El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-26
WASHINGTON

Isn't Growing Worse The AarF
cultural Department Making d
Mess Of Handling the Weather.
Government Thedter PROPOSE
ton proVokes Lots OF Fun
Minor Matters That Are Not So
Funny.
Special Correspondence of the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, May 19.-The senate
i5rubbing it's metapborical head in an
effort to find out whether II 1sn't an
escaped scene from G.lbert-and-Sul.
livan opera, full of cross purposes and
minced logic. And all because OF
Clark of Montana, who has succeeded
In mixing up those legal babies In q
most sinful manner. Tomorrow the
senators, placidly walking to church,
as lie the senatorial custom OF Sun
day, are likely to put more time and
thought into trying to follow the in
And-out windipgs of his case than they
will devote to Undergraduates and
supralapsarianism and infant baptism
and such like topics. II the legisla-
ture of Montana last January made q
legal selection of Clark as senator,
then he was able to resign and the
governor of the state could legally ap-
point his successor and could appoint
him to succeed himself. But If the
legislature didn't legally choose him,
then following the precedent of the
Quay case, the governor couldn't ap-
poiut since he has only the power
OF filing vacancies and there
is no vacancy If the
Legislature does not appoint and there
by, inferentially, decides that it does
not want to be represented. But the
senate did not formally pass upon the
question whether Clark was legally
chosen or not although it meant to ex-
clude him and since he resigned his
Office it Is day or so after the fair to
do It now. II he was chosen he could
resign and be re-appointed;ifhe wasn't
he couldn't. But in accepting his re-
signation the senate by implication &C.
knowledged that he was legally chosen
since no man can resign from an Office
which he doesn't hold. But this isn't
VIC Gnu Va GliC PAiSoshohs Oihi - |
was not re-appointed by the governor,
Smith, but by the lieutenant governor,
SprIggs, acting as governor; while the |
governor has since appointed another |
man, Maginnis, q Montana man who |
belongs to q fine old Creek family. |
And Spriggs was out of Montana |
when the Clark resignation was baud |
4 t,,,% Lot, alx mi
cident tai rush and made out the papers !
In due form before the former could get |
home. But the legality of this is ques-
tionable.
So Clark was or wasn't senator be-
fore last Monday when he resigned or
tried 10 resign aud couldn't, and was
re-appointed Or wasn't re-appointsd but
got brand new appointment right out
OF the box. or wssn't appointed at all,
and he ls now senator or he isn't
senator and Maginnis Is, or neither OF
them is, or any other way you like to
figure it out.
Clark is very wealthy mau-people
here call him the ''million-a-
he Is able to pay for
and get the best legal advice there ia.
Which he has undoubtedly done.
Anyhow he has pulled off the oleverest
political coup known in years. There
Ia something beautiful about the
with which his resiena-I
ion preceded the action of the senate
,pou his contested case, coincided
With the unexpected absence of Gov
srnor Smith from Montana and WAS
by the abrupt return of
Sprtggs in the nick of time. Still the
'enate is staid and slow-movinR body
md it does't like coupe.
There is an unusual epte-csmpaign
ull in politics just now. Both sides
eem afraid to say anything much l
bout anything except to "point with
,ride'' to their records. The only
hing stirring much now Is the Boer
delegation which has just arrived in
cwn. escorted by most of the mental
ight-weights in Washington. What
hey are going to do isn't mapped out
ret hat l notice the weather bureau
!as issued predictions of continued
heavy breezes ia this neighoorhood
md warned shippers on the Potomac
hat they will meet adverse winds in
approaching town.
Talking about the weather, we
year go far. Somehow the weather
,ure III seemed TO do better work when q
& was run by the army and before the ',