New-York tribune., 1920-03-14
Move, to Kill
Anti Saloon
League1n Inquiry
Friends of Speaker Sweet,
Fearing Reaction, Prepare
to Have Assembly Recon-
slider Anderson Fight
Easy Way Out Sought
Facts on ''Dry" Leader May
Be Turned Over to Dis
trict Attorney for Action
From a Stor corresnord.nt


ALBANY, March 13.-In the last few
days there has been a decided abate-
ment in the desire Of Speaker Sweet
and his friends for an investigation Of
William H. Anderson, superintendent
OF the Anti-Saloon League.
Ten days ago Speaker Sweet and
Majority Leader Simon Adler, an
nounced that the investigation would
go on and that nothing would stop it.
But the Speakers enthusiasm has
waned.
Unless Speaker Sweet, who controls
the situation, is propped up, he will
tall down on the proposed investigation,
which was ordered by the Assembly
two weeks ago by vote Of 81 to 81.
The Speakers friends here-and thew
have grown since it became known that
ne cleaned up little more than 81 ,OOO,-
700 IN one stock transaction last sum
mer-bclieve that if he lets the investi-
CATION go on. it will injure him POLITICAL
looking for sono way of dropping the
investigation and at the same time saw
ing his face-as they have been trying
hard to do for weeks.
One way out of the difficulty which
has occurred to some of the Speakers
advisers, and which may be nut into
effect, is to turn whatever facts they
can dig up on Mr.. Anderson over to the
District Attorney Of Albany County
May Let Prosecutor Act
The only way in which the Assembly
judiciary Committee can dodge the re-
sponslbiity of investigating Nh Ander-
son and his associates in the league
with view to determining f the
league or its officers, technically or
otherwise, violated the corrupt prac-
tices act or the legislative law relat-
ing to lobbying is for the committee
to report to the Assembly that there is
nothing for it to investigate. or to sug-
gest that the local prosecuting officer
investigate the actions of Mr.. Ander-
son and his associates.
But to pass the buck" the Assembly
would have to reconsider the vote by
which the resolution ordering the in
vestigation was adopted.
The day after the resolution was
adopted Speaker Sweet and Majority
Leader Adler said that no such move
would be made and that the investiga-
tion would proceed. Yet in the last
thrsr or four days here there haze
UeeIl eVlUelCeS Oh q move TO fecOnSluer
and then kill the resolution on the
floor of the house.
Assent blyman Louis NJ. Martin,
chairman of the judiciary Committee,
which is charged with the duty of
conducting the investigation, expressed
the opinion recently that the invest tiga
ton should be conducted by the local
prosecuting attorney if by any one.
Others who are close to Speaker Sweet
even have gone further. and declared
that the best thing for Speaker Sweet
would be to wash his hands of the en-
tire investigation.
CuvilIier Given Credit Now
Then Speaker Sweets friends, who at
first were shouting that Sweet should
get all the credit for the investigation,
are now passing the word that it is not
Speaker Sweets investigation, but As
semblyman Louis Cuvillier's.
This last, of course, is said with
tongue in cheek. for Cuvillier is a
Tammany man, and while he introduced
the resolution, it could not have been