Evening star., 1914-12-28
SENATE AND WILSON
! TO RENEW CONTEST
Friction Over Presidential
Nominations Likely to Con-
tinue, Observers Say.
LIST OF REFLECTIONS
ALREADY ON RECORD
Issue Declared to Be Over Execu
tive's Disregard of Prerogative
Claimed by Senators.


With reconvening of Congress tomor-
row, following the holiday recess, inter-
est will to large extent center upon the
contest between the President and the
Senate over nominations, a contest of
which the President is unwilling to admit
the existence, it is said. but which many
Of the senators feels is very real. The
principal question at issue Is whether the
President will be able to retain in office
appointees who have been rejected by the
Senate.
The Senate, during the Wilson ad-
ministration, has SO far rejected tWen-
ty nominations sent to it by the Presi-
dent. One other nomination, that of
Thomas D. Jones of Chicago to be
member of the federal reserve board,
was bitterly opposed in the Senate and
the withdrawal of Mr.. Jones nomIna-
Ion is believed to have been the only
fight over that nomination div more
to bring on an acute feeling between
the Senate and the President over
nominations than any other one thing,
1t is said. Mr.. Jones was the personal
selection of President Wilson for ap-
pointment to the reserve board. His
confirmation was opposed because he
was a director in the Harvester trust.
List of the Reflections.
In the first session of the Sixty-third
Congress the Senate rejected three
nominations sent in by the President.
They were P. A Jones, postmaster at
Coffeyville, Kan: NJ. r. Merrill. post
master at Wheatland, Wyo.. and +. IL
Tiernan, postmaster at McComb, III.
In the second session the Senate re-
jected fifteen nominations, as follows:
s. S. Gullatt, to be postmaster at
Rouston, La.
Otto r. Meyer. to be receiver of pub
lie moneys at Dickinson. N. D.
James c. McNally, to be consul at
Nuremberg, Bavaria.
Robert Boyd, to be postmaster at
Dothan, Ala.
Albert S. snowden, to be postmaster
at Paragould, Ark.
Edward T. Warmer, to be postmaster
at Searcy, Ark.
F. o. Cogbill to be postmaster at
Wynne, Ark.
G. T. Breckinridge. to be postmaster
c. Retfenmaier, to be postmaster at
Albany, Mimi.
John H. Bloom. to be postmaster at
Devils Lake, N. D.
BENJAMIN F: Roberts, to be postmas-
Dirk E. Seligman, to be postmaster
at Las Cruces, n. H.
Robert Z. Mcbride, to be postmaster
at Red Cloud, Neb.
Majorie ]. Bloom, to be postmaster at
Devils Lake, N. D.
So far in the present session the Sem
ate has rejected two nominations. John
D. Lynn to be United States attorney
for the western district of New York
and w. N. Collins to be postmaster at
Kansas City Mo. 1t has been indi-
Gated at the White House that it was
the intention to keep these last two
appointments on the job despite the
action of the Senate.
Adverse Action in Other Cases.
The way events are shaping there
seems to be an excellent chance for the
rejection of several more presidential
nominations within the next few days.
subcommittee of the judiciary COM
mittee have made unfavorable reports
on the nominations OF +. L. 'SiddonS to
be associate justice of the Sup. eme
Court of the District of Columbia and
upon the nomination of Ewing G. Bland
to be United States marshal for the
western district of Missouri.
r. 1t is believed that the full committee
will support the action of the subcom-
mittees, and that the Senate will ap-
prove the report of the full committee.
However, there is a difference in the
consideration of these two nominations,
for while the nomination of Mr.. Sid
dons is not being opposed by senator
from ''his state"-there is no senator
representing the District-the nomina-
tion OF Bland has been declared to be
personally obnoxious to Senator Reed
of Missouri. Also Bland has been a
political opponent of Senator Stone of
Missouri for many years.
The President mas sent to the Senate
again the nomination of Marjorie
Bloom to be postmaster at Devils Lake,
N. D., and it is believed the nomina-
tion again will be rejected. Senator
MARITIME of New Jersey will fight the
collector Of internal revenue in the
southern district of New Jersey.
Issue Defined by Senator.
Senators feel strongly in this matter.
One senator said today.
"It is not a question of patronage,
but of the abuse of executive au-
thority; it is not Il question of sena-
torial courtesyf but of constitutional
government. 1t is question of one
man rule versus rule by the people
who elect the members of the Senate.
1.-THE sharp issue is this: Can the PreSi-
dent, in defiance of the plain letter Of the
Constitution, make recess appointments
to fill vacancies which occurred during a
session of the Senate, and in case of re-
lection thereafter by the Senate, continue
his appointees in office until the Senate
shall have adjourned for the term, and
then by successive recess appointments
continue his appointees in office, notwith-
the rejection by the Senate?
"If this can be done as to one office it
can be done as to all. If the people,
through their legislative representatives,
can be deprived of the right to supervise
and, If need be, to reject one appointee,
then they can in a like manner be de-
prived of their rights as to the 10000
appointive offices which. under the Con-
he