The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-01

The Rush for Office.
A MULTITUDE ANXIOUS TO SERVE
UNCLE SAM
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new DlOOQ, ana, second, that every ap-
plicant for appointment must have the
Endorsement of his congressman, if his
district is represented by Republican.
recommendations from people in or out
of his district will not count if his con-
gresham does not ask for the appoint
ment .a
No doubt Maj. McKinley's experience
when he was a member of the house is
responsible for the second of these two
rules. 1t is a good enough rule, but 9TH
er presidents have not lived up to it.
Arthur was perhaps its strongest ad
vocate. But Arthur was brought up in
an exceptional school-the school of
New York city politics. In New York
clty poirt1cs Is on military basis. The
district leader is in absolute control
Everything is referred to him, and all
communications to those above must
pass through his hands. He dispenses
patronage, and no man in his district
can get an office without his aid. That
is the system most congressman would
like to see established in national af-
fairs. There are some who prefer to
be relieved Of the troubles of office
seeking. One or two of these gentle
men have notified their people recently
that elections must be held to choose
candidates for the position of post
ers see their millennium, congressman
will have no offices to allot, and ''in-
huence," in the words of Uncle Remus,
will be "pow'ful lackin." 1t will be
good many years, though, before that
nope is realized, and meantime there
are offices to be had on congressman
Endorsements, and the distribution OF
these offices is always weapon in a
campaign for reelection.
TIE NTSTA T[ES OF HAppTCnNT
When president goes outside the
lines and picks an Officeholder up with
out consulting the congressman in his
district, that congressman feels affront-
ed. Harrison did that right along In
fact, Harrison made about all the mis-
takes that presidents are heir to, in
spite of his experience in the senate
He chose for his Indian commissioner
Rhode Island man, who was recon-
mended by some religious societies,
without consulting any one from Rhode
Island, not even one of the senators.
When the case came up, the senators
heS1tated and came very near dismiss
Ing Gen. Morgan. But his nomination
was confirmed instead. Other conspic-
uouS instances of the subOrdination Of
the influence of senators and repre-
sentatves were found in Indiana and
Missouri. Every state had examples
~
especially, congressman were thrust
aside at the request of r. G. Kerens,
VINO has been made national commit
teeman since, and who recently re-
ce1Ved the caucus nomination for sena-
tor at Jefferson City. When Congress
man N1edringhaus, of st. Louis. called
at the White house to protest against
being ignored, President Harrison said:
Mr.. Kerens deserves recognition He
tells me he spent $4,000 in the cam
paign.' ''He did," said Mr. Niedring-
hauS, and most of it was my money"
Mr.. Cleveland has been just as in
different to the wishes of members Of
congress, and Senator Brice had a live
ly time four years ago to save himself
from seeming to be ignored by the ad-
ministration. Mr.. Brice did this very
neatly. Whenever an Ohio appointment
was made, it was given out at Mr..
Brlce'S committee room that Mr. Brice
had recommended the appointee
Whenever Mr. Brice heard that an APP
rointment was to be given to an Ohio
man, he Endorsed that man publicly for
the place. In this way Mr.. Brice avoid
ed the snubbing President Cleveland
would have liked to give him.
President Harrison slapped Speaker
Reeds face by appointing as postmas-
ter at Portland a man who was not
liked by Mr.. Reed. He did this at the
request of Mr.. Blaine. He raped the
three Republican congressman from
Missouri over the knuckIes by ignoring
them in the appointment of a postma,s-
ter at st. Louis. President Cleveland
recently gave Mr.. Vest a bad fall by
appointing his bitterest political foe 70
be secretary of the interior.
Sometimes these things hurt Mr.
Reed and Mr.. Vest are superior to
them, but in close district or close
state they may cost a man his place at
the next election. ~
Harrison said early in his term: TT
shall promise offices to no one When
make up my mind to appoint a man,
1 shall appoint him. But I shall make
no promises. When I was in the SEN
ate, heard men say that Grant had
lied to- them or Hayes had lied to them
or Arthur had lied to them about Off
ces. No one shall say that Harrison
lied to him" Like Maj. McKinley's
recent resolution this was sensible as
we'll as honest. But Mr. Harrison did
not live up to it. He had not promised
any places before his election. He was
perfectly free handed when he went
into office, but he made promises after
ward which he did not keep.
GRANTS UNQUALIFIED PLEDGES
Grant pledged a great many places
offices in advance to every one who ap-
piled, and when he was inaugurated
there was not half enough patronage
to go around. During Blaine's cam
paign some very important offices were
promised to two and three people. In
fact it was said Of Blaine after his de-
feat that he had promised every office
in his gift at least twice over Mr. Man
ming may have made some pledges for
Mr.. Cleveland in that campaign, as Mr.
HarriSon'S managers promised the
place of secretary of the treasury to
Mr.. Platt, but Mr.. Cleveland was very
little incumbered by promises in begin
ming either term, and Mr. Harrison
was not a party to any bargain
made in his name l1o7t .~,
The first office bargain which won
presidency has become historic. It was
the bargain between John Quincy
Adams and Henry Clay which elected
Adams to the presidency at the time
when he was a candidate against
Crawford and jackson, and the election
was thrown into the house Jackson
openly proclaimed this bargain and
John Randolph's denunciation OF it as
combination of 1.-THE Puritan and the
blackleg'' led to a bloodless duel be-
tween Clay and him.
Jackson has the credit in history of
being a spokesman, though the defend
erS Of his name have compiled a for
midable statement to prove that he
made few removals from office. But if
he spared the officeholders it was not
from lack Of Importantly at the hands
Of those who wanted place. Congress
man Floyd, of Georgia, wrote letter
two days after Jackson's Inauguration
(March 6, 1929, in which he said: 1.-THE
pleasure of triumph is not
GO le - u