Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 69, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1914 — THE "LAME DUCK" CONTINGENT [ARTICLE]

THE "LAME DUCK" CONTINGENT

If Hon. John B. Peterson really wants to run for governor he will have to divorce himself from those who are responsible for his recept tumble down the political slide. He should have been re-elected to congress. Unfortunately for him the make-up of .the democracy in other counties in the district was not of the loyal character of the democrats of Tippecanoe county and they showed their resentment of snap conventions and unfair proceedings and of Party sacrifice for personal profit by one man. The democratic papers of the district all agree that Mr. Peterson was the victim of "too much Murphy.' If Mr. Peterson proposes to enter the case for the governorship with this same handicap he will find it necessary to get his votes in the convention away from his own home district. Tippecanoe county (where he received most loyal support in the face of the brutal treatinent accorded it by his managers)

would be slow indeed to cast her vote for him in a convention knowing that such influences would dominate him as did in the past. Tippecanoe county democrats showed their loyalty in the elction—they do their fighting in conventions.—Tippecanoe County Democrat.

_\ question that is agitating a good many people in Washington—and, perhaps elsewhere—is, what shall be done with the ‘‘lame ducks?” And no one is more agitated than ihe lame ducks." There are many reasons for ‘lame ducks,” but th£ explanation most generally adopted by the "lame dti’cks” themselves is political hard luck. Theirs is bitter late. To be changed from the people’s choice to the rejected of the people causes a good deal of a jar. And what is still worse it cuts off the emoluments of office. Thus financial loss is added to personal embarrassment. There are always Tkme ducks” oi course, after every congressional election, and this time there was a larger number than usual, though not so many, of course, as there were twq years ago. Nor is the situation from their point of view quite sg distressing, for two years ago the lame ducks were mostly republicans and the incoming administration was democratic, while this year the most of the "lame dtocks” are democrats, and the admiWtration is still democratic. But even a demo- < ratic administration can not work miracles, and there are not—alas! enough appointive jobs to go around. The situation is further complicated by the fact that some of the jobs were created by the congress of which the ' lame ducks" were members and therefore they are ineligible to appointment. So "lame duck alley in the White House, which leads to—but not always into—the executive offices, is crowded with- the hopeful, some of whom are really hoping against hope, and finding it a losing contest. It is an awful thing, after one has held a government job for two, or more, years to have to shrink to be an ordinary private citizen, and have vulgarly to work for a living after the regular manner of private persons. Besides, there is the huiuilation of realizing that an awful dent has been put in one’s political ambitions. Sometimes, to be sure, the Tame duck" can come back, but very few of them have the Uncle Joe Cannon recuperative quality.

Therefore "lame duck” orbs are turned appealingly on the President, who is expected to do something, but who, even the “lame ducks” realize, can not do everything. Hence it may be assumed that after the sorting out is done and the jobs are all filled and hope is gone, a considerable number of the contingent will find that their private interests make necessary their withdrawal from public life—at least until they can get themselves nominated for something else.—lndianapolis News.