New-York tribune., 1919-04-16
Democrats of State Senate
Talk IL Hours to Pre-
vent Adjournment of
the Legislature Saturday
Then Sweet Calls Caucus
Eighty Members of Assem-
bly, Agree to Back Speak
er's Fight on Legislation
From q Staff Correspondent

ALBANY, N. Y, April 15.-Thad-
deus c. Sweet, Speaker of the AS
sembly, at caucus of the majority
tonight, forced eighty-two assembly,
men to stand with him to prevent the
passage of the health insurance bill,
the minimum wage and other measures
in the so-called welfare legislation.
This action was taken after sue
cessful hlibuster on the part of "the
Senate minority. aided by four insur-
gent Republicans, to prevent the adop-
ton of the resolution to adjourn next
Saturday.
The filibuster lasted nearly seventeen
hours. 1t started at nine o'clock last
night. At that hour Senator J. Henry
Walters, majority leader, who is also
opposed to the welfare bills, finding
that three of the Democratic Senators
were absent, moved that the Senate
concur in the Assembly resolution for
adjournment of the Legislature next
Saturday.
Senator James A. Foley. minority
leader, pleaded with Senator Walters
saying that it was a Jewish holiday
and that the absent Democrats were
in New York City, observing the Feast
Of the Passover.
Walters insisted on putting the mo-
ton, however, and Foley, fencing for
time, moved to postpone consideration
for day.
This started the filbustering, and
for the next six hours the minority
talked against time. Meanwhile Sena-
tor Lynch was brought from New York
on a special train. When debate or
longer under the rules, Senator Wal
| no u
then started a new filibuster, and each
Democrat, as his name was called
spoke for half an hour.
For the next eleven hours, unit
Senators Sutherland and julius Miller
the last named the only one observ-
ing religious holiday arrived, the
filibuster continued. Then q vote t(
postpone consideration for still an
other day was carried.
Voting with the Democratic minority
were Senators George f. Thompson, OF
! Niagara, and Fred NJ. Davenport, OF
| Oneida.
While the Senate got four hours
sleep Speaker Sweet called the Assem-.
bly, majority caucus. Ninety members
were present. Eighty submitted to the
Speaker, while ten bolted. The in
surgent Assemblymcn are Joseph Stein
berg, William w. Pellet, Wilfred E
Youker, James II. Caulfeld, Solomo or
Ullman, Herman Weiss and John c
Hawkins, of New York City; John w
Slacer, Erie; Charles Nevin, jr, West
chester; Frank l.. Gardner, Duchess.
"The Assembly, unless the insurgents
inthe Senate and the majority consents
to an adjournment on Saturday, viii
recess on Saturday and keep on recess
ing every two days until the Senate
consents to adjourn" said Speaker
Sweet.
Republicans Issue Statement
A lengthy statement concerning th'
Republican caucus was prepared in tn,
Speakers office late tonight. In par
it said:
"The alliance of four Senator'S, elect
ed to represent the traditions and pro
mote the principles of the Republican
party, with the Tammany Democrats
resulting in the passage by the Senat
of the Democratic programme, make
it necessary for the Republican mem
bers of the Assembly to stand togethc
in defence of those constitutional prln
ciples which protect the right of prop
erty and the freedom Of action of in
dividuals.
Never in the history of the stat
have its people struggled with such
burden of taxation as that which the.
now are bearing. 1t is a time when ou
people should be allowed to gathe
themselves and to recover, so far a
possible, from the tremendous strain
put upon them by taxation and tn
handicaps cast upon individual enter
prise.
"The Republicans of the Assembl,
and the greater majority of the Repub
licans of the Senate refuse to be brow
beaten or blackmailed into supporting
programme which we believe to b
a violation of the fundamental princi
pies Of Republicanism."