New-York tribune., 1919-03-14
Accused of Promising Anti
Primary Bill in Exchange
for His Traction Measure
Independents Believe 1t
Allegations Made by Citizens
Union Denied by Cover
nor and Speaker Sweet
Staf Correspondcnce

ALBANY. March 13.-Formal charges
that Governor Smith had entered into
a bipartisan deal with Thaddeus c.
Sweet, Speaker of the Assembly, and
Senator j. Henry Walters, president
pro TEN of the Senate, were made by
the Citizens Union to-day.
The charges, which were denied by
the Governor and Speaker Sweet-Sen-
ator Walters was not in town-did not
come as a surprise. Within the last
three days legislators of an independ-
ent turn of mind have been charging
that deal was on. One of the most
prominent men in either House said
to-day:
"The secret conferences between the
Governor and Walters and Sweet are
creating situation which may result
in an open revolt of the liberal Repub-
licans in the Senate. There is little
hope in the Assembly, for it is conduct
ed in steam m-roller fashion. Sweet and
Walters are using their Republican fol-
lowers as pawns in their private con-
Not True, Says Governor
The charges were contained in a
statement issued by Walter T. Arndt,
secretary of the Citizens Union. When
The Tribune correspondent showed the
statement to Governor Smith he said:
There is not word of truth in it
In view of the fact that / know Mr..
Arndt and know him to be man of
ability, / feel that his statement was
deliberate, cold blooded and purely
political to the last degree, and was
evidently issued to justify his position
with the Citizens Union"
Arndt charged that the basis of the
deal was an agreement on the part of
the Republican leaders to give the Gov
ernor his bill remaking the New York
City Public Service Commission on con"
dition that he would sign the bill re-
storing the convention system of nomi-
mating state tickets and candidates for
the Supreme Court.
The Governor was asked il he would
comment on the charge that he had
agreed to sign the convention bill.
81 don't care to discuss it,, because
it is my belief that no such bill can
pass the legislature. Therefore, | can't
see why | should have anything to say
about it," he replied
Other Questions Fail
Other questions failed to get the
Governor to commit himself on the con-
vention bill.
Arndt, in his statement issued on be-
half of the Citizens Union, said in part:
ut has been many long day since
the state has seen such bald deal
disclosed as that reported on the au-
thority Of the Governor yesterday. We
have had bipartisan deals before CON
cocted in the quiet corners of the leg
islative halls. Here is one arranged
in the Executive Chamber and promul-
gated by the Chief Executive The Re-
publican leaders promise to give him
his Public Service legislation
Plainly speaking, that legislation is
ripper legislation. The ripper charac-
ter. consists in getting rid by legis-
lation of the present office holders in
order that new men may be apponted
TO their places. The chief reason is
not that there is really anything wrong
with the present law, but merely that
the present water-logged and bank
rupted traction interests, crowd OF
hungry Tammony contractors, and the
Hylan administration cannot get along
with the existing commission and get
""9y WIN ti4HBS dS easily as they
would like.
Has Troubles Enough
when the Republican leaders went
to the Governor in regard to the re-
storation of the state convention he
tried to persuade them to put it off
for another year. He had enough trou-
ples, he said But the Republican
leaders were insistent. They needed
the state convention resurrected right
away How else could they save Jim
Wadsworth from the wrath Of the
women suffragists and the Prohibition
lists in their party?
Here was the basis for deal
Each party wanted something that the
other could give and wanted it badly
It was only a question of time and a
little nerve"
Speaker Sweet characterized the
Arndt statement as a malicious at
tempt to mislead the public" He said
there: was not "a single thought in |,
based on actual facts"