The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-02-04

PATRONAGE FORMS RIDDLE.
Senators and Other Officials Worried
Over Cabinet Question and the Doubt
That They Can Take Care of Patron
age In Their District-Probems to
Be Met Soon.
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.


especially when one hasn't anything to
worry about personally. 1t is amusing
to watch everybody and everything
pertaining to the new administration,
all in doubt, all wondering what will
happen; all wondering who will be in
the cabinet; no one sure of anything;
no one sure that he will be able to
handle patronage in his state or dis
trict.
In fact, we are approaching the
great unknown" The enigma Of
politics will be upon us in another
month, and if things go along as they
have since election people will not
know much more about what is going
to happen than they did three months
ago.
And Why Not?
Getting right down to it, why
shouldn't the new president preserve a
silence if it suits his purpose? There
is no occasion for him to announce a
lot of policies or to promise this man
or that man a place under his admins
tration. Perhaps he has been able to
get great deal more information
about the cabinet timber available be-
cause he has let other people talk and
has not said anything himself. But it
has the effect of making people in the
national capital wonder They have
had nothing like it before
Where Are They?
Colonel Goethals rather startled COL
greSs and the country when he said
that $4,000 troops would be necessary
to hold the Panama canal in case the
United States lost command of the
sea. And the question naturally arises,
Where can that many troops be OBJ
tanned? There is no great disposition
to increase the army to that extent.
Denounces Extra Session.
Congressman Towner of Iowa has
printed long speech on the subject of
extra sessions of congress. He points
out that the constitution provides for
such sessions for extraordinary" rea-
sons. Reviewing different extra ses-
siOns. he shows that in most instances
"eEtraordinary" reasons really existed
for such sessions. Down to the close
of Clevelands administration there
had been only ten such sessions called
during the history of the government.
Beginning with the first Mckinley
administration, when a session was
called early in March to revise the tar
if, TOwner shows that all the subse-
and were called for political purposes
rather than extraordinary" necessi-
ties of the government.
No Necessity at Present.
Mr. Towner points out that the pres
ent prosperous condition of the coun-
try, with ample revenues, with no
panics, with everything in the best
possible condition, there is nothing
save the desire of the Democratic par
ty to get at tariff revision to call for
an extra session. Extra sessions" he
says, "called for political purposes to
serve party ends have never brought
satisfaction to the executive, credit to
the administration or benefit to the
country"
He therefore advises the triumphant
Democracy to avoid an extra session.
He ridicules Governor Wilson for de-
Gliding in November that an 'eXtraor-
| binary" occasion existed for a session
of congress in April when there was
a three months session of congress
soon to be held.
Is 1t a Lack of Patriotism?
Great efforts have been made to OBJ
tain Monticello as a national shrine,
! The Daughters of the Revolution have
grand place in Washington, and
there are many other evidences of
reverence for things of the past shown
in this city. But the old Francis Scott
| Key mansion, the home of the man
who ninety-nine years ago wrote the
"Star Spangled Banner" is being torn
down, because there is no means of
preserving it. The owner of the prop
erty wants to put up more profitable
building, so the old place has to go, 1t
has been a landmark in Georgetown
ever since the last war with England.
A Conductors Observations.
On a car leaving the capitol the
conductor had to rouse a man from his
reading in order to get his fare. The
book was a very new looking Bible,
and the man was deeply engrossed,
"That's the first time," said the con-
ductor, that ever saw a man coming
away from the capitol reading Bible,
and l have been on this line for TWEEN
ty years."
A little later the conductor came
around again: "See that man in the
front right corner?" he asked. "Well,
he's wearing a Grand Army button and
his left arm is gone. Over opposite him
is a man with Spanish war button
and his right arm is gone, This is sure
a strange crowd I'm carrying this trip"