Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-20
ROOSEVELT LONG
At ODDS WITH TIGER
Sheehan Senate Defeat in
1911 Aided by Governor
as Legislator.
~ the Associated Press.

ALBANY, N. Y. August 20. - While
Gov. Rooseyelt's call for q special ses-
sion of the Legislature for the purpose
Of broadening the powers of the Hof-
Sta1ter Committee investigating New
York City has been interpreted in some
quarters as break with Tammany
Hall, the real break was 20 years ago.
In 1911, when the present Governor
was serving his only term in the Legis-
lature as a Democratic member of the
Senate from Duchess County. he came
sharply in conflict with the Tammany
organization.
me Legislature that year was Dem
0cratic in both houses. In the Senate
the lineup was % Democrats, 81 Re-
pubIicans and / independent. The
Democratic organize +ioa Senators we're
supporting the candidacy of the late
william r. Sheehan of Buffalo for the
United States Senate to succeed Chaun-
cey M Depew Roosevelt and three
other Democrats. John Godfrey SAKE
of New York, James F. Duhamel of
Brooklyn and Loren H. White of
Schenectady. steadfastly refused to
support Sheehan Without the vote of
at least one of the insurgent quartet
the organization Democrats were pow
erless to get majority vote.
O'GOrman Election Recalled.
The majority leader at the time was
Senator Robert F. Wagner. Daily from
January II until March 81 Senate and
Assembly met in joint session to elect
q United States Senator, but the OPP
position tactics OF Roosevelt and his
associates blocked all efforts TO elect
Sheehan. Finally on March 81, after a
series Of conferences, the Democrats
Withdrew Sheehan as a candidate, and
the solid majority agreed upon James
A. O'Gorman, who was elected
Shortly after completing his Sena-
torial term OF two years. Roosevelt was
appointed Assistant Secretary of the
Navy by President Wilson and served
in that office throughout the Wilson
administration BY 1920 he evidently
had been forgiven by Tammany for
his opposition of 1911, as the New York
delegation to the Democratic National
Convention at San Franctco gave him
its support for the vice presidential
nomination when James M. Cox Of
Ohio was nominated for the presi-
dency. Both went down to defeat in
the Harding Coolidge landslide that
Fall
A year later Mr.. Roosevelt was
stricken with infantile paralysis, neces-
stating his withdrawal from public
life, In 1924, however, he again APP
peared In public lined up with Tam
many Hall, as the convention manager
OF the presidential nomination candi-
dacy OF Gov. Alfred e. Smith of New
York at the Madison Square Garden
Convention -Four years later, at Hous-
ton, he again presented Smiths name
20 the convention and Smith was noTni-
mated on the first ballot.
At the Democratic State Convention
at Rochester, NJ Y. few months
later. Smith, in the face Of considera-
bic Tammany opposition, insisted that
Roosevelt be the convention choice for
the gubernatorial nomination Smith
prevailed and Roosevelt was nominated
without opposition.
Since his inauguration in 1929. Gov.
Roosevelt has not, until now encoun-
tered any overt hostility on the part
Of Tammany. His action in calling
the special session OF the Legislature to
broaden the powers Of the Hofstadter
Committee has been generally opposed
By the Democratic legislators.