The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-03-30
Senator Bailey's Resignation
BY savoyard.

1T is rarely safe to say 70 the well
I win drink no more Of your wa
ter
And so the Hon. Joseph Weldon
Bailey withdrew his daAnboyant and
spectacular resignation-with a string
tied 70 IL Nothing like It had occur
red in the senate since the retirement
of Roscoe Conklin 80 years earlier,
and politicaIdom is not all agreed as
70 whether the Hon. Baileyss theatre
cal exploit was prompted by person
al petulance or by political. policy. or
10th But lawyerdom seems to opiae
that resignation In the civil service
once rendered to the proper author
ity cannot be recalled.
well recolIect that the Hon. Jake
GoIladay rendered his resignation as
a member of the Forty-frst congress
by telegraphic dispatch to John W.
Stevenson, then governor of Ken
lucky, who Indignantly refused to ac-
cept, and Mr.. Golladay sought to
Withdraw II, but it was held that the
resignation was effective and that SIR.
Gonaday was no longer a member oi
congress. was one Of that gentle
mans constituency at the time, and
am quite sure that my memory Of the
I transaction Is not at fault. And il is
logical to say that II one can with
draw a resignation within an hour ,af-
ter 1t is rendered he can recall 1t
within a year afterward- A resigna-
ton works automatically and becomes
potentially effective from the instant
OF time that it is rendered to him to
whom It should be addressed.
There were some curious episodes
attending Mr.. Bailey's resignation. II
appeared to carry dismay into the
ranks OF the Hon. Bailey's political
enemies. Mr.. Jim Sherman. who has
done more to cheaper the ONCE Of
vlco-president of the United States
than all his predecessors in that great
station together. threw At as soon
as he learned that his adversaries on
the Democratic side of that august
sanhedrin were to be deprived OF the
proves Of the Ajax from Texas. and
other standpatters were likewise
stricken with CONSERVATION when
Coriclanus banished himself from the
armies Of their foes.
The vice. president was certainly
guilty of an impertinence when he di-
notice Of the resignation. Indeed, his
action was an affront to the senate.
whose paper It was and had time per-
mitted it is likely that the seante
would have administered another re-
buke to its present presiding officer.
whose conduct makes it imperative
that in 1912 both parties shall name a
f1rst-class man for second place on
each ticket Only a few. Democrats
appeared to be disturbed by the an
nouncement of the resignation, and
some Democrats were impolite enough
TO say IL twas the most popular thing
the Hon Bailey has done in his 20
jority Of the Democratic senator's
we're delighted. whereas every stand
pat Republican was cast in gloom.
What win come of it is somewhat
difaeult to tell; but it is quite likely
that when the senate next convenes
objection viii be made to Mr.. Bailey's
presence as a member.
Mr.. Bailey is public man and
folks have the right to talk about his
oficia1 acts and surmise the motives
that prompt them. He had just
6I4&4Gtc4 = N4ClO1J Wl4Su Oy q vote
Of IS 70 20 the senate had plastered
coat OF whitewV sh on William Lori
mer. successor to Stephen A. Doug
lass and Lyman Trumbull in that
body. As Garrett Davis of Kentucky
once remarked in the United States
senate. "Ye gods. what succession
There are some things in statecraft
reconcile to the common herd, but the
Lorirner case is not one Of them. The
people had tried him and found him
guilty, and even the senate could not
hide the manifest fact that it's con-
cIusion was nothing but a bald
Scotch verdict" The average man
knows that II Lorimer had been in
nocent he would have resigned and
appealed for vindication to the A,000.-
600 free and independent citizens Of
the empire state OF the Mississippi
valley. On the contrary. he acted pre-
cisely as guilty man would act and
y no high-minded man could. But
what else than he did could one do,
whose seat was secured as his was?