New-York tribune., 1918-07-05
"Watch Polk" }" Tip
From Washington
On N. Y. Situation
Administration Said To Be
Grooming Counsellor
for Governor
BY BRIGGS
Special Dispatch to The Tribune J

(Spectol Dispatch to The T,1bune)
WASHINGTON, July with the
prevailing confidence here that Presi-
dent Wilson will intervene eventually
in the New York State political stu
alton, there has been a growing belief
in the last few days that Frank L.
Polk, counsellor of the State Depart
ment and a New York Democrat of
the independent element that favored
wilson IN 1912, may be the Admins
tration's choice for the Democratic
nomination for Governor. Franklin
u. Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of
the Navy, will not be a candidate, and
1T is hardly likely that Robert Lam
sing, Secretary of State, will permit his
name to be used in the primaries.
MT. Roosevelt would not accept the
domination. This does not mean that
Mr.. Roosevelt or his friends think
that he could not be elected. On the
contrary, the admirers of the Assistant
Secretary Of the Navy are confident
that should he be in a position to ac-
cept the nomination he would receive
the united support of the Democratic
party OF New York State, from Long
Island to Buffalo. They declare. and
this is supported by certain other evil
dences, that there would be no cut
Hall. ''''''"''S
put, as a matter of fact, Mr.. Roose
velt goes not feel that he could at this
time leave work directly connected with
the war. Not only is his position as
assistant Secretary of the NAVY one Of
Extraordinary Importance at this time
put ne is known to be slated for even
more important duties in connection
with the war in the near future. He
VIII probably be sent to Europe in a
snort time as representing the Ameri
can navy IN the council which will abb
sSoIutely control-not merely pass reso-
iuelohS and advise-the entente navies
IN thelf struggle to throttle Germany
ana stamp out the submarines.
Mr. Roosevelt's friends point ont
mat, no matter how important the du-
tles or the Governor of New York NAV
De during the next two years, it would
be virtually impossible for them 10
equal those Mr.. Roosevelt will be ca,led
on to perform. They would regard This
as modest statement, even if he
should remain in Washington as As
slstant Secretary of the Navy, whereas q
ms duties in direction of the Allied
M waves as member of the Entente
Naval Council, or whatever it NAV he
called. will be tremendously more ~,
portant i'''
Titles are often deceptive in Wash.
lngton, but Mr.. Roosevelt's title is an
accurate one. There is no other A.
slstant Secretary He is the Ac+;n,,
Secretary of the Navy when NE
Daniels is out of the citv and h;s
duties and responsi Utilities are corra-
spondlngy important.
While 1T cannot be stated so posi-
tlvely that Secretary of State Robert r.
Lansing will not be the Democratic
nominee 1t is quite unlikely that he
VIII permit the use of his name in the
prlmarles. His friends point out that
"nlle ms duties have not been as i'm
portan0 since the entry of the United
states IN the war as they were in the
previous two years and half, there
IS the certainty that they will increase
tremendously in Importance with tbe
coming of peace and the difficult ne
gotlatlons that will follow.
The nomination of Mr.. Polk two
years ago would have resembled sui
eide, IN that it would have been vir-
tuall y certain that so extensively would
ne have been cut by Tammany men
IN the greater city that his election
would have been impossible. Indeed.
it is doubtful if Mr. Polk could have
carried Greater New York two years
ago, while even upstate he would
have lacked strength in strong organ
lzatlon communities such as Buffalo.
But that has all passed. or most of
it has passed. To-day Tammany Hall
VIII support unitedly, it is declared
here, any one with the Administration
y. X. Tammany leaders have already
held out an olive branch to Mr.. Roose-
velt, not realizing the impossibility of
his accepting the place Their objec-
tlons to Mr.. Polk were no stronger
than to Mr.. Roosevelt.
Watch Polk in your study of the
New York gubernatorial situation ;,
was the advice given to me only yes-
terday by a Western official of the
Democratic National Committee.