Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1914-01-22
Editor Monroe Wafchman /:

ElILOf MONROE W aLcumAu
/ notice that All President Wilson
appointments in West Virginia are cor
'poration DempcEats Is there one Of
them who didn't fight his nomination
bitterlyl Didn't Senator Watson and
Senator Chiffon oppose his nomination
We're they not at Baltimore fighting
him7 But is there man yet appointed
who wasn't Watson and Chiffon man7
As far as can see every Wilson man
has been turned down. Haa Woodrow
Wilson no gratitude : During the cam
paign Of 1919 read where it was stated
that he was ungrateful and cold. that
he had no appreciation of what his
friends did for him; but didn t believe
it then. Must say it looks like it now,
though Have we been fooled again 7
Why does he take up now with the very
ones who did their best to keep him
from being President? They fought
him because they said he was too much
of Bryan man and wouIl drive all the
big corporations against US. Now he is
taking up these same fellows and put
ting them in Office, and those who helped
to put him where he IS are excluded.
This don't look right It looks one
sided and unfair. to say the least Of it.
What is the matter with our President?
Why should he build up Chiffon and
Watson machine of officeholders in
West Virginia. especially when that
crowd did all they could to keep him
from being nominated? for one don't
understand It, and-ff he Keeps on at this
he is going to hurt the party and hurt if
| bad DEMoCR Ut.
Our correspondent, itthemain. states
the facts correctly, as far as he goes.
he is right tor. when ne says III t The
one-sided distribution OF the pstfonage
is likely 10 hurt the party; but h. Isl
wrong in concluding that President
Wilson is ungrateful,
| 1t is true that Senators W -tsol and
Chiffon both opposed The nomination of
Woodrow Wilson. Senator Watson. we
believe, was the lirgest si,tgla contri
\ utor in the country to the fnancing Of
Speaker Clark $ camp tigr ii 1912 He
and Senator Chiffon were 30 h active
at the Baltimore conventim t., hold the-
West Virginia delegation-ip the Clarke.
column long after it was apparent that
the Speaker could not be naminated.
4 though it was at Senator WatsDn's i'm
stance that FIVE of his followers joined
the Wilson mel On the delegation on
the And ballot when the end of the
long contest was already in sight. II
is true that-every man appointed 10
Federal office of any magnitude II
| West Virginia by President N'il9o,i is
close friend and supporter u S ma
tors Chiffon and Wa son. and that every
Wilson man las been rejseted.
But whatever the seeming injastice
of this. 1T docs not foll3w that Presi
dent Wilson is either undutiful or I'M
egratefuL Be it remembered that the
Senators have claimei from time i'm
memorial the prerogafive of recon-
mending ard virtually controlling the
Federal patronage 1t is the cost e
.tionsof the U. S. Senate that it is a
| part of the sppuiu ing power. inasmuch
as that body passes on every ponina
ton made by the President. and has
the right to confirm or rel ct Control
of the patronage, to a vesy great. exs
a tent, has therefore been assumed by
the Senators who have been habituated
to expect that thei- recommendations
j shall bave determining influence with
the President. Any serious dePar ure
from this rule bias Invariably caused
friction between the President and
members Of his party in the stnate. Il
i was Pres dent Taft's withdrawal of
patronagefrom the contr,l of the pro
j gressive Republicans Of Congress which
was a large factor in making his Adj
minisration a failure and effecsing the
organization OF tbs Progressive party
. Mr.. Taft punished those who opposed
him but in so doing he tore his party
asunder
4 Now President Wilson came into
office very definitely pledg d to.cer tain
great legislative reforms. He found
among the members of the House ard
/ Senate upon whom hemu%t depend some
who were accredited with but languid
. friendship for these proposed reforms
:. and who had strongly opposed his nori-
nation. Suppose he had made war up
on these by disregarding their asserted
| prei ogatiye of patronage control. what
would have become of his legislative
, program? The President found West
| Virginia represented in the almost even
II ly balanced Senate BY Senator Chiffon,
i who was frankly an anti Wilson man
until after the Baltimore CONVENTION
had made its nomination, as of cour$ {
/ he had right to be, He recogniz d
IL the West Virginia Senltor as an impor.
tant factor in the situation, a co-laborel
j whose active support he must have il
4 his legislative program was to carried
: into effect. Was it time for him te
81 fan into fame the dying embers of the
I ante-convention strife aud to provoke 8
quarrel with Senator Chiffon over the
/, PATRONAGE? We think not.
Il President Wilson has put first things
.ERrst. His primal duty was to secure
i If possible the enactment into law Of
: 1.-THE great reformatory measures te
which his party was pledged, and in &C
5 complishing this he has bad to work
] with such tools as he found at hand
i | The patronage is secondary, and this is