The Alaska citizen., 1914-10-12
ROTH MADE A
VICTIM Of
TRICK
DISTRICT ATTORNEY CROSSLEY
AND HIS FRIENDS CAUGHT
IN QUESTIONABLE EFFORT TO
FOOL JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
OF SENATE.
TRY To DELAY APPOINTMENT
A TELEGRAM RECEIVED FROM
WASHINGTON BY THE CITIZEN
SAYS REQUEST FOR DELAY is
MADE DUE TO "CERTAlN PRO
TEESTS."


MADE DUE TO "CERTAlN PRO
TEESTS."
In the interest of District Attorney
| Crossley, telegram has been sent
to the judiciary committee OF the
United States senate, asking that the
appointment OF X. f. Roth as dis
triet attorney be delayed until Ger
tain protests" can reach Washing
ton, which, it was asserted, would
reach Washington about october 20.
| These certain protests it seems,
are petitions that have been circulat-
ed by Crossley's friends in Fairbanks.
and are supposed to have been sent
out on the mail leaving for the Out
side yesterday morning.
! The whole questionable affair
smacks of political trickery and de
ceit. Care was taken to keep Mr..
Roth in ignorance of these Ger
tain protests" thus indicating that it
was feared he would have a chance
to present his side of the matter
to the judiciary committee, which
would be the only open and fair pro-
cedure.
AS soon as the news came that
Mr. Roth would be appointed to Mr..
| Crossley's present position, the lat
ter indicated that he was ready to
| give up the office in dignified and
gentlemanly way, but his attitude in
the matter suddenly changed to one
| of antagonism. Then petitions We're
put in circulation asking for the re-
tention of Mr.. Crossley.
CIRCULATING PETITIONS.
The Citizen has received reports
| that the circulators of the Crossley
! petitions visited homes that We're
| hostile to Mr. Crossley and attempt
ed to get the signatures of the wo
men without making it clear that
| the petitions were for his retention.
But whether these reports are true
or not the fact remained that every
conceivable argument was presented
to show why Mr.. Crossley should be
kept in his present position.
1t was noticeable that the nomina-
ton of Mr. Roth as district attorney
was not confirmed by the senate as
is usually the case within a few
days after the nomination is made.
HIS SdNt IlSt W tiit iN'iiiiS tiiftN
there was some trick being planned
by the Republican hold-over and
his friends. Accordingly The Citizen
sent a telegram to the judiciary com
mittee of the United States senate,
asking for an explanation of the
delay.
THE EXPLANATION
In reply to this telegram, The
Citizen received the following:
washington, D. c., October 8,
1e14-TeIeeram received. A request
has been made that the senate COM
mttee on judiciary take no action
on the nomination of Mr. Roth until
certain protests, due to arrive about
October twentieth, are received.
"A. J. cLOPTON, Asst Clerk
About the time the foregoing tele-
gram was received by The Citizen,
it leaked out that Mr.. Crossley and
his friends had received assurances
from Washington that the senate
would not act upon the appointment
of Mr. Roth until the petitions asking
for MI Crossley's retention are re-
ceived in Washington. This seem
ed to be a satisfactory explanation
for the certain protests" that had
been sent to Washington.
Thus it seems, from what can be
learned outside of the CrOssley con
tingent in Fairbanks, that the com
mittee on judiciary has purposely
been led to believe that the people
here have some serious objection to
the appointment of Mr.. Roth, while
in fact it is only trick to keep the
committee from acting until MI.
Crossley's petition is sent to con
gresS.
|DUPLlclTY EVIDENT.
In other words, the only interpre-
tation that can reasonably be placed
Washington by The Citizen, is that
the Crossley supporters have been
guilty of questionable duplicity: that
they have given the judiciary com
mittee in Washington wrong i'm
preston in the hope that Crossley
can properly mobilize his forces and
make an attack before the unsus-
pecting enemy is aware.
The Citizen does not believe that
this trckery will aid Mr.. Crossley
and his friends. The people at large
can be depended upon to demand
fair play, even in politics, and this
has evidently been disregarded by
the present district attorney.
If the Crossley petitions are to
arrive in Washington by October
20, they will have to make the trip
in ten days, which is an impossible
ity. The Crossley people must have
known that it would not be possible
to get the petition there in the time
set, but it is evident that they are
hoping to find excuses for further
delays, which would leave the mat
ter unsettled until congress adjourns
without acting on the matter. This
would provide Mr.. Crossley a good
job for large part Of the winter.