Revolt Squashed

Thomas E. Dewey decided that New York's Acting Lieutenant Governor Arthur Wicks was unfit, because of his visits to imprisoned Labor Racketeer Joseph Fay (TIME, Oct. 12). Promptly, Dewey called a special session of the legislature to boot out Wicks as majority leader and temporary president of the state senate. The Dewey forces thought that they had ihe support of nearly all the 37 Republican senators. But Dewey's quick-kick attempt was blocked.

The G.O.P. senators, pained at such blunt tactics against one of their own, wavered and weasled and, after an unhappy, three-hour meeting last week, reached a face-saving compromise: Wicks would be allowed to resign sometime before the start of the next regular session Jan. 6. Wicks continued to preside as the senate passed a legislative reapportionment bill and moved toward adjournment; not a word was said on the floor about his removal.

In the face of this challenge, Tom Dewey laid down an ultimatum: if Wicks did not resign before adjournment, Dewey would call the legislature back into special session and start impeachment proceedings. At this, Wicks gave in, although still claiming that his honor stood undimmed. He was resigning, he said, because "I was going on vacation and I felt I didn't want to have the responsibilities of the offices . . ." Said Dewey: ". . . I asked Senator Wicks to resign. He has now done so, and the resignation speaks for itself."

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