The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-30
BREACH is WIDER.
Kansas Delegation Is Apparent
ly Hopelessiy Divided.
Patronage Question Draws Fac
lions into Disagreement.
BRISTOW SHOWS HAND
Has Postmaster Appointments
in Two Places Held Up.
W. T. Vernon Gives Up His
Plum Tomorrow.
BRISTOW SHOWS HAND

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30.-Things are not
going on smoothly in the Kansas dele
CATION in congress. The days have long
ago passed when the delegation use to
meet regularly at dinner once week
and discuss ways and means to effect
legislation for the interest OF Kansas
or discuss appointment matters for the
state. Those were harmonious Jay .
But. not so now. There is a great deal
of strife within the delegation, lnsuc-
Rencv and regularism won't mix on ap-
nointnent matters at least There rs,
in fact. no concerted action OF the
delegation as a whole on any matters
of states interest nowadays, not even
much general friendship existing. |Iney
are badly split-the two factlons-o 'al an
matters and all things.
There is nothing new in the sltuatlol
over the patronage question betWeen
Senators Curtis and Brlsto"- Buu lii0A'7
IS something new in the patronage
question as far as concerned the NELL Ell
bers from Kansas in the mousse. liz
state Journal the other day gave pup
Iicitv to the charge that Senator Bris-
to- at the instance of Congressman
elect Mitchell, insurgent of the Seconu
district was holding up the reappo1nt-
ment OF Postmaster Hill of Lawrence
until after March 4, so that Mi Mltcn-
eli could name Editor Finch of the
Lawrence Gazette postmaster OF thaC
CITY The terms of Postmaster hosue
at Olathe. and Postmaster Warlng OF
Ottawa will also expire before Marcn
4 They have beer. recommended ny
+he department and Congressman Scott
for reappointment. 1t is. unoerstoou
that Mr. Bistow, at the instance Oh M.
Mitchell. will have these appointments
-, h. "a
Postmaster John Skinner of Winf1eld
and Postmaster Armstrong of Councll
Grove have been nominated py the
president for reappointment. but the':
nominations have been put IN corr
storage at the request OF senator BITS
tow. Just what charges he mas mace
or will make in these two cases is not
known. but he has asked the senate
postoffice committee to hold them up
for investigation 1t is believed In the
instance of Postmaster Armstrong, the
Kansas senator desires to have the IN
surgent congressman who viii succeed
CONGRESSMAN Miller after March
name the appointee.
In the case of Postmaster skinner at
Winfield, it is thought that Mr. Brls-
tow has a grievance against that o.
fetal for having opposed him for the
senatorship. In fact, the story is COM
n only talked about among kansans
that Mr.. Bristow intends to oppose
every postmaster who comes up for re-
appointment that worked against his
election as senator. 1t is understood
that Mr.. Bristow has his eye particu-
larlv on numerous postmasterS in the
Fourth. Fifth and Sixth districts, as
well as a number in the Second
The senate has confirmed the follow
ing Kansas postmasters: James Frey
Enterprise; George Gilman, Madison;
Harry NJ Leslie, Robinson; James S.
Alexander, Florence; w. L. Biddle,
Ieavenworth: Connie Collins, Barnes;
Thomas w. Dare. Gardner; John A
Davidson, White City; William Free
burg. Courtland; Horace Q. Lathrop,
Blue Rapids.
The postoffice department has reap
pointed Simeon o. Ward postmaster ut
Sharon. and William o. McCurdy at
Sitka.
William T. Vernon, colored, will re-
linquish his $4,000 year job as register
Of the treasury on the last day of this
month Just what he will do in the
future is not known; in fact, he says
he does not know himself just where
he will cast his lot. Because he was
strongly identified with the interests OF
Senator Curtis and regularism in gem
eral, Governor Stubs and others of
influence in Kansas politics, made it
1ngton job. but that of president of the
Quindaro Industrial school for colored
children. He is q bright and capable
man. and there are not a few here who
believe the administration will provide
for him in the future. because of his
strong political following among the
colored race in Kansas Missouri and
other middle western states.
Congressman w A Calderhead made
a strong plea in the house the other
day in behalf of protecting the lives of
railway mail clerks, and it was largely
on his plea that the house adopted a
provision in the postoffice appropria-
way companies to provide steel cars for
the carriage of mails. In part Judge
Calderhead said:
81 have paid close attention for the
last four or five years to the condition
of railway mail cars. have ridden
IN a good many of them. have OBJ
served that it is not to the credit of
the government, or to the railroads,
either. that the railway mail car is
usually the poorest car in the train.
Upon all the branch lines the railway
mail car is usually an old, wern-out
freight car that is rebuilt and is di-
vided into a compartment car for the
purpose of carrying the mail in one
end and the local baggage in the other
end. Express companies will not make
contracts for cars of that kind With
in the last three years 1 have kept a
note of all the railway accidents where
clerks were killed, and in every in
stance where there was head-on col
ifsion and a wooden railway mail car
it was the railway mail clerks who