New-York tribune., 1920-04-12
Smith May Call
Extra Session
Of Legislature
Act by Governor Would Ne
cessitate Special Election
i'm Districts From Which
Socialists Are Ousted
Bound to Act on Bills
Effort Will Be Made to Cir
cumvent Sweets Attempt
to D dge Measures
From q Sta6 cornespondsnt

OOVTSSQOWUENL
ALBANY, April 11.-The Legislature
will start tomorrow night on the last
two weeks of its session, as present in
dications are that the Senate will
amend the Assembly resolution to ad-
journ on the 18th so as to provide for
adjournment on the oath.
But there is every possibility that
Governor Smith will call a special ses-
sion.
Under the law 150 Assemblymen must
be summoned for an extra session.
which would necessitate special cleo
tions in the five districts which elected
the ousted Socialist Assemblymen.
Claessens, Orr, De Witt, Waldman and
Solomon.
The Governor has been advised by
his friends that if the Legislature
lodges, as Speaker Sweet and his clique
want it to dodge, some Of the big ques-
tions pending before it he should cali
special session.
The principal questions which Speak
er Sweet and his friends want to avoid
action on are:
l. The Governors reconstruction pro-
gram.
2. The Governors proposals for solv-
ing the housing shortage.
8. The "wet" and "dry" question.
Tries to Prevent Action on Bills
In this last Sweet is trying to pre-
vent not only action on the numerous
wet" bills, especially the Walker Gil
lett $50 beer bill, but wants to stave
on action on the Anti-Saloon Leagues
dry" enforcement measure, introduced
by Senator George F. Thompson, of
Niagara, and Assemblyman John Slacer,
find some way of lodging the issue on
the two resolutions introduced by his
Tammany aid, Assemblyman Louis A.
Cuvilier, which aim at putting Will
lam H. Anderson, head of the Anti-Sa-
loon League, into Jail.
The latest suggestion for relieving
Sweet from responsibility for these
measures is to have the Assembly
Judiciary Committee report out reso-
composed of five Assemblymen and four
Senators, to investigate Anderson At
q secret meeting of the Assembly Ju-
dietary Committee last week it was pro-
posed that an appropriation of $50,000
be made to carry out the investigation
Such resolution would never pass
the Senate, although Sweet could get
his vest pocket majority in the Assem-
bly, to pass anything. That the Senate
would refuse to have anything to do
with such a resolution is known to
those behind this latest bit of "buck"
passing. But it is the best suggestion
yet offered to enable Sweet to get out
of the dilemma, and it may be adopted.
Housing Bills To Be Assailed
On the housing situation, the Gov
ernor has a program of legislation,
which he submitted on March 26. He
accompanied it with a special m ssage
urging the passage of his bills, which
were drafted by the reconstruction
commission. In the message he de-
clared that the anti-rent profteering
bills passed by the Legislature and
later signed by him were only of tenn
porary benefit; that the housing crisis
was serious and of long standing, and
that only constructive policy for the
future could give real relief. Among
the measures proposed was one estab-
fishing state fund to stimulate build
ins by long term loans to home build
ers, and another creating local housing
boalds in all communities Of 10000 or
more, which would be subject to control
by state housing commission. This
by the Sweet clique.
The Governors reconstruction pro-
gram is also doomed. The principal
features of this would center response
blllty in the Governor, reduce the num-
Der of elective state officials and con-
solidate existing bureaus.
All these measures are of Republican
origin, having been proposed at the
Republican controlled state Constitu-
tional Convention in 1915. They have
been indorsed by leading Republican
ho Of hot H.,
numerous other Republicans of the
caliter of Charles E. Hughes
Work on New Legislation
To meet the demand for some sort of
legislation along these lines, so that
something will be acceptable to Sweet,
the Senate Republican leaders are now
at work on legislation which will be
introduced this week. One Of these
measures has already been introduced.
1t proposes, by amendment to the Con-
stitution, to abolish the office of State
Engineer and consolidate his duties
with that of the Commissioner of Pub
lie Works. The legislation which will
be introduced this week will not center
responsibility in the Governor, but in
the Legislature, since it is intended to
provide that the heads of the various
bureaus shall be elected by the Legis-
lature, and not appointed by the Gov
ernor with the consent of the Legis-
lature.
To date the Legislature has done
nothing of constructive nature except
to pass the anti-rent profiteering bills.
More than $500 measures have been in
troduced The actual number of bills
introduced in both houses up to yes
terday was 9,249. About TOO of these
are companion measures. Of the bills
introduced 315 have been passed and
less than 150> have been signed by the
Governor. He vetoed four. None Of
them, with the exception of the rent
bills, is of more than passing interest.
Tomorrow night the Lusk-Sweet-
Newton bills for establishing censor