The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-12
New President and the
Appropriations.
The Office Seekers are Be-
ginning to Get Uneasy.
President Is Very Polite and Patient
With All Who Call.


president has been in Office more Ian q
week, ana only IA small number OF nomi
nations have so far been sent To the senate
Nearly all of these were decided upon be
fore the president left Canton. The sena
tors and representatives, who stand be
tween the president and horde of plact
seekers, are naturally impatient for results
| They hive worked hard. For months they
have been sitting up nights till all sorts oi
hours writing and debating letters and
| winnowing the wheat from the chat
among the Office seekers of their states and
districts. They have been TO the White
House time and again, they have made the
| rounds OF the departments, they have sub.
mitted their papers and talked their pref
test, and they have sent out all manner oi
"jollying" missives to their fellows. Now
| they arc eager to see something come out
of the box. They have done their work
and they want the fruits thereof These
Republican senator's and representatives
are really between two fires, and their lot
is not happy one. On one side are the
Office seekers, IEny of them men of infiu
ence, men to whom the statesmen are in.
debted and whom they are bound TO take
care Of, and, on the other, the calm, pa
tient, imperturbable president, saying day
after day: There is no hurry. Take II
easy We will get around to that after
awhile.
The Presidents Policy.
So far it is all good natured. Thanks to
the fine manners and never failing tact of
the president, who Is charming every one
with his patience, his good nature and fine
address, no one has lost his temper yet.
How long this state of things will continue
remains TO be seen. The office seekers are
making it very unpleasant for the states
men who act as Office brokers' and the av
erage office seeker Is very unreasonable
person. The politicians are just beginning
TO realize that Mr.. Mckinley meant what
he said months ago when he announced
that his first concern was TO get the tariff
bill out of the way and that he would look
after the offices after that was done Read
ers of these dispatches will remember that
last November, shortly after election,
made the announcement that this delibera.
tive method was to be the new presidents
policy The politicians did not believe il
then. They believe it now.
AS yet there are no signs that President
Mckinley intends to revoke any of the civil
service orders issued by Mr. Cleveland On
the contrary, everything the president has
said and done since he came to Washington
indicates that he will not only stand by all
the civil service orders issued by his prede.
cessors, but that he will improve the first
opportunity TO extend the operations of the
civil service law wherever possible. There
Is not much left outside the operations OF
thut law ut the present ttme-practically
nothing, save the fourth class postmasters
and 1t Is predicted by people who have
good opportunity to know the mind of Mr.
Mckinley that before he goes out of Office
all the fourth class postmasters will be
taken In. It Is safe to predict, however,
that this will not be done till all those Of
fees. or practically all, have been filled
with Republicans If this becomes the pol
Icy of tho administration, it will simply be
in line with what was done by Mr.. Cleve.
land
Buzzing Like Flies.
We have had a great many office seekers
In town during the last week, but not as
many as usual. think there were twics
as many place hunters here four years ago,
three times as many eight years ago and
five times as many in 1885, when MIR.
Cleveland and the Democrats first can't
into power, with their cry Of "Turn the
rascals out" Most of the Office seekers we
have hero now may be seen at the capitol
or the White House. They go TO the ma
tional statehouse for the purpose of seeing
their senator's and representatives. You
may find them buzzing like flies about the
committee rooms where the statesmen
make their headquarters.
From the capitol the place hunters go to
the White House They drag their senators
and congressman along with them to in
troduce them and to say the good word
Never before has the executive mansion
boen run on such "a democratic basis. Ev
cry one Is made welcome. The people are
made TO feel that they are in building
which belongs TO them and that they are
paying the salaries of the occupants of il,
from the president down to the doorkeeper.
There have been times when the people |
were not so well received at the White |
House, when the democratic spirit which |
should pervade our public offices was al |
most entirely lost sight of. The change IL |
y welcome one to the Office seekers.
A Lads Good Fortune.
have been about the executive mansion |
D good deal during the last ten days, and ] |
can testify Co the trouble which the new |
president takes to give pleasure to the peo |
pie who call 10 see him. An instance OF |
this was afforded yesterday. A boy about |
10 years old had found his way up stairs |
through the generosity of one OF the door |
keepers. He was a dirty boy, but had |
bright face. His clothing was ragged. His |
big cowhide shoes were covered with the |
2 d clay OF the Virginia or Maryland roads. |
He wanted To see the president. He was
polite and manly about It, He had nd |
business, just wanted TO see the great man.
The ushcrs turned him over to Private
Secretary Porter, and that good natured
official looked the youngster over, be-.
thought him OF the days when he was n
boy, and said, "I'll fix you" The assem-
bled senators and congressman and others.
sll waiting with more or less patience 70
SEQ Mr.. Mckinley, were surprised when
they saw this boy walk through the doors
into the presidents room. He was gone
about 10 seconds during which he had
shaken the hand that holds the helm OF the
ship Of state, and when he came out the
look on his face was reward enough foi |
Secretary Porter.
President Mckinley Is never too busy &c
think OF his wife. Mrs Mckinley sit.
4