The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-12-28
PRESS AGENT AN ISSUE

RESS AAatHi AN tStt
ppssAus.A ls. ctoped e. with. ,QefylHg
La. IN Allowing Bieha2 to ~
( ;ssae Du$ies Despite Senate.
The Aataaaa Constitution prints the
following from its Washington CORE
spondeut Despite the fact tAat hs
anDoiptusnt as canal commission is
not q recess appointment, and nuSt'
therefore, bs confirmed by the senate
before it becomes effective, Joseph
BuckNn Bishop, the late lamented
press agent Of the canal commission,
and personal friend OF President
Roosevelt, has assumed his duties OF
commissioner. -. ,x> /
If plain English means anything.
this act is in open defiance Of the lew.
Unless all signs are at fault Mr..
Bishops nomination as, commissioners
| will not be confirmed for ,seTera!
weeks, and there is more or less cea-
son to believe that it will not be con-:
frmed at all.
Notwithstanding this. he is prepars
Ing to; Move hto the Offices occupied
by tho oener.6onmIssfoaers Z Ha ooa-
siders himself a fullaedged 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 o.. $4,000 a. year,
Mr.. Bishop was a 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 at
variance with the law Furthermore,
members Of the senate, republican as
we'll 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.
fed cases, is forbidden by law, 50 it
's not plain that Mr.. Bishop can Ie-
gally draw $500 as canal commits
ssoner, and $1,000 as secretary, in or.
der to bring his salary up to the s1o,-
/ 000,. to- which Mr.. Roosevelt thinks he
Is entitled because Of his more or
less obvious qualification as a canal
Mr.. Bishop is still drawing bis SAL
ary at-the rate OF $4,000 a year, al:
though Senator Hale's promise given
some days ago that the press bureau
was to be abolished was understood
to carry with it the assurance that
MI. Bishops salary was to be reduced
to $4,000, the statement that the mat.
ter would have to be adjusted by the
committee on interoceanic canals be-
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
OF congress If necessary. There is
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 canal
work, and the chances seem to favor
the success Of these efforts.
The appointment OF Mr.. Bishop to
commissionership in the face of the
notonsty given him as ten thousand
dollar 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-
fend his actions, feel that this ap-
pointment must add materially to thei.
Embarrassment.