New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-19

c,o of our Democratic friends show dls-
,osit,on 20 complain because Colonel Roosevelt
hoe determined 10 appoint Republicah p's
,ric, Attorney of Kings County. Their desire
o, IN eocure the succession and patronage OF
that office for a Democrat. ana they give w
nrossion 70 il with a show of much vlrtuous
INDIGNATION that a Republican Governor sho"'u
.hink Of naming a Republican to NIL vacancy
cousod ny The resignation of Democrat. NJ
douht thc Indignation is genuine Inc virtue
& NOT convincing Neither are the arguments
brought forward 10 prove that the Seec'ioh vi
Judre steele is scandalous abus" oil power
In rho first place it IS not true as they say
that the people of Kings County gave inc us
tr,ct-attorncyShip to the Democrat" part! loi
two wears in 1891. They did not give II 10 'he
pomocratc marty but 10 Josiah /. Marcah' 10
hin, norsonally and 10 nobody else. Democrat
or Republican. When Mr. Marean decides 10
return TO The State the power r'p"Seh III n,'"
that commission lapScS. and the ni'hS VI inv
vacancy is under the Constitution VcS'e" III .a'
Governor as distinct act and free ACT '''
l. under neither legal nor moral opiiga'lons ~
do ANYTHING bur exercise his own ihh'''"'''
choice of fit man for the Once. IL II
favorite device of machine politicians anu
spoilsmen both Republican and Democrat ~
assume that an Office is n party posseSSio"
~a,hor ,hon an individual trust. and it has been
one of the cardinal principles OF WORKERS. loi
good government that men, not parties. are
elected 70 Office that otlice-holders are answer
obe TO the people as men. not as creatures vi
a Marty organization. TO make the party rather
,ban the individual the office holder. and To give
,t Marty , mortgage on an office which the
| individual throws away, is 10 take aho'h'r s''p
| toward the abolition Of the citizen ana the SUD
! u,u,ion of the organization the unit OF the
State n tendency which has already been carried
20 a dangerous point by ballot ana o'her laws
which have created two states in the state ana
given them practically exclusive aterha'N"
movers of government. Moreover any attempt
| to enforce such theory of party mortgage OH
vacancies is to put upon the Governor II re-
strIction which the Constitution does mol lid
! pose. and it is TO bc presumed that wheh the
| fundamental law gives the Governor Tree
hand II means him to exercise 1t, ana not HIM
annontmeuts under the dicta,ion of political
boss or under the constraint OF party mpe
nreviously tackled on to a particular office The
fact that at times Il Governor may ana does con
slider il wise to succeed Democrat with a
Democrat or Republican with Kepupicah
regardless Of his own politics is itself ccrti
cate of his freedom. For Democrats 10 DC
nounce as scandalous the exercise or that free-
dom simply because IT does not meet partisan
wish is simply 10 exhibit in themselves The
partisan narrowncss they profess to denounce
Not only Is Colonel Roosevelt justified by the
| Constitution and the American system OF elect
ing individuals TO Office not inrustlng minis
tries with power but he Is also justified by a
century of precedents. The few cases in which
the theory OF succession now invoked by the
Democrats has been followed are only the ok
! ceptions which prove the rule of free selection.
by showing that the general practice of Milling
I vacancies with ones own partisans Is III no
sense necessary or binding. When Colonel
! Fellows died a Republican Governor appointed
n Republican District-Attorney in this county.
When Mayor Van Wyck left The city Court ne
was succeeded by a Republican. Democrats
have rarely succeeded Republicans here by ap-
pointment because there have rarely been Re
publcans In office here when Democrats had
the appointing power. But in the Republican
counties In Governor HIS and Governor
! Flowers time Democrats were frequently ap-
pointed TO fill Republican vacancies We re-
call two Democratic county judges ap-
pointed In Monroe No outcry was made
against such selections. They were thought
perfectly natural
The case Of Justice DAILY has bearing on
the selection Of Judge Steele. Colonel Roose-
welt was not planning TO select Justice DAILY for
the sake Of succeeding Democrat with n
Democrat, but to keep the bench the par