Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-27
Significant Story of
Some of Chances
That Have Gone
Glimmering
Maine Fails to Connect With
Any Of Good Salaries


general. but those have gone glimmer-
ing and the place has been given to a
Massachusetts Democrat He is
Charles Warren, son of Winslow War
rem. The place is a desirable one, al
though it is to be said that the sal
airy of $4,000 a year is not very at
tractive to a successful lawyer. as he
must abandon his own practice at
home and take chances on getting it
back again when he is through hold
ing office at Washington.
Senator Johnson sought an ac-
ceptable Democrat for the office of as
sistant attorney general but did not
succeed. There appeared to be no law
yer Democrats in Maine, large enough
for the place, who were willing to
make the financial sacrifice. 1t will be
remembered that w. r. Pattangan
came here in the winter to look over
the office and also to enable the at
torney general to look him over. The
outcome was that Mr.. Pattangall did
not connect with the $4,000 salary. It is
understood he felt he could not af-
ford to make the sacrifice. The assist
ant attorney general must give prac-
tically all his time to the duties of the
office. He can not well run back home
now and then to look after private
business as some of the lawyer men,
bers of the National House may do
now and then.
But Massachusetts Democrats are
getting lions share of the big federal
plums from New England, any way.
Besides an assistant attorney general
they now have an assistant secretary
of the treasury in Charles S. Hamlin
of Boston. Richard Olney of Boston,
ex-attorney general and ex-secretary
of state, was offered the place of am
bassador to Great Britain and later
governor of the federal reserve board,
both of which he declined. Maine Dem
ocrats have been far more loyal to
the administration than Massachusetts,
Democrats but no big plums have
been dropping their way. The way of a
Maine Democrat. to say, nothing of a
New England Democrat, under this
Southern administration is not alto
gether pleasant.
Some doubt seems to exist as to the
present attorney general, Mr. Nc
Reynolds, can ever select a district at
torney for the state of Massachusetts.
He has been trying for months and
appears to be close to throwing up his
hands in despair. 1t took him nearly
six months to select a United States
district attorney for Maine, but Steph-
en- C. Perry has at last been nominated,
confirmed and has qualified so let that
pass
Hugh d. Mcclellan of Boston, ma
tive of Belfast and graduate Of Colby
In the class of 1895. was at one time all
but selected by the attorney general
for this office. Indeed some believed he
had actually been determined upon.
The attorney general, however denies
this and says he had never come to
the point of making recommendation.
That is probably true for 1t is the most
difficult thing in the course of his Of
fetal duties for Mr.. McReynolds to
make a recommendation for a Demo-
crat to an office of district attorney.
He has more trouble making UP his
mind on these matters than on all
other questions before him. Any how
he has dismissed the idea of making
Mr. Mcclellan district attorney.
The Massachusetts, Democrats in
Congress turned out in force to oppose
Mr. Mcclellan, as soon as they heard
he had prospects. AS they had been
unable to get any Democrats of their
own selection accepted they did not
propose to allow anyone else to have
the place. For months and months
these Massachusetts Democrats, of
whom there are eight in the House of
Representatives, had tried In vain. to-
agree among themselves, for which
reason, perhaps, Mr.. McReynolds has
not yet recommended a man to the
President. However, the other day
these eight held a caucus and per-
formed feat. They did actually agree
upon a man, one Michael F. Sullivan
of Salem. Now the interesting thing
is to ascertain whether by their united
endorsement they can put Sullivan
across" AS a matter Of fact many
successful lawyers in Massachusetts,
find themselves unable to accept the
district attorneyship because the sal
airy is inadequate.
Gen. Joseph S. Smith of Bangor. long
a member of the board of managers
for The National Home for Disabled
Volunteer Soldiers, finds that as to his
reelection the Jig is up. He. made a
gallant fight. backed by the endorse
ments of all the Maine delegation in
the House and by all the veterans at
the Togus Home. to say nothing of
very many others. The House Demo-
Gratis got him" chiefly through the
adroit manipulation of Chairman
James Hay of the House military af-
fairs committee, a Virginian.
The House military affairs commit
tee contained majority favorable to
Gen. Smiths denomination. Besides
the Republican members thereof Gen.
Smith had the support of such fine
Southern Democrats as Representative
Kenneth D. Mcclellan of Tennessee and
William S. Howard of Georgia. He
had couple more Democratic votes
in committee. If the matter had been
allowed to come to straight out vote
in the committee Gen. Smith would
have had the recommendation. But
Chairman Hay called a caucus Of the
Democratic members and bound them
to vote for Thomas S. Brigham Of
Buckfield
1t was expected to carry the fight
to the floor of the House and, then, If
necessary to the floor of the Senate
There was supposed to be some chance
of getting the resolution amended SO