Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-11-17
No Pleasant Task.

matter rather gingerly.
No Pleasant Task.
These appointments are not pleas
ant things to handle and sometimes it
is very nice and convenient to let mat
ters drift along for awhile. Two years
ago when the United States marshal
and the internal revenue collector
were to be appointed the matter was
nursed along for quite awhile. The
| illness and absence of the late Con-
gressman Rumple delayed the matter
! for some weeks and then when Mr..
| Rumple did come to Washington it
was found that another congressman
| had suddenly left town the night be-
| fore Mr.. Rumple arrived There is
no excuse for delaying this judgeship
appointment however and the men-
bers OF the delegation are grittings their
4 teeth and going at it,
Conference Next Thursday.
4 They will eo.pe togcther in the first
real skirmish ThliIaas asy afternoon &,
! Senator Allson's committee foom it
may be the final one, but hardly likely
| The. first conference last Friday was
! painfully formal and polite. The pro-
gram consisted only of the formal pre-
1 sentation OF each candidate and every
4 body said nice things about everybody
else but each the incest about his
particular favorite of course.
The Nominees.
Judge Thomas offered the name of
Craig Wright of Sioux City. Judge
] CoDnor. Thomas Healey of Fort Dodge
r,f M
l Cousins, Thomas 3. Dawley of Cedar
Rapids, Judge Birdsall Longueville
OF Dubuque and Senator Allison pre-
sented the name of VIM. Healy Mr..
4 Allison has not expressed his ideas.
Every congressman has his candidate,
4 That Wright and Healy are the strong
est candidates seems generally UNDER
stood but too strong a fight between
them would likely shake the plum in
to one of the other waiting laps All
, OF the applicants have presented much
, matter in the way of endorsements and
these are to be carefully considered.
The task will be complicated by the
fact that there is considerable d1pli-
cation. Many men have given strong
, all the candidates.
A strange but iron-ciad custom in
the senate is that which makes it in
: cumbent upon every senator to 20
, through the form of calling on each
one of his senior colleagues. 1t is
. done by mail. When congress con-
venes each senator puts his card in al
: little envelope and addresses it to all
!, the members of the senate who have
VI hppp "a fI,,,, I,,, I,s,e.
: He receives their cards in return. He
also receives cards from those senator's
, who are newer than he is and after get
. ting them must send his own back.
The matter was being discussed by q
e group in Senator Allisons committee
u room the other day when a large pack
y age of brand new engraved cards
We're delivered. L never knew just
$ why this was DONE" said Mr.. Dawson,
; private secretary to the senator, but
. it is an unwritten rule that must not
u be broken. Mr.. Allison being the sem
9 ator OF longest continual service in the
senate is the only member of the body,
who does not have to send out sin,
n gle card until he has received one from
II his colleagues"
g The first real vote on the Cuban re.
d eiprocity matter will be taken today,
h and then it will not be vote on reci-
g procity itself but on the rule which is;
Q to accompany the act. This rule which
1, has been concocted by the committee
II on rules to go with the reciprocity
K bill limits debate and forbids the of.
d fering of any amendments to the meas.
d ure This is for the purpose of block,
ing any game Of harrassing and delay
that might be instituted by the demo
ei Gratis and opponents of the bill. The
i vote will be a test vote in a way The
e. democrats will vote against it and the
% republicans for it and of course it will
le carry There are some republicans
le however, who are going to take adj
II vantage of this situation to keep their
v records clean. These are the republi
IL can members of the house known as
le insurgents who voted against Cuban
70 reciprocity when it was up and helped