New-York tribune., 1918-05-14
Rochester Organization
Men With Aldridge in Op-
posing Attorney General
To Work for Whitman
Candidacy of Governors Op-
ponent Attributed to Barnes,
Ward and Quigg
lSpec,qi Dispatch to The 7rsouno

tSpeo,qi Dispatch to The Tr7bune)
ROCHESTER,, May 13.--Despite its
$4,000 inhabitants and the number and
beauty of its palatial homes and drives,
Rochester is still somewhat colloquial
The Republicans here refer to George
W. Aldridge, the veteran Republican or
ganizaton leader, as ''Uncle George"
and when it comes to discussing the
question of the hour-the candidacy of
Attorney General Merton E. Lewis, who
aspires to the Governorship-the or
ganization Republicans say pretty
much the same thing and pretty much
in the same way--that "Mert is in for
spanking"
The Attorney General is no longer q
boy, for he ran as q candidate for
Mayor of Rochester back in the '90s,
but he is referred to as "Mert" Lewis,
and they call him the same name up
in the town of Webster. in Monroe
County. where he was born in 1861.
Not only will the so-called organiza-
tion men in Monroe-those who train
with George w. Aldridge, and most of
them do-earnestly endeavor to admin
ister spanking" to the Attorney Cen
eral but they will make the punish
ment drastic. At least. that is their in
tention. They expect to start in this
week on the task of carrying every ward
IN the city of Rochester and every
town outside for Whitman in the pri-
maries on September 8.
Sorry for Lewis
II am very sorry that Mr.. Lewis is
allowing his name to be used as a
candidate" said Mr.. Aldridge TODAY,
80 far as l am concerned, | am. as |
stated last week, uneQuivocally in IA
vor OF the nomination and election of
Governor Whitman. l shall give nv
unqualifedly support to, and conf,
IDENTIFY look forward for the nomina-
tion and reelection by a large majority
of the present Governor"
The phraseology, "Mr. Lewis is al
lowing his name to be used" did not
escape the attention of the faithful.
1T was interpreted as "vitriol," as
doubtless 1T was intended to be.
Mr. Aldridge's telephone was busy at
brief intervals all day long. From
reported to him on the impression
made by the announcement by the At
torney General that he was a candi
date for Governor.
The Aldridge men attribute the nom-
ination of Mr.. Lewis to the influence
OF William Barnes, of Albany; William
L. Ward, OF Portchester, and Lemuel
+. Quigg, of New York They link up
WITH W.T. these men other potential anti
Wadsworth, Jacob Livingston, of
Brooklyn; Senator Elon R. Brown. of
Watertown, and they include a new
name, that of W. B. Thompson. Of
Westchester, the copper magnate, who,
tney assert, has political ambitions.
and who is counted on now as a finan-
c'ai backer OF the Attorney General.
First Primary Battle in Years
The coming battle at the primaries
will be the first one in the Republican
primaries in Monroe County for years.
In the twenty-three wards of the city
of Rochester there are 35,944 enrolled
Republicans. and in the nineteen
towns outside 9,756, and in all those
towns and wards there is not an "anti"
organization, the Aldridge men easily
dominating every one Of them. The
bulk of the Lewis support, so far as
Monroe County goes, the Aldridge men
assert, will come from the Republican
liquor dealers and brewers. They are
to meet this week to plan for the pri-
maries and election. 1t is understood
that the local liquor men will work in
conjunction with the hotel mems asso-
citation of the state.
SO completely is the Republican or
ganization committed to Governor
Whitman that the local papers to-day
found it difficult to get interviews in
dorsing the Attorney General.
Wed like to believe that Lewis could
split the Republican party in Monroe"
said William H. Tracy, chairman of the
Democratic County Committee, "but it's
too good to be true. Aldridge has the
votes for Whitman sewed up in bag,
ana 1t would take a stronger i'll wind
than this one to blow more than a
harmless few out of it, l don't believe
tnat Lewis can make more than dent
IN the Aldrldge line. suppose that will
hold good for the rest of the state, as
Monroe is the Republican stronghold"
Lewis's Conferences
The sequence of events leading up to
the Attorney Generals decision to be
candidate was given to-day by "a
man on the inside" On Friday night,
the last thing before leaving Manhat,
tan for Rochester. Mr.. Lewis had
conference with William Barnes. Pre-.
vlously he had conferred with William
l.. Ward. On Saturday here at home
ne called on George w. Aldridge, who
went to some length to dissuade him
from being candidate.
III ,ooludy AFTERNOON Mr.. Aidridpe
and Mr.: Lewis mad another talk--the
last. All the consequences of the con-
tem,plated step by the Attorney Cen
eral were weighed. But the die al.
ready had been cast. Mr.. Lewis had
written to various leaders in the state
telling them of his decision, so that
the final talk with Mr.. Aldridge had no
particular bearing on the ultimate ac-
ton. 1t is understood in Rochester
that If the Attorney General is beaten
In the primaries he will engage in the
practice of his profession in the City
Of New York and probably move there.
Now that the battle is on the AL
bridge men are on sharp lookout for
news both for and against their cause.
The statement Of ex-senator William
III. Bennett in The Tribune to-day gave
them JOY. They said that it confirmed
their contention that the Attorney
General would immediately be tagged
with the Barnes Ward-Quigg label and
that it would stick to the end of the
primary campaign.