The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-11
Democrats ThrOng Washing
ton in a General Rush.
Closed Door at White House
Causes Inconvenience.
AN EFFORT TO LAND KANSAN
Some Sunflower State Man for
Assistant Cabinet Job.
Vic MurdOck Has Experience
in Paying Duty on "Gold."

Washington, March 11.-Office-
seekers have their elbows planted
firmly on the pie counter. President
Wilson's ban on the political hungry
has made a general rush to depart
ment heads and members of congress.
The chief walters on the pie-hungry
crowd have been the Democratic ma
tional committeeman. Those brave
enough to remain after the executive
session of the committee found them,
selves besieged by applicants for all
sorts of jobs.
The officeseekers are still here in
throngs. They are about the only
visitors left of the inaugural crowds.
The slam of the "open door" disap-
pointed them, but has not appeased
their hunger, which has grown shar-
per and keener through sixteen years
of abstinence.
Now they have planked their ell
bows on the counter, and will stick
until somebody "comes across OF
course, this attitude and the closed.
making life rather miserable for the
department heads and for the nation
al committeeman, but they are all
taking it as the fortune of war-and
are remembering that little judicious
patronage here and there, and now
and then, means good Democratic
votes two and four years hence.
Much interest is taken in the ques-
ward the national committeeman.
After Mr.. Wilson was nominated he is
said to have informed his political
friends that he did not want the
members of the national committee
to mix in appointment matters, that
he desired the committee to devote
its time to building up the party or
ganization in the various states He
let it be known at the time that he
intended that members of the house
and senate should settle all matters
of appointments. That power he
thought. ought to be delegated to
them Since coming in the White
House Mr.. Wilson again indicated that
this method of handling the patron
age question would be the rule. He
further stated that his various cabinet
officers would make all appointments.
In other, words, he does not desire to
be pestered with job hunters He
wants to give over his time to matters
OF state and let his cabinet settle all
patronage matters.
SO far since entering the White
House, President Wilson has not open
1y stated his position with regard to
what is expected of the national com
mitteemen. No one knows what his
desires are on this or any other sub
jects until he gets ready to talk about
them himself. However, It is expected
that he will sooner or later indicate
Just what he expects of the national
committeeman. In the meanwhile
the various members of the commit
tee are busy in making recommended
tons.
Colonel Bill sapp, national commit
teeman for Kansas. has been in town
several days and has had much COM
munion with the politicians and is very
active in appointment matters.
Colonel Sapp and Congressman Joe
Taggart of Kansas did much Logging
to land Professor Waters of the kan
SaS State Agricultural college in the
Office of secretary of agriculture but
their efforts failed. 1t is understood
that an effort will be made to land
some Kansas man in at least one of
the assistant cabinet jobs.
No Duty on Brass.
Congressman Victor Murdock of
Kansas not long ago toured Mexico
with a party of newspapermen from
the states, he being a pencil pusher
when not working at politics. In Te-
hauntepec, an Indian village on the
narrow neck in southern Mexico, he
one day wrangled with a native wom-
an for an hour and finally induced her
to sell him for eight dollars a string
of gold beads for which she originally
asked twelve. He didn't need the
money, but he had lot of fun out of
the native woman.
Having finally made the purchase
he was inordinately Iroud of his beads,
for, it was alleged, the gold for them
had been mined from the deposits
owned by those Indians and the beads
had been fashioned by their own
workmen.
When the party approached the
Texas border the majority of it's mem
bers showed little disposition to pro-
duce the various trinkets they had
purchased, but Vic Murdock, having
had hand in framing the tariff laws,
insisted on declaring everything he
had and paying duty on it.
He had shown his opals and blan-
ketS and silks to the authorities and |
had been soaked good and hard for
them because of the annoyance of COL |
lecting on such small things. Finally
he dug up the beads from a vest
pocket.
That's all right said the customs
official, wearily-
But I want to pay duty on the
beads" insisted Vic. The sched- !
That's all right" again pleaded the
agent.
'On an ad valorem basis" continued
Murdock. "I should pay
It's all right, I tell you,'' cried the |
customs agent. You got 'em in Te-
huantepec, you paid eight dollars, but
their value is nothing! They're brassi" |
Then Vic subsided.
Taggart a PHILOSOPHER.
Congressman Joe Taggart, of Kansas,
is a man brimnning with epigrams and
bits of philosophy-if he chooses to |
spring 'em. He is a modest chap and I,
doesn't show his goods to everybody; ]
but occasionally he pulls out a small |
sample within sight of all.
The other day somebody was talking |
about a certain congressman who has a |
way of getting all "het up and making |
a great to-do over accomplishing small |
things
yes said Mr. Taggart, "the fellow |