Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-03-18
The Administration
And Northern Dem
0crats Playing at
Cross Purposes
Congressman Peters Halls Flood
Bill Dealing with Fishing.

Washington, D. c., March 17.--tSpe-
ciaD.-Except for postmasters, prac-
| tically the entire roster of Republi-
can office holders in New England
/ is being continued at the present
! time. This is because Democratic
authorities from those states are I'M
| able to agree upon men for the places,
or if they can agree, the departmental
authorities want to investigate inde&
| pendently and satisfy themselves be-
fore recommending that the President
nominate and commission Democrats
for the places.
This is most notably the case in
Massachusetts, where several fat fed
eral positions are waiting. There is
| the United States district attorney
| ship, the commissioner of immigration
and the SubtTeasurer at Boston. A
score of Democrats, more or less, are
fighting and scrambling for each of
those three offices with the result that
the President will nominate nobody.
The Democratic fighting in Massa-
ehusetts is possibly less than it is in
the stalwart Republican state of Ver-
| mont. There the administration is
seeking to determine upon Democrats
for some good federal positions. in
Guiding that of United States district
attorney.
When il comes around to Maine,
Senator johnson has made recommen-
dations for certain of the federal
places, including that of district at
torney, but Attorney General Mercy
nolds Is proceeding very slowly with
Maine nominations and has not de-
eided whether he will recommend Ste
phen c. Perry of Portland, for the
nomination by the President. Pre-
sumably he will.
All in all, the administration is hav-
ing hard time with the New Eng
land Democrats and the New England
Democrats are having a hard time
with the President. The New England
Democrats can not get any good plums
at Washington. The other day Presir
dent Wilson nominated a New Eng
land man. William Phillips of Boston.
to be third assistant secretary Of
state, but Mr.. Phillips is a Republic
can. This is the Office that Mr..
Chandler Hale, son of Senator Hale,
held some years. The President, how
ever. must nominate local men for
the local federal offices in New Eng
land. unless he chooses to allow Re-
publieans to continue in them.
The coast guard bill. which has
just passed the Senate by a prac-
tically unanimous vote, is of great in
terest in Maine. 1t would transfer to
this service all the force of life saw
ers and consolidate them with the
revenue cutter service. The life
guards would become enlisted men
and be given privileges of retirement
on part pay after period of SER
vice, just as now applies in the rev.
enue cutter service and in the army
and navy. The bill provides that
keepers of the life saving stations
shall be warrant officers and that
Number / surfmen shall be petty Of
ficers.
Capt. Sumner !. Kimbail, virtually
the father of the life saving service
and for many years it's general SUI
operintendent here in Washington. is
Maine man, native of Sanford. The
bill, if made law, would retire him
on three-fourths of his present salary
of $500 a year. This would be in
recognition of the great service Capt
the life saving service and in main
tanning it's remarkable efficiency. Fur
thermore the law would make Capt.
KimbalI the last general superintend-
ent and would transfer his duties to
officers of the revenue cutter service,
who would be known as coast guard
officers.
The surfmen of the life saving SER
vice, including those on the Maine
coast, would have the privilege. after
thirty years of service. of retiring on
three fourths pay. They would be
credited with the time they have been
employed as civilians and given other
advantages in the way of compensa-
ton. They would also have allow
ances for uniforms, as we'll as allow
men of the other services of the Unit
ed States government.
Maine congressman have long been
interested in some consolidation of
the revenue cutter and life saving
service. The late Senator Frye in
terested himself in the matter, having
earlier given much attention to bet
tering the revenue cutter service.
Senator Burleigh advocated the con-
solidation which the Senate has just
voted. He was interested in somewhat
similar bills proposed when he was
a member of the House of Represen-
tatives.
Representative Peters of the Third
district has been keeping lot OF
Democrats stirred up here in Wash
;ro+oy of 10 re- ovar the so-ralled Flood