The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-06
THE ONLY REMEDY ALAS, POOR CRUM ::
BY Having no Recess the
Senate Cooks His
Goose.
(By the Associated Press.)


Washington, Dec By the manner of
adjourning the House today the extra
session of the 5Sth Congress will expire
by constitutional limitation Monday, when
the regular session Will begin. This elm
mates the possibility of a recess between
the two sessions and opportunity for the
President to renew his civil and military
recess appointments. Such appointments
as have not been confirmed by the Senate
during the extra session must be renewed
in the form of nominations, which in effect
are but recommendations and do not be-
come effective in any case until confirmed
by the Senate.
In effect this action will denote General
Wood from his present rank of Major
General, to which the Senate has not con
firmed him, to the rank of Brigadier Gen
eral, which he held prior to August last
1t also will denote, in like manner, 167
army officers who were remoted respect
lively to fill vacancies caused by the pro-
motion of General Wood. The important
civil appointments include William D.
Crum as Collector of Customs at Charles
ton, S. c.; Charles P. Mclelland as a men,
Der of the Board of General Appraisers of
Merchandise at New York, and T. " Nc
Allister, of Vicksburg, as Receiver of
Public Moneys, all of whom are serving
under recess appointments, the effect be-
ing to vacte their present positions
AS Collector Crum's recess appoint
ment has thus been terminated and the
situation in the Senate has been such
that his confirmation is dispaired Of the
nj no of arIo
will remain vacant until the expiration
of the next session of Congress, unless
the President select someone else for this
place and the nomination is confirmed by
the Senate
While no official representation has beer
made by the Senate to the House, sew
eral informal conferences have been held
between the leading Republican Senators
and Speaker Cannon. In these confer
ences the Speaker has stated that the
House had no constitutional authority
over executive appointments or confirma-
ti&4S and that if the creation OF re-
cess was necessary to take care of such
matter the Senate should have taken Off
cial action looking to adjournment of the
special session by concurrent resolution.
In the absence of such a movement the
Speaker said he hould not interfere in
any way in the expiration of the extra
session by constitutional limitation.
MI of the nominations, including army,
navy and civil appointments, made by
President Roosevelt during the extra ses-
sion and which have not been confirmed
by the Senate will have to be renewed at
the regular session. 1t is expected that
these nominations will be transmitted by
the President Monday next.
At the War Department the officials are
not quite so clear in their minds as to the
exact status of the military officers whose
nominations have failed of confirmation.
There is a disposition to take the point
of view that between the expiration of
the present session and the beginning of
the regular session there will necessarily
be an appreciabe but practically infinite
ismal period of the time when there is
no session and consequently Congress is
technically in recess. and it would be
within the power fthe President to
make recess appointments to continue
during the next session unless otherwise
disposed of.