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MARCH 14, 1913
The Commoner.
7
KCCURKeNT. "copies IWf
SPEAKING of the inaugural Sumner Curtis
writes to his paper, the Chicago Record
Herald, as follows: Two great, big, almost
supernatlonal characters are camped here to
night the eve of the inauguration. One of
them is Woodrow Wilson, the man who tomor
row will bo invested with the power that at
taches for weal or woe to the presidency of the
United States. He arrived late this afternoon,
was acclaimed with such enthusiasm as might
bo expected when he put foot on District of
Columbia soil; was hailed as the coming chief
tain along his route to the hotel where he and
his family tarry until they formally take pos
session of the White House, and was received
at the head of the line like a conquering hero.
The other is William Jennings Bryan of Ne
braska', who arrived in the capital several hours
earlier, the man who three times led a forlorn
hope in the interparty conflict for the presi
dency; the idol of thousands who wear the
brand of democracy; the announced premier of
the democratic cabinet about to take up the
administration of, national affairs. He, too, was
acclaimed as a man of might. All day long
his quarters at the Willard hotel the president-elect
and suite are quartered at the Shore
ham were besieged by vociferous friends.
Here, aside from all the display, glitter and
thrill, is the striking novelty of this joyous eve
of a democratic holiday. In their physical as
pects, admitting the excess of spirit and crowd
that seem to characterize this particular one, all
presidential inaugurations have a sort of same
ness. But heretofore there has been one hero
one man of the hour, one subject for the
limelight. There has been no previous occasion
when an incoming executive has had to share
honors with a personage of for the time being
at least secondary iraportanc0. Perhaps this
is not. the happiest way to state the case,' for,
after all, Woodrow '.Wilson, be he a man who
loves the applause, of his fellow men, could find
no fault with the heartiness of the reception
that awaited him on his arrival at the capital
this afternoon. It might be more pertinent to
the situation to say that never before in the
memory of the present generation of political
observers has there been a secondary figure in
the cast who lias caused so much light to be
focussed on himself as in the present instance.
Blaine was a great man in the prospective cabi
net of a former president, but he cut no such
figure in the inauguration of a party chieftain
as Bryan does in connection with that of the
man he has been instrumental in elevating to
the highest position under the government.
t&n$ tV fcJV
ONE of the last acts of President Taft was a
brief sermon delivered before the Unitarian
congregation in Washington. In that sermon
Mr. Taft saicL "It has always been a wonder
to me why. all the world is not Unitarian. I
think all the world is verging in that direction.
We preach the doctrine of sweet fellowship, of
love of God, of love of Jesus Christ and of
tolerance for every faith that depends upon the
great principle of liberal Christianity and that
makes for having toward morality and higher
religion. The one trouble we suffer from if it
bo a trouble is that there are so many Uni
tarians In other churches who do not sit in the
pews of our church. But that means that ulti
mately they are coming to us."
tv if fl
WRITING in Everybody's Magazine, P. J.
Haskin says: Tho patronage of the presi
dent Is not as large as most people presume. In
tho civil branch of the government there are less
than 11,000 people directly depending upon him
for appointment, and nearly 9,000 of these are
postmasters of tho first, second and third classes.
While he has the power to remove practically
every one of the more than 400,000 employees
in the executive service, his appointing power is
limited to less than 11,000 offices. It affects
about 450 people under the state department,
practically all of these being In tho diplomatic
and consular service; some 750 in the treasury
department, the majority of them collectors of
customs and other public officials; some 400
In the department of justice, the majority of
them being United States district attorneys,
marshals and the like. Ho has only about a
dozen people to appoint in the navy department,
275 in tho interior department, about a half
dozen in tho department of agriculture, and
less than 50 in the department of commerce and
labor. He also has tho power of appoint
ing members of many of tho big commis
sions, the librarian of congress, the public
printer and a number of other important officers.
All of theso appointments can bo made only
"with the advico and consent" of 'ho senate. In
addition to these there are approximately a
thousand positions, the majority of them of
minor Importance, which ho fills without the
confirmation of tho senate. The change of ad
ministration does not represent such a general
shaking-up among the several departments of
the government as It did even sixteen years ago,
and is totally different from the changes which
occurred in the flowery days of the "spoils sys
tem." Tho civil-service commission is regarded
as supreme in the appointment of more than
three-fourths of tho people In the employ of tho
government, and of the remaining positions a
large proportion are simply unskilled-labor jobs
which are never affected by changes of adminis
tration. The treasury department, for Instance,
had at a recent date 27,879 employes on Its
rolls, and out of these 27,093 were under civil
service rules. In tho interior department there
were 14,262, of whom 13,938 woro under civil
service rules. The department of commerce and
labor had 14,883 employes, of whom 14,797
were under the civil service.
tv v tv
THE selection of Albert S. Burleson for a
position in tho cabinet of President Wilson
is the first distinction of tho kind that has come
to a Texan from tho United States government,
though a distinguished , citizen of that state
filled with great ability a similar position in the
cabinet of tho confederate government. Tho
San Antonio Express says: John H. Reagan,
member of tho Texas legislature, district judge,
congressman, member of tho last constitutional
convention, United States senator and chairman
of the Texas railroad commission, was post
master general of the confederacy during the
civil war and was acting secretary of the treas
ury of the confederate government. Judge
Reagan filled the position of postmaster general
honorably, faithfully and with credit to tho
state, and the greatest admirers of Mr. Burle
son can do no more than hope he "will do as well.
Mr. Burleson Is the first native Texan ever ap
pointed to a' cabinet position and credited to
Texas. Secretary of Commerce and Labor Nagel,
who has just gone out of office, is a native of
Texas, but he was appointed from the state of
Missouri.
v fcyV Jw
NEW ENGLAND in the cabinet, is a favorite
subject of discussion just now, particularly
in the New England press. It happens that New
England does not have a member of the cabi
net under the Wilson administration Referring
to this fact a writer in the Boston Herald says:
In only one administration before the one now
beginning has New England been without rep
resentation in the cabinet. The earlier instance
was when John Quincy Adams was president.
Jackson, who followed John Quincy Adams, be
gan his administration without a cabinet officer
from New England, but in the middle of his
term he called Levi Woodbury of New Hamp
shire to the navy department. Of all the men
who have servevd In the cabinets of our presi
dents, forty have been New Englanders. About
twenty-five of these have been Massachusetts
men an eminently distinguished and credit
able roll of names. There were two Massachu
setts men In the first cabinet that Washington
formed and two in the cabinet that went out of
office March 4. Of the other New England
states, Rhode Island Is the only one that has
never furnjshed a cabinet officer. Connecticut
has supplied seven, Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Gideon
Granger, Isaac Toucy, John M. Niles, Samuel D.
Hubbard, Marshall Jewell and Gideon Wells.
Maine has supplied five, a rather more distin
guished list than that of Connecticut, Horatio
King, Nathan Clifford, William Pitt Fessenden,
Lot M. Morrill and James G. Blaine. Moreover,
Maine may well claim two Massachusetts cabinet
members who wero residents of Maine before
tho separation, Honry Knox and Henry Dear
born, two early secretaries of war. New Hamp
shire and Vermont have supplied two each, Levi
Woodbury and William E. Chandler from tho
former state, and Jacob Collamcr and Redfleld
Proctor from tho latter.
Ff f O
WHEN Woodrow Wilson took tho oath of
offico he opened tho Bible at random nntl
his lips brushed the following verses of tho
119th Psalm: "And take not the word of truth
utterly out of my mouth, for I hoped in thy
judgments. So shall I keep thy law continually
forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty,
for I seek thy precepts. I will speak of thy
testimonials also before kings and I will not
bo ashamed. And I will delight myself In thy
commandments, which I love. My hands also
will I lift up into thy commandments, which I
love, and I will meditate in thy statutes." Re
ferring to this fact tho Washington correspon
dent for the Milwaukee Daily News says:
Several presidents have kissed verses in Psalms.
President Hayes, kissing tho twelfth vorse of tho
118th Psalm touched theso words: "They
compassed me about like bees." President
Arthur kissed the thirty-flrsj; Psalm: "In thee,
O Lord, do I put my trust; lot me never bo
ashamed." President Cleveland, on his first
Inauguration day, kissed tho fifth verso of tho
112th Psalm: "A good man showeth favor and
lendeth; ho will guide his affairs with discre
tion." Benjamin Harrison also kissed ono of
the Psalms. Then came Cleveland again, and
this time, too, he kissed another verse in
Psalms: "They will bear thee up In their
hands; lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
After that time no president kissed verges in
Psalms until President Wilson took tho oath.
Tho Bible which President Wilson kissed was
the one on which ho took the oath as go.yernor
of Now Jersey. Following the ceremony tho
versos 'kissed are marked. Tho book is pre
sented later to the "first lady in the land."
& & ,5?
IT is now Senator Ollie James of Kentucky.
Tho Washington correspondent for the Louis
ville (Ky.) Times says: With William Jennings
Bryan looking on and beaming and in the
presence of the governor of Kentucky and. tho
members of tho state's delegation in congress,
Ollie M. James was administered tho oath as a
senator of tho United States. Mrs. Jamea and
a small family party gazed down happily from
the galleries as the great form of tho new
senator strode down the center aisle arm in arm
with Senator Bradley. In the chamber at the
time wore C. C. McChord, interstate commis
sioner, appointed from Kentucky. The dis
tinguished ones of this nation wore present in
great numbers. Although Mrs. James looked
happier than it seemed possible for ono woman
to look, her happiness was no greater than that
which showed in the face of Mr. Bryan. For
years ho and the senator have been tho closest
of personal and political friends and here it was
like a personal triumph to see "Ollie" nter a
broader field of effort and reap a higher reward.
"If-anything wero needed to complete my hap
piness today," he said, "it is this." It was
exactly 12:45 o'clock when tho name of Mr.
James was called and he, with Senator Brad
ley, advanced to tho chair. There was a stir in
tho cabinet circle; all of whom knew the big '
Kentucklan.. Tho galleries .craned their necks
to see the contrast in size between the two
Kentucklans. They returned to their places
soon and it was all over. '
GOOD WORK
Clyde Harris, Kansas. Enclosed find check
for $9.00 to pay for fifteen yearly subscrip
tions, names and addresses herewith. I noticed
this rate quoted by Mr. Sol. W. Johnson of Iowa
and thought I could send a few clubs from this
place' as I would like to see The Commoner in
every home in the United States.
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draft for $8.40 to pay for the enclosed club of
subscribers to The Commoner.
ririiiW
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