New-York tribune., 1918-05-03
Albany Politicians See
Chances for Anti-Whit,nan
Move Fast Decreasing
Sweet Goes Fishing
Speaker Leaves Word There
Is Nothing Doing" as to
His Candidacy
BY Charles T. White


ton Z. Lewis. of Rochester. George w.
Aldrdgc. the veteran boss of the Mon
roe County organization, applied the
frost treatment to the boom. following
it up by assuring Governor Whitman
yesterday that the Whitman men would
hear little more Of it.
Following the wet and dry election
in Syracuse. in which the vets, aided
largely by we'll known Republican or
ganization leaders, smothered the drys
with wet majority of between 1000
and $4,000, there was sudden revival
of gossip among the anti-Whitman men
around the state about picking a can
didate to beat the Governor in the pri-
maries.
Lieutenant Governor Schocneck and
Ex-Governor Horace White made no Sc
cret of their conviction that the Re-,
publicans were in a critical condition in
Onondaga County on account of the wet
and dry fight. Ever since the local op-
tion election pressure has been used
upon the Governor to convince him it
will be suicidal for the Republicans as
an organization in the coming Cover
norship campaign to favor the dry
cause in any way. simultaneously with
this pressure came suggestions from
the friends of the Attorney General,
who carried the state last fall by 150,-
600, that it would be a good thing to
get utterly away from the wet and dry
issue by uniting upon a new candidate
for Governor, thus avoiding the third
term issue and enabling the Repub-
licans to meet the enemy with a brand
new Candidate for Governor and with
various new names on the Republican
state ticket.
Lewis Boom Halted
The Lewis boom scarcely got started
before it was overtaken by Uncle
George Aldridge, who, according to in
formation received from Rochester to-
day, made it perfectly clear to the
friends of the Attorney General that the
boom must be put on the shelf for
moro propitious occasion, and that Mr..
Lewis ought to be happy if he succeeds
himself as Attorney General.
ticians who drop in at Albany to see
the Governor and swap news is that the
season for the springing Of anti-Whit-
man booms is fast drawing to a close
and that if any one is going to make
real fight against the Governor he will
have to hurry.
At the close of the legislative session
Speaker Thaddeus c. Sweet told his
close personal friends both in the AS
sembly and Senate the demands from
his friends had become so insistent
that he become a candidate for the
nomination for Governor in the pri-
maries that he had decided to tell
them to go ahead. At least this Is the
way many of them understood him.
But so far as known in Albany, where
political news from around the polit-
ical reservation is reported without de-
lay, Speaker Sweet has done nothing
to get his pre-primary campaign under
way, and to-day news came from Os-
wego that the Speaker had "gone into
the woods" on a fishing trip, to be gone
for week or two, and that there was
nothing doing" ABOUT the Governor
ship boom.
Spring Booms Languish
That is about the way all the spring
booms have sprung up and then Ian
guished. One of the booms of this
character that looked formidable last
week was the one reported from Wash
iington for United States Senator James
w. Wadswcrth. The Wadsworth boom
apparently has no real foundation, for
nothing is heard of it now. AS soon
as Governorship boom makes noise
the Governors merry men get their
cars to the ground and apply all the
we'll known tests to determine height,
depth and diameter.
From the south now and then comes
q rumble of the boom for George F.
Johnson, the shoe manufacturer, but
the days, are slipping by, the farmers
to spring politics, the boys are going
to the front and the Whitman men are
busy repairing weak spots in the res
ervation fences as fast as they develop.
Ellis ]. Staley, chairman Of the Re-
publican county committee of Albany
County, first lieutenant Of William
Barnes, said to-day the Republicans are
IN q thoroughly harmonious condition
IN n, Albany County, and expect TO elect
me normal Republican plurality in AL
many IN recent years has been about
o,0o0, although in some years it has
reached nearer 10000.
While Mr.. Barnes is not cordial
toward Governor Whitman and would
go INTO combination to elect new
man ma II he saw chance of success, the
w AAA otiietH ADMINISTRATION mas Deen be-
nevolent toward the Barnes organiza-
ton, with the result that the Barnes
men view the activities of the Whit
man men. in bringing about renomi-
nation OF the state ticket with COM
placent philosophy
Favor Convention System
About the only thing the Barnes
men yearn for is the return of the CON
vention system. Chairman Staley, in
voicing the sentiment of the ALBANY
organization with reference to this
matter, said:
"What the Republican party of this
state needs, perhaps more than any,
thing else, is resumption of party
nssemblage, thus giving representation
to the enrolled voters. The conven-
ton plan would enable us to have a
declaration Of principles and a defni-
tion of what Republicanism means in
a period Of changing issues and times"
The Republican party in Troy is har-
monious. There hos been some dis
content in the organization because of
the township school law, operative last
year, but since the repeal Of the law
by the last Legislature, the Repub-
lican farmers apparently are back in
line and ready to vote the regular
ticket. The Democrats in Troy, on
account of the stand of Mayor Burns
for municipal ownership, are, in many
instances, friendly toward the Hearst
propaganda for Governor, but the
leader of the organization, Joseph j.
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