The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-02-12
TOO BIG FOR ONE MAN.
The New Cabinet Will Be Given
Authority.
POLICY OF THE PRESIDENT ELECT.

He Will Also Give Members of the HOUSE
Pretty Free Swing-Restoring the Sys
tenn of the Government Before Harri
sons Time.
WASHINGTON, Feb. ESPECIAL. Sen
ators and members of congress who pay
visits to Canton bring back interesting re
ports concerning the policy of the president
elect. I have already told you that Major
Mckinley proposes to have peace between
himself and the senate, If possible, and tc
avert those little skirmishes and wars be
tween the executive and the American
house of lords which have exerted such
baneful influence upon recent administra
tiOns. also learn upon excellent authority
that President Mckinley intends to give
members of the house pretty free swine
in the naming of postmasters and other of
ficials in their districts, thus restoring the
system as it was before the days of Harri.
son, when members of congress were vir
tually the appointing powers in their dis.
tricts and rarely, very rarely, indeed,
turned down by the president.
Will Trust His Cabinet.
In addition to the foregoing prominent
senator tells me Major Mckinley told him
he was going to make his cabinet officers
cabinet officers in fact as well as name
that is to say, he was going to initiate
President Hayes policy of turning a de,
partlnent over to the chief of it, holding
the chief responsible for it's management,
and not interfering himself except in case
of large matters or things affecting policy.
Senator Sherman once told me that while
he was secretary of the treasury under Mr..
Hayes he would have been as much sur
prised at the president interference with
his management of the department as he
would have been at an attempt ON the
part of one of his subordinates to dictate
to him. sit is the only way to run the
government" said Senator Sherman.
"This nation of ours is now too big for any
one man to attempt to manage. If pres
idenJ cannot trust his cabinet officers, he
cannot trust any one. He must trust them
And if he wants good results he must
give them authority along with their re-
sponsibility."
Senator Sherman severely criticised Pres
ident Cleveland for virtually making him
self secretary of the treasury, giving orders
to Secretary Carlisle as if the latter were
hired man. That method of doing bust
ness did not coincide with Mr.. Sherman's
ideas of the proper way to manage the af-
fairs of this great government. Besides, he
said, the secretary of the treasury was
as much responsible to congress as he was
to the president. That official is required
to report to congress and is really the man
chosen by congress for care of the govern
mentS strong box. Senator Sherman add
ed in this conversation which | am now
recalling that by pursuing these methods
President Hayes gave the country one of
the best administrations it has ever had
Policy of Harrison aud Cleveland.
Every resident of Washington knows
that Presidents Harrison and Cleveland
have leaned in the other direction. They
exercised constant supervision over their
cabinet officers. Practically, nothing of i'm
portance has been done during the last
three administrations in any OF the depart
ments without previous consultation with
the president. Even in such matters as the
appointment of small postmasters the
postmaster general has been required to
take all the papers up to the White House
and to go over them one after another with
the president. 1t is not at all uncommon
for matters of second rate Importance to
come to a standstill in one of the depart
ments pending conference between the
cabinet officer responsible for it and the
president.
Harrison and Cleveland were hardwork,
ing presidents. Nor is it any wonder that
they were. The president of the United
States who insists upon keeping track of all
the details of the great government bureaus
will not have much time left over for play
There are so many really important affairs,
vital matters, for the president to give his
attention to that he should contrive to
throw off as many details as possible leav-
ing his mind free for the intrinsic subjects
If Major Mckinley has decided to restore
cabinet posts to their original Importance,
he has, in the opinion of most public men
here, decided wisely.
When Joseph Chamberlain, now secre-
tary of state of Great Britain for the col
onies, was in Washington few years ago,
he was much impressed by the small part
played by individuals in our government.
He was then known as a Radical who be-
lieved in greater liberty for the people in
his own country. He was astounded to
find that in the United States a man count
ed for little and that party and the sys-
tenn were everything. "Why," he said,
"there is no comparison between the influ-
ence of an individual in your country and
in ours. With us the attitude of Glad.
stone, or of a Salisbury. or of a Parnell, is
everything. Here your individuals are all
subordinate to the party. No one man
rises TO very great influence. You keep
your men down by your system, in which
one man is pretty nearly as good as anoth-
er. l would not live in country" was
Sir Joseph's conclusion, Sin which the in
dividual is of such little Importance
Better Than a Machine.
After Major Mckinley had been elected
president heard him ask a certain well
known public man-one who is noted for
his devotion to the fortunes of political
the organization was COM
ing on. The public man told him they were
in fine shape SIT may seem odd to you,"
said the president elect, who was obvious
ly in reflective mood, shut have never
had machine. Even in my congressional
district, where had many bitter contests,
never had such thing as a political or
ganization which you would call ma
chine. Somehow have been able to get
on without one.''
The gentleman to whom this remark
was made had the good tact to say to the
president elect: 81 know that to be truth,
governor. But you have had what is
good deal better than machine. You
have had an idea, speciality. The Amer