The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-09-09
A WILLING TOOL

"A strohg attempt TO play 10 the
Democratic galleries in the hope of
~prolonging his Official life is being
made by Louis J. Cohn, who has
charge of the Federal land office at
Carson. Cohn, who happens to be a
Republican, or at least has been a
Republican for many years, was like
wise appointed to his position by a
Republican administration. When
the Democratic national administra-
tion was elected last November, Cohn
fell in line with the administration
and eve since he has been playing
Democratic politics. His efforts to
curry favor with the powers have re-
suited in his turning down his old
party.
Shortly after President Wilson en-
tered the White house it was announc-
ed that certain official printing would
be given only to the Democratic press,
Notwithstanding the laws w-.ch make
no discrimination of politics. In this
connection it may be well to refer to
the printing of mineral land patents,
or the publication of notices wherein
forest land is thrown open to entry.
The regulations provide that the no
tees shall be printed in the news
paper nearest the land in question.
Tho appI;cotion FOR m;naral lanl no+
ents is not really government print
ing, for the applicant foots the bill.
However, Cohn has made a strong at
tempt to hold on to his job and in
numerous instances wherein the appli-
cants have designated the papers in
which their advertisements were to be
inserted, the Carson official has sent
the printing to a Democratic news
paper.
Such action is coercion. 1t cannot
be construed as anything else. And
coercion on the part of the United
States government is something never
heard of heretofore. 1t would be the
same thing as the government desig-
mating the United States mineral sur
veyor who was to make the survey
for the patent. There is not the sight
est difference IN either action, nor is
there a distinction. Yet, Cohn is not
troubling himself as to the right or
wrong of his attempts to ingratiate
himself into the good graces of the
powers at Washington, and is saving
wood like a good little boy. He is
making a strong play to hold on to the
job that allows him to feed at the
public trough, but his efforts will
prove fruitless. He is now styled as a
t~urn-coat, and it would be a poor par
ty that would welcome him into the
ranks. According to rumors, Coin
came near being a Progressive when
it appeared that Roosevelt had a
good chance of winning, and it is
stated that certain correspondence be-
tween Cohn and the former Progress
citO AC6uCA III 1hcuO Will Ittedl LQlS
fact. 1t is not the political color of
Coin that is subject to discussion; it
is his efforts at coercion that need be
looked into.
1t would appear that in America,
the land of the free, that a man would
have the privilege of naming the es-
t~ablishment wherein he could spend
his own money, but the recent action
of the Federal government and its
willing hirelings makes this an i'm
possibility. 1t is like the return of
the old feudal system and quite con-
trary to the Jefferson simplicity as is
being advocated so strongly by Presi-
dent Wilson.
Nevertheless, reports from Washing
ton indicate that Registrar Coin will
be retired to private life in the zeal
future, for a man who is a traitor to