New-York tribune., 1918-06-03
Bennett Followers
To Put Up a Third
Ticket in 10 Days
Former Senator Expected
to Head Slate Opposed to
Whitman and Lewis
Governor Is Attacked
Attorney Generals Campaign
Beaten Before 1t Began"
Says Statement


third ticket will be named with,
ten days at a conference of RepubE-
cans from all parts of the State who
are opposed to the condidacies of Gov
ernor Whitman and Attorney General
Merton f. Lewis, former Senator Will
lam NJ. Bennett declared yesterday.
Farmers. business men and consum.
ers will be represented on the ticket.
and while Mr.. Bennett would not dis
cuss the makeup of the slate, Republi
cans generally believe that Mr. Ben
nett will head the ticket
"An active campaign of the Who'll.
State will be made by the men on this
ticket during the last two weeks OF
July and the month of August" said
Mr.. Bennett, "and, knowing the temper
of the people, predict the nomina-
tion and election of every man on this
ticket"
The campaign will be conducted on
the plan originated by United States
Senator Hiram Johnson in 1910. when
he made an automobile tour of Cali
fcrnia and beat the Republican ma
chine candidate for the nomination for
Governor. In that campaign Senator
Johnson practically lived in an auto
mobile, visiting nearly every town and
hamlet in California and speaking in
each of them.
Statement Attacks Whitman
Strength was lent to the belief that
the ticket would be headed by Mr..
Bennett by his announcement that
third ticket would be placed in the
field. This statement was largely an
attack on Governor Whitman, although
it also dwelt on Mr.. Lewis's short
comings as Mr.. Bennett sees them.
"moneybund" he raised against Mayor
Mitchell when he defeated him in the
Republican primaries last fall. accus-
ing the Governor and Mr.. Lewis of be-
ing backed by some wing of the
moneybund," and in his attack on the
Governor he used some of the language
familiar to those who followed his
primary fight against the Governor two
years ago.
"The candidacy of neither Governor
Whitman nor Merton E. Lewis appeals
to the Independent Republican voter"
said Mr.. Bennett. Both are striving
to line up discredited county leaders
on their respective sides. This EN-.
phasizes the necessity for conference
on the part of sane Republicans to Sc
lect proper state ticket for the Re-
publican primaries, which after nomi-
nation will command the respect and
appreciation Of the voters
Ignorant of State Finance
"On the one side we have Governor
Whitman, who spends less time in the
Executive Chamber at Albany than
Mayor Mitchell spent at the City Hall
in New York City. Governor Whitman
/ started mis- career as Governor by max
ing mistake of many millions in the
financial statement which he included
IN his tirst message to the Legislature
1hls ignorance of State finance, which
startled the whole State has character
lied Governor Whitman's administra-
ton ever Since"
Mr.. Bennett then attacked the Gov
ernor for failure to recognize the i'm
portance OF agriculture" and said his
sole attempt to encourage it consisted
of the purchase Of few tractors.
Having broken his promise to all
, those who have had dealings with him."
state with the novel spectacle of de-
grading the state chairman of the Re-
publican party into $4,000 clerk in
back room of the Governors Office,
where he has to punch a time clock
every time he goes in and out and
Governor Whitman has done this in :.
order that he might be sure that the
state chairman should not break faith
with him as he himself does with
others
Repudiated Direct Primary
governor Whitman repudiated the
direct primary last fall by supporting
an enrolled Democrat Tor Mayor of til,
City of New York, and he has shown
himself to be a fifty-fifty Republics
while he has devoted 100 per cent o.
his energies trying to build up a per.
sonal machine in order to bring about
his nomination for President in 1920"
+ With regard to Mr.. Lewis's candi-
dacy. Mr.. Bennett said:
The difficulty with Mr.. Lewis is
that he thinks the hands of the clock
can be turned backward He thinks
backward. When Mr.. Lewis announced
that he was against woman suffrage
he sounded the death knell of his can
didacy He cannot possibly beat Mr.
w nlIman and sooner or later viii
be withdrawn by his hackers. either
absolutely or in favor of another can
didate. His campaign was ended be-
fore it began"
After characterizing Mr.. Lewis as .
reactlonary candidate. Mr.. Bennett ac-
cused the Governor of catering to the
Bolshevik- Socialist invasion ''by taking
up the idea that the state should 20
into private business in competition
with its citizens"
Mr.. Bennett said that the candidate
on the third ticket would he nledged
to resist the effort which is being
made by ''the sentimental rich and the
boishevik element to destroy the mid
die class.
Many regard Senator Benefits lat.
est plunge into state politics as an
indication that Supreme Court Justice
Cropsey is out of the running Sena-
tor Bennett has been trying to per,
suade Mr.. Cropsey to be candidate.
He tried also last fall. But at the last
moment Mr.. Cropsey decided not to
run and Senator Bennett made the
light himself But the only effect the
entrance of third ticket can have on
-