Judsonia weekly advance., 1917-02-07

would remain Democratic. This view of the matter in a way, of course, was
 partisan, for the thought was that if
 the Democrats were in full control
 they could be held responsible for mis-
 takes, and that if the Republicans
 were in the majority in one or the
 other of the houses of congress while | there was a Democratic president in
 the White House, it would be easy
 enough for the Democrats to charge
 that the Republicans blocked the good
 legislation which their president tried
 to put through.
 Working Hard for Control.
 Curiously enough. this feeling to considerable extent exists in the hearts of some of the Republican members of the house. It must not be understood for a minute, however, that the Re publicans as party are not going to try their best to organize the next I house of representatives. It can be taken for granted that the Democrats l will try just as hard. As matter of fact, both parties today are doing all that in them Hes to secure the adhe- | sion to their cause of the five or six | independents and others who may be able to say the word which means sue cess to one or the other of the great | parties in the work of organizing the house and in controlling it thereafter. Perhaps 1t is bad grace to say so, | but probably no one will enter denial | when the word is set down that there is an element of selfishness in the de- | sire of party to control the house of representatives, even if it Is not to control it by margin wide enough to enable 1t to be sure that 1t can put through or block legislation as the party desire may be-
 Control of the house is valuable from selfish point of view to the members, because of the patronage in the case. On one roll of the house of representatives there are the names of z19 employees. Then in addition there are 59 committee clerks, and the appointment of these clerks lies of the chairmen of the different com mittees. Each chairman has at his disposal jobs which collectively pay $3,5O0 each year. There is political aid to be expected from these em- ployees in addition to the work which they give to the committees which employ them.
 There is a good deal of patronage which is not included in the above. It is distributed among the members and it takes in clerical appointments in large number. Folders of documents. elevator conductors, policemen, book keepers, and some ether jobs which seem worth while in the eyes of the men who aspire to hold them, are in ton.
 - Dewey " Was ss ee3nty Admiral.
 With the death of George Dewey ths rank of admiral passes from the Unit ed States navy list until it shall be revived by congress to be given to some leader in war or to some sailor who in sudden emergency rises so high above the ordinary level of serv- ice and of heroism as to make it fitting that he shall be honored above other men.
 The rank of admirai in the navy corresponds to the rank of general in the army. There is no general in the United States army today. Neither is there a lieutenant general except on the retired list. Of course there are plenty of major genrals, just as there are plenty of rear admirals in the navy, but though man be called general or admiral it does not mean necessarily that he holds right to that title unmodified.
 When Dewey was made an admiral the nomination and confirmation car ried with them the right to remain on the active list of the navy if he should so elect during the remainder Of his life. George Dewey was the only officer on the active list of the United States sea service who had passed the milestone of his sixty-sec- ond birthday. In the army there is no. soldier on the active list who has passed the age of sixty-four years. l Until within few months the age of
 compulsory retirement in the navy WAS sixty-two years, while in the army | 1t was sixty-four years. A change has just been made in the law which keeps naval officers on the active list as long as officers of the army are kept there, that is until they are sixty-four years of age.
 I Worked Hard to the Last. In great many respects George | Dewey WAS a wonder to the men of