New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-19
Senate Quick to Defy
President at Instance of
Reed, of Missouri.
CLASH OVER KANSAS
CITY POSTOFFICE
Adverse Decision Against White
House Nominee Reached
Without Dissent.
tFron The Tribune Bureau. ]

Washington, Dec. 1s.-President Will
son threw down the gauntlet TO the
Senate on the patronage issue to-day
and with unusual promptness the SEN
ate announced its defiance by rejecting
the recess appointment Of W. II. Col
Inns TO be postmaster of Kansas City.
The Senate's reply to the Executive
ultimatum was delivered with almost
unnecessary dispatch. The list of re-
cess appointments, including other
names besides that Of Collins calculat-
ed to stir the wrath of the legislative
body, had scarcely been received before
Senator Reed. who considered himself
aggrieved by Collins's appointment, was
az work gathering his forces to make
formal response TO the White House.
He polled the members of the Post
Office Committee, obtaining sufficient
number of names TO report adversely
the Collins appointment before the
steps ordinarily taken in the case of
nominations had been taken. When
the Senate went into executive session
the report was submitted without hav-
ing been formally referred to the Post
Office Committee, and Collins was re-
Jected without murmur of dissent
and with even greater dispatch than
that with which the Senate declared
the fate of John II. Lynn, Of New
York, whose appointment as attorney
for the western district invoked the
wrath Of Senator O'Gorman.
The action of the Senate to-day Is
practically a reiteration OF the in
surgency and foreshadows further
clashes between the two branches Of
government over the question of APP
pointments.
Senator Reed recommended r. +.
O'Malley for appointment as postmas
ter at Kansas City, but he had defed
the President in the matter of the ap-
pointment of Thomas u. Jones TO mem
bership on the Federal Reserve Board
and therefore anticipated the rejection
of his candidate. When the name Of
Ewing Bland to be marshal of the
western district of Missouri was sent
in several days ago he prepared for
further conflict with the White House.
The rejection of Collins to-day is the
result.
Field of Hostilities Widened.
The President also sent in to-day the
Of Marjorie ID. Bloom TO
be postmaster at Devils Lake, n. D.,
and in doing so he widened the field of
hostlities TO include not only Senators
who have been disappointed in the dis
tribution of patronage, but the Senate
as a parliamentary body, vested with
authority to "advise and consent" to
the appointment of federal Office hold
ers.
Mrs. Blooms nomination for the post
was rejected when it was
sent in during the last session Of Con-
gress. Even if Senators had not been
to make common cause of the
grievance of one of their colleagues, as
they did in the case of the rejection of
John II. Lynn, whom Senator O'Gorman
opposed, they cannot very we'll avoid
taking the view that Senatorial pre-
rogative has been violated by the Bloom
and Senatorial preroga-
tive is the spark which has most fire.
quently caused explosions In the gov
ernmental magazine.
The Bloom case involves the merits
of the appointee indirectly, as did the
nomination of Thomas w Jones for
on the Federal Reserve
Board. Mrs. Blooms husband first was
named for the Devils Lake Office. Sem
ator Gronna thereupon received petit
ton signed by several hundred pa
irons of the postoffice protesting
against Blooms appointment, and the
Senate Committee on Postoffices made
an adverse report, which was adopted
by the Senate. Then, with the assist
ance of Postmaster General Burleson,
IL il said tho nomination of Blooms