The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-06-05

head and tail of a political mares
nest. At least goodly number OF
statesmen in Washington are whet,
ting their dirks and getting out
their trusty weapons OF attack for
him. They have it in for Mr. Hitch
cock and are preparing TO sink deep
their shafts of revenge. TO go a bit
further, several of the lawmakers
have already pinned to the stabbing
board, the grand Old rarty's' chief
dispenser of federal patronage in both
the senate and the nuuse OF repre-
sentatives. The whole situation, Of
course is brought about by democrat
ic control of the house. insurgent ag-
gressiyeness in the senate, and. ac-
cording TO a view taken by one of
Mr.. FItchcock's personal friends.
lust natural cussedness Of the pro-
gressives.'
From the house comes the insist
ent demand OF democratic committee
leaders for revenge on account of
treatment received while they were
unimportant members of the house
under republican domination. In the
senate. Insurgents and progressives,
as well as few republicans, have
rolled up their sleeves for a lively
scrimmage. In fact. in all ways, Post
master General Hitchcock's next few
months of official life will be about
as lively as if he undertook the her
culean task Of reading all the post
cards sent through the mail
He is now spending the spare mo-
ments Of his time figuring out the
next years postal deficit, planning
a presidential campaign in behalf
of William Howard Taft, getting
things in his office in shipshape for
the investigation of his department
by a democratic committee of the
house and incidentally preparing sta
tistics for the use of the postal
rate commission, OF which Associate
Justice Hughes of the supreme court
of the United States, is chairman.
Added to these few things the group
of inQuring statesmen are lining up
with a list of searching questions
lust to make sure that Mr., Hitchcock
is earning the $4,000 year the gov
ernment is paying to him as men,
her of President Tafts cabinet.
Mr. Hitchcock expects to receive
a few jolts from the senate post
office committee. of which Senator
Jonathan Bourne is the new chair
man. Mr.. Bourne would resent deep
ly an insinuation that he is second
in his distaste for the postmaster
general His speech of February 2S,
last, in the senate, in which he
roundly and severely denounced as
bribery the use of patronage power
for the purpose of influencing legisla-
tion and politics, stands as the
classic of parliamentary "sllinning"
for the decades.
Upon the floor of the senate, he
openly charged that such use of fed
eral patronage was bribery, quoting
the bribery statute. He charged that
it constituted a violation of the con-
stitutiOn and quoted passages of the
constitution in supper of his conten-
ton. He stated that it violated the
presidents oath of office with its
pledge to support the constitution,
Another Thorn in rne side of the
postmaster general is Senator Bris-
tow of Kansas. formerly fourth as
sistant postmaster general, and p
man who knows the postal business
from start TO finish. His particular
hobby is furnishing arguments to
either republicans or democrats for
the asking, showing that the present
postoifice department management
does not know its business. He also
is on the senate postoffice commit
tee, and it is naturally inferred that
these two men will keep Mr.. Hitch
cock busy for some time.
In the house conditions are similar
Representative Moon of Tennessee,
the chairman of the postoffice com
mittee, no admirer of the postmaster
general, is getting up sufficient data
to keep Mr. Hitchcock on the qui
vive. On the committee of eXpendi-
lures in the postoffice department,
the republican members seem to have
been selected by reason of their an
tipathy to Mr.. Hitchcock, while it
is quite evident that the democratic
side was selected for the same pur-
pose.
Representative Austin of Tennes-
soc, adherent of the old Brownlow