Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-12-29
PRESS AGENT AN ISSUE
Preslaent Is Charged with DefyIng
Law in Allowing Bishop to AS
sumo Duties Despite Senate.

The Atlanta Constitution prints the
following from its Washington CORE
spondent: Despite the fact that his
appointment as canal commission Is
not a recess appointment, and must,
therefore, be confirmed by the senate
before it becomes effective, Joseph
Bucklin Bishop. the late lamented
press agent of the canal commission,
and personal friend of President
Roosevelt, has assumed his duties OF
commissioner.
If plain English means anything,
this act is in open defiance of the law.
Unless all signs are at fault, Mr..
Bishops nomination as commissioner
will not be confirmed for several
weeks, and there is more or less rea
son to believe that it will not be COLI
firmed at ALL
Notwithstanding this, he is prepar-
ing to move into the offices occupied
by the other commissioners. He con-
siders himself full-fedged member
of the commission, and is now acting
! in that capacity. For some time prior
to his appointment as literary secre
tary and press agent of the commits
sion, at a salary of $4,000 a year,
Mr.. Bishop was newspaper writer,
and in that capacity printed many
complimentary things about the pres
ident. This seems to have made him
solid" as the saying goes.
He says that two senators have told
him that it will be all right for him
to act as commissioner from the day
his appointment went to the senate.
but that advice obviously is directly AZ
variance with the law. Furthermore.
members of the senate, republican as
well as democratic, are beginning to
talk very frankly about the two salary
schemes proposed in connection with
Mr.. Bishop. -
The holding of two Offices by the
same person, except in certain speci-
ned cases, is forbidden by law. so if
is not plain that Mr. Bishop can Ie-
gally draw $500 as canal commits
sloner, and $4,000 as secretary. in or
der TO bring his salary up to the $40,
eoO, TO which Mr.. Roosevelt thinks he
Is entitled because of his more or
less obvious qualification as a canal
builder
MI Bishop is still drawing his sal.
airy at the rate of $4,000 a wear al
though Senator Hale's promise given
some days ago that the press bureau
was TO be abolished was understood
10 carry with it the assurance that
Mr. Bishops salary was to be reduced
10 $4,000, the statement that the mat
ter would have to be adjusted by the
committee on interoceanic canals ba
ing considered a mere formality.
so intense is the feeling in the mat.
ter that certain senators are prepared
to fight the confirmation of Mr.. Bish
op to the end of the present session
Oh congress if necessary. There I,
also the best of authority for the
statement that an effort will be made
to SO amend the Spooner act as to give
congress the right to fix the salaries
OF all those connected with the cana
work, and the chapoae see = ~ ->-(O1
:, - 0I CneSe efIOrtS
The appointment of Mr.. Bishop tc
commissionership in the face of the
notorlety given him as ten Thousand
ooiiar press agent, has aroused con.
siderable feeling in the senate Ad.
ministration senators who have STOOD
consistently loyal to the president and
at every turn have endeavored to de.
lend his actions. feel that this an
pointment must add materially to their
embarrassment.