13
[Staf Correspondence

ALBANY, April 12.-The withdrawal
Of the bill restoring the party conven-
ton for selecting judiciary candidates
and candidates for state Offices by
Senator Elon r. Brown and a special
message from Governor Whitman urg
ing the passage of the Sage bill per-
hitting the state to dispose Of the sur
plus waters of the barge canal were
the features of o-day's session.
The Sage bill permits the state or
private concerns to utilize the waste
waters of this canal for power pur-
poses; 1t has passed the Senate, but
has been held up by the Assembly
Rules Committee.
This BILL" said the Governor. ''is
designed to remove from the barge
canal law the restrictions placed upon
the power Of the Canal Board and upon
all other state officers to dispose of
the surplus waters now going to waste
over the dams constructed by the state
at great expense in connection with
the Improvement of the barge canal
system.
Annual Waste Is Heavy
This annual waste. represents many
thousands of dollars in the way of fuel
costs.
1.-THE provisions of the bill have been
carefully considered and approved by
the Canal Board and by the Conserva-
tion Commission. | myself am famil-
lar with it's provisions end feel that
if the Legislature were to adjourn
without taking favorable action upon
this bill such failure might work serl-
GUS injury to the state"
In withdrawing the party convention
restoration bill Senator Brown said
that he could not pass it except
through personal solicitation and that
he would not stoop to any such method
in meritorous measure of this kind.
This is in spite of the fact that a
large majority of the Senators in
formed mo in personal conversation
that they thought the state convention
should be reestablished," continued
Senator Brown.
81 was anxious that the legislation
should be passed, for several reasons.
One was that | had perceived there
had been great disorganization in re-
lhtion to public issues in the state as
we attempted to solve them through
party government. | felt that we were
growing more and more disorganized
There have not been in many years
more important state issues pending in
this state than at present I will H.
iustrate to you by calling UP the sub
Ject of municipal ownership, and the
great problem of taxation, now remain.
ing substantially unsolved. Upon these
questions there is no party alignment
There has been no opportunity for the
parties of the state to declare them
selves upon these issues.
I'm the national issues, the case is
even more distressing. There was
never time when the issues pendino
before the country were more I'm.
portant than they are to-day, even ex-
ceptlng limiting it to the issues that
arise by reason Of the existence of the
present war. When that war closes
there will be other and greater issues
that the people will be determined
shall be solved, and if We are to solve
them under party government there
must be representative system Of
party government, SO that the renre
sentatives of the different parties
when they sit in the legislative halls
shall know what the policy of the
party is. '"'
we have no other system of govern.
mlcnt than the system of government
by parties. We cannot govern by