Show j C No Secretary of 0 State LAY in confirming the appointment of ri ge v 4 Colby to be secretary of state is liable to ean canso c em- em to the state department unless action is ishad ishad had hadin in the near future On last Monday the tIle thirty days elapsed since retirement of Secretary Lansing and under tb the tEe law the place then became vacant 7 But But little df of f the important daily routine business can em be handled by subordinates the actual signature of the s secretary being required to most pap papers rs For r instance instance in in- stance nobody can n go abroad either cither on business or pleasure e unless the secretary of state appends his signature sig- sig nl nature e t to the pass passport ort There can be bc no extradition of those accused used of crime unless the papers arc are formally signed by the secretary This s' s snot not only extradition i ton tion from the United States but the bringing ii in ill of ac nc c d persons from other countries No proclamation in the name of the President or otherwise can be bc issued d dout without hont out the actual signature of the secretary Members of the Senate foreign relations committee c. interviewed in W Washington n decline t to give any reason f fox for the delay in confirmation but the Washington paper papers pa pa- pers per are ara filled with speculation as t to the appearance before the committee of Brigadier General Marlborough Churchill who was in charge of the tho military intelligence during tho war The consensus of opinion is that the then n nation of Mr Yr Colby will be reported without i hout recommendation which will leave leavo the thc senators f free freeto cc to to divide vide on OI the question without being behig in any way in influenced in- in n- n by the tho foreign relations committee Tn such event cent the fight upon him if any develops will ill take place upon the floor of the Senate and it is possible the senators will want to know all that the committee knows It is a n. peculiar conditi condition n of affairs and mid one ono t that has haa happened but rarely in the national history |