New-York tribune., 1921-12-17
1t. Gov. w ood
IoResiggn; Lusk
Slated for Job
Miller Expected to Appoint
Ticket Mate to Supreme
Bench Vacancy Caused by
Death of Justice Squiers
Leadership Row Solved
Revolt Against Cortland
Senator To Be Dropped;
Walton to Take His Place

Senator Clayton r. Lusk, of Cort-
land County, majority leader of the
Senate, will be Lieutenant Governor of
the State within three weeks if the
plans now being considered go through
without a hitch
The program, according to a Repup-
lican leader of national prominence, in
cludes the resignation of jeremiah
Wood, of Lynbrook, as Lieutenant
Governor, who will be appointed imnne-
diately by Governor Mil]sr to fill the
vacancy on the Supreme Court bench
caused by the death of Justice Arnon
H. Squiers, o Brooklyn.
Governor Miller last night refused to
confirm or deny the report.
Lusk Automatically Gets Job
The resignation of Mr.. Wood as
Lieutenant Governor would. make Sena-
.or Lusk, by virtue of his position as
majority leader, Lieutenant Governor,
and as such, the constitutional heir to
the Governorship in the event of the
resignation, disability, absence rom
the state or death of the Governor.
This is provided for in Section of
Article " of the state constitution,
which reads:
"The Lieutenant Governor shall
possess the same qualifications of eli
gibility for office as the Governor. He
shall be President o the Senate, but
shall have only a casting vote therein.
Il during a vacancy of the office of
Governor, the Lieutenant Governor
shall be impeached, displaced, resign,
die or become incapable of performing
the duties of his Office, or be absent
from the state, the President of the
Senate shall act as Lieutenant Gov
ernor until the vacancy be filled or
the disability shall cease"
The succession of the majority lead
er of the Senate to the Lieutenant
Governorship is provided for in Section
10 Of Article Ill of the state constitu-
ton, which reads, in part;
". The Senate shall choose a
temporary president to preside in case
of the absence or impeachment of the
Lieutenant Governor, or when he shall
refuse to act as president, or shall act
as Governor"
Increases in Salary
If the plan go through it will mean
an increase in salary for Senator Lusk
of $500 and for Lieutenant Governor
Wood of SIP 800. AS justice of the
Supreme Court Mr.. Wood would receive
$17,50O He now receives $4,000. Sen
ator Lusk, as a legislator, receives
$1,500
Another angle to the proposed pro
gram is that it is hoped that the ele-
walton of Lusk to the Lieutenant Gov
ernorship will end the fight now being
waged by large number of Republican
Senators to have him retire as major
ity' leader because Of his connection
with the New York City detectives
bill, for which the police raised a slusf
fund. After the passage of the bill
the detectives presented Senator Lusl
with silver service costing S1,132.
The bill, which was originally spon
sored by Mayor Hylan and Police Com
missioner Enright, was vetoed by tn
Mayor after the protests against th
measure became statewide and afte
it was reported from Albany that Gov
ernor Miller would veto the bill if tn
Mayor should approve it.
AS Lieutenant Governor Mr.. Lus
would cease to be leader of the Repub
lican majority. The Republican Sena
tors, in such an event, would undoubt
edly elect Senator Charles w. Walton
of Kingston, majority leader.