New-York tribune., 1918-05-06
Advocates of Temperanc.
Meet in Albany to Con.
slider Plea to Governor
Fight in Own Rank.
The Rev. o. r. Miller cors
dent Federal Amendments
VIII Be Approved
Especial Dispatch to The Tlbune,

Especial Dispatch to The Trba.e5
ALBANY, May 5.-The drys -
gathering here tonight for the bi,,,,t
temperance conference held in II.
state in years. tomorrow morning th.v
will assemble in the auditorium Of Il.
Young Mems Christian Association On
North Pearl Street to determine if th,y
will request Governor Whitman to call
an extra session OF the Legislature
The conference, as exclusively an.
nounced in The Tribune last Mcaasv
was called by Mrs. Ella A. Boole. presi.
dent of the Women's Christian Ten.
perance Union and chairman of il.
Allied League for Civic and Moral Bel.
terment of New York State, under
whose auspices it will be held.
All the big temperance and prohbi.
tion forces in the state will be repre-.
sented and the meeting will be watched
by politicians Of beth parties with
more attention than they have paid ID
any other purely non-political gathsg.
ing ia years.
Seek Amendment Vote
The objective o. the drys. is ratihca.
ton by the Legislature of the pro.
posed bone dry amendment to the FeG.
eral Constitution. 1t can be said with.
out fear of contradiction that hardy
a politician in the state wants to see
an extra session of the Legislature 70,
this purpose. Prohibition with The
vast majority OF them is taboo. They
don't want to discuss it. And thsy
don't want the Legislature to be wor-
ried by it again.
One reason. if not The sole reason
why the Legislature adjourned on
April IS, instead OF week or two
later as originally planned, was to pre-.
vent the results of the vote in the
thirty-nine upstate cities where local
OPTION elections were held from forr.
ing the straddling legislators from the
dry rural districts into the camp Of
the ratificationists. 1t is the generx!
belief Of the drys that had the Legis.
lature sat another week it would have
been forced by the local option vote to
ratify the proposed bone dry amend
ment.
Split Among Drys
But when the drys meet here TO-
morrow the split between the majority
of the temperance and prohibition
bodies and one OF their number, the
Anti-Saloon League. which developed
during the closing hours of the Leg
islature, will have assumed the pro.
portions of an unbridgable chasm.
The split was caused by the chsrss
made by the Rev. o. r. Miller, ofhs
New York Civic League. that agents d
the Anti-Saloon League had betrayed
Ill h, y,rn& "a
join them in giving their moral sup
port to Senator George F. Thompson
and other drys who were trying 10
caucus the Republicans subject.
Indications that tomorrow confer
ence will be a stormy one for tins
at least was evident from the attitude
of the Rev. Miller and other extreme
drys who insist that the only thing
for them to do is to petition the Co..
ernor to cali an extra session. William
II. Anderson, superintendent of the
AntiSaloon League, of all the big tenls
perance and prohibition leaders, alone
takes the opposite view. MIR. Ander.
son, who knows how adverse the Gov.
ernor is to calling an extra session,
says that the motive of those behind
the conference is to embarrass the
Governor.
Not Trying to Embarrass Governor
barrass the Governor" said Mr.. Miller
''is an error. l don't know of a per
son connected with any Of the organ.
cations in this movemnment who would
want to embarrass the Governor. Hs
is for prohibition. and since he has
been in the executive chamber he has
proved himself our best friend But
believe that We should act upoa
this matter Immediately. The reasca
for calling the extra session now y
that we have the enemy Oh the rua
and should keep after him. The liquef
interests have everything TO gain By
delay, while we have everything 70
loss"
Speaking OF the possibility of tho
Legislature ratifving the Federal bcrs
dry amendment in the event OF ms
Governor calling it back, M Miller
said:
"We are certain of success. We ars
virtually certain of twenty-five votes
IN the Senate and everybody concedss
that if the Senate passes the bill ths
Assembly will. I know of mors than
dozen Assembiy1nen who weIe
against us who are now quaking ~
their boots and want an extra session
called, thar they may have a chance @
square themselves with their coastltu'
cnts.
Sure Of Getting Needed Vote
81 feel sure we can get the one
needed vote in the Senate. II ss
Governor calls an extra session -
viii issue the call six weeks prior
the date of conveniag That will g!ss
US time in which to conduct the pg
gest whirlwind campaign in the ds.
tricts Of six or seven Senators who
were against ratification, but wnoss
districts went dry in the local opusa
elections last month" u.
Among the organizations which x'n
be officially represented here te,mos
row are: The Woman's Christian Ten
perance Union, the Prohibition parry,
the Dry Federation, the Law and orass
Alliance, the Good 1einplars, the osp'
bath Day Alliance, the Civic Leagus
The Anti-Saioon League, the Ssa.s
Sunday School Association and ss'-
lous church temperance societies,