The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-01-05
WASHINGTON
Legislative and Gen
eral Topics from
the Capital.
washington, January 2, 1911.

as the active leader of those conservative
Democrats whose first anxiety now is to
make sure mat Woodrow Wilson, OF New
Jersey does not carry off the Democratic
PRESIDENTIAL nomination next wear.
senator Watson is credited with de-
voting most of his time and generous an.
from his princeIv income 10
this work. He is understood To have the
and in some cases the active
60 operation Of such conservative Demo.
cratic colleagues IN the Senate as Bailey,
OF Texas Summons and Overman, of
North Carolina; Bankhead and Johnston.
of Alabama; Smith. of MARYLAND: Gin
ton, Of West Virginia; Foster and Thorn.
ton, of Louisiana. Martin and Swanson
OF Virginia, and Paynter, of Kentucky.
The aim of these conservative Demo-
Gratis is to hold delegates away from Gov
ernor Wilson by the old device of BRING
ing out favorite sons in those States
where this can be done with any degree
of success. Senators Watson and Chill
ton have already started boom in their
own State for Senator O'Gorman, of
New York. with full knowledge that the
New York Senator is generally regaId ed
as a practical impossibIity for several
reasons. In Virginia it is understood to
be the plan of the conservatives to bring
out Senator Thomas S. Martin, floor
leader of the Democrats in the Senate, at
the proper time. In Indiana the boom of
Governor Marshall is being GoStered, and
it is expected he will prove strong enough
to secure a delegation from his State com
mitted to his candidacy.
The conservatives are entirely conf
dent of being able 10 tie up enough votes
to favorite sons to prevent the nomlna,
ton of Governor Wilson on the first bal
lat in the Democratic National Conven-
ton. and this plan will prove difficult &c
realize, in view of the two thirds rule that
prevails in Democratic conventions,
Representative Oscar w. Underwood
of Alabama, is understood to be the rea
choice of Senator Watson and of most o
those who are cooperating with him 70
the Democratic Presidential nomination
Underwood's comparative youth and tn,
national prominence he has attained since
becoming the leader of the Democratic
majority in the House of Representative
seem to have convinced the conservative
of the parry that he is a more promising
man ia center on than Governor Judsol
Harmon, of Ohio, who at first seem des
tined to be the choice of the conserva
tlveS
Mr.. Underwood's open and emphati
declaration agains. the initiative and rel
endum and the recall has commende,
him strongly to that wing of the party Q
late.
Although Senator Watson has started
in West Virginia a boom for Senate
O'Gorman, of New York, the Democrat
OF the Empire State, or at least of New
York city, do not seem to be giviny
much thought to O'Gorman. Some o
the leading Democrats of the metropolis
are known to be very favorable to Under
wood and a movement is under wa,
there to aid the boom for the Alaban;
leader by means of a regular organiza
ton But it has been thought wise tc
make no open move in his behalf in The
metropolis until his boom has attained
respectable proportions in other section;
OF the country.
Underwood's own State, no doubt
will send a solid delegation to the ma
tional convention for him. and it is hoped
he will also be able to capture the dele
CATION from Kentucky.
But close political observers who have
recently travelled over the South predict
,hat Governor Wilson will go to nexI
years national convention backed by
most of the States of that section. He is
admittedly strong in Georgia, Florida,
Mississippi, Texas, Virginia and even in
Louisiana, where the leaders are nearly
all Strongly conservative, Governor Will
son is native of Virginia and the effort
to tie the delegation of that State up to
Senator Martin as a favorite son will
hardly meet with success.
Rev. George l. S. Hunnicutt, known as
the marrying parson, is no longer au-
thOrized to SolemniZe marriage in the
District of Columbia Justice Barnard
has signed an order revoking The licenses
to marry awarded Mr. HunniCutt Octo-
Der 2S 1910. All marriages performed
by him heretofore are held by the Court
to be valid and binding.
The action of the Court is the result of
complaints made by a committee of local
clergymen that HunnicuIt was never or
dalned, and that he was belittling the
sacrament of matrimony by employing
his office, which he located almost d.
rectly opposite the City Hall
A group of Washington society girls
have forsaken outdoor sports for the fine
arts. In previous years most of the mem
berS OF the smart sci could be found al
most any morning taking a beauty
ride in the parks or on the speedway.
Many of them have forsaken the roads
and the bride paths for the ClaSsrooms
with the CorCoran Art Gal
cry Three mornings each week the
daughters of Cabinet Ministers. soldiers
and diplomats may be found leaning
over easels, with brushes, studying oil
under the tutelage of f. c. Mes
son, head of the Art School.
Miss Townsend. daughter of former
Minister to Portugal; Mis- Hjldrgarde
Nagel, eldest daughter OF the Secretary
IF Commerce and Labor, and Miss Mev-
,r, daughter of the Secretary OF the
Navy. are his pupils.
The members of the Congressional
Club are at war The wives and daugh
ers of statesmen will witness pretty
,attle between insurgents and stand pat
ers. Dissention have been aCcnmulat-
ng for two years, and the club Is prepar-
ng for the inevitable factional conflict.
The proposed revision of the consuu-
ion has brought the controversy to a
llmax. This work has been supervised
~ a committee headed by Mrs Charles
Z. Davis, wife of Representative Davis,
If Minnesota. The presentation Of the
preliminary draft of the revision brought
orth a storm of protest and resulted in
he circulation OF petition characterize
ng some of the changes as "undemo-
ratio and unjust"