McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1914-01-02
LEA EXPLAINS DELAY.
IN APPOINTMENTS.
HE AND SHIELDS WILL SEE WILSON
EARLY IN JANUARY.
AS Soon as Presidents Distribution of
Offices to Be Given Is Announced
All Claims, Will Be Carefully
Considered.

Asheville, n. C.--Senator Luke Lea of
tennessee made the following statement
relative to the conference Senator Shields
and he had with the president upon fed
eral patronage:
Since the beginning of the regular
session Senator Shields and myself have
been unsuccessful in obtaining an inter
view with the president until Monday,
Dec. %, on account of his protracted in
disposition, and then only for minute
after the entire congressional delegation
had presented him with an invitation to
be the guest of honor at the Jackson day
banquet on Dec. s at Nashville.
1T was impossible then to do other
than to make an engagement with the
president for conference upon the re.
converting of Congress after the Christ
mas recess and to assure him of the de-
Nomination upon our part to avoid a
repetition of the contest over the collect
orship in the filling of the remaining
federal offices in Tennessee.
AS soon as the president dsposes of
the appointments to the federal reserve
board and other pressing matters that
will demand his attention upon his re-
turn to the executive offices on Jan. IS,
Senator Shields and myself will discuss
with the president the appointment of
district attorneys FOR both the Middle
and Western districts, the marshalships
for the Eastern, Middle and Western dis
riots, collector of the port at Memphis
and the postmastership at Memphis
ut is our purpose-for think Senator
Shields concurs in this-to have deter
mined at this conference what personal
appointments, if any, the president will
make in filling these offices, and next
to have &u equitable division made of
the appointments that are to be filled
upon senatorial recommendation.
IF such determination is reachsd,
then as soon az | know for what offices
my recommendations will be considered,
all who are then known to me to be APP
plicants for any of those offices will be
notified so that they and their friends
may have ample opportunity to present
further by mail, telegraph or in person
at Washington their claims before | file
any recommendations or Endorsements.
1T is a source of regret that no more
definite information can be given to
those so vitality interested, but it would
be useless to consider and determine the
claims of any candidate for any office
until it is known whether personal APP
pointment will be made to that office or
whether the recommendation of only one
senator for certain offices and the rec
ommendation of the other senator for an
equal number of as important offices
will be considered, and, if the latter be
agreed upon, what will be the division
of offices for senatorial recommendation.
''ln this connection it must be borne
in mind that, while it has been tedious
for the applicants in preparing their pc
titions and obtaining their Endorsements,
no real delay has been caused in those
appointments, for in the beginning TIL.
administration expressed determina-
ton to permit the ncumbents to serve
their full terms, except where removals
might be made for cause, and the first
of the offices referred to above to be va
cant will be that of district attorney for
Middle Tennessee which vacancy does
net occur until early in February"