Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-07-27
Mr.. ROOTS APPOINTMENT
SENATOR PLATT NOW HOPES TO
CONTROL THE NEW SECRETARY.
How Roots Selection was Made-Rcls.
tions of Roosevelt aud Root-Just How
Far tho New Man Will Go-Root
and Alg erism,

new anti-Platt movement which may
arise in local politics If in the meantime
he remains on coed terms with President
Mckinley, says the New York correspoii-
dent of the Providence Journal If there
should be a break between the President
and his new secretary, and If the resig-
nation of Mr.. Root follows then MIR. Root
VIII be again free to do as he pleaseS. On
what he considers his present footing
toward both the senator and the President
u great deal also depends. If he acknow-
| lodges any obligation to the senator he
will ackEowlegc obligations to others.
In other words he will be party secre-
tary as much az he feels he consistently
can. 1t Is the senator's wish that he ac-
| knowledge that indebtedness, and this he
is making known by various claims.
The facts of the appointment are of
Importance in this connection. 1t is said
! by the friends of Plat that he knew last
! Wednesday that Elhu Root was to be
| appointed. 1t is also said for him that
he had then obtained the acceptance OF
/ Mr.. Root. He also acted as emlssary
from the President to Mr.. Root The rest
was mer1ly Formally. The President
simply endorsed the selection already
made by the senator In this way the
secretary is the senator's man. AS the
secretary is by temperament an honorable
an conscientious man, he will not eVade
the facts and will recognize Plat and his
friends in all appointments and all poll
cies. This is the extreme statement of
the case, and the fact should be borne IN
mind that it comes from the friends of
the senator and not the senator himself.
| What the senator thinks is not what he
has done already, but what he may be
able to do. The experience he has had
with MIR. Root has taught him some things.
The new secretary. the senator uudoubt-
edly knows, will acknowledge a debt only
80 far. 1t is the senator's next business
to attach himself as much as possible to
the new secretary. a conference may be
held which will give some Indication of
where he stands. If Mr. Root accepts an
invitation he will then have conference
with the enatpr at Manhattan Beach, at
which the governor may be present. In
other words, the senator has seen no i'm
proprety in inviting the new secretary in
TO conference with him on his new Office
and his new policy, even before he has
seen the President Mr.. Root does not in
dictate whether or not he will commit
himself. In all probability he will be a
more difficult bird to be caught by the
senator whose ways he has for so long a
time studied than even the senator him
self may fear
There remains one other point to be de-
veloped. This is in the matter of the
governor and the new secretary. Up to
certain episode in the legislature last
winter Gov. Roosevelt had the highest adj
miration of and such implicit confidence
In Mr.. Root that he frequently demanded
his presence at Albany for advice on i'm
portant matters. Mr. Root finally be-
came the hacker of corporation legisla-
zion which was so fatty against the public
interests that the two came to parting
of the ways. Mr.. Root fought the COVER
nor thereafter on the Amsterdam avenue
grab. on the Corporation Tax bill, on the
Astoria gas franchise, and other legisla-
ton OF the kind. Root is a paid attorney
for the Metropolitan interests and the
governor considers himself tho attorney
Tor the peoples interests. Both were per-
fectly sincere and perfectly frank, and
when the separation came they parted
without hostility. To this day the COVER
nor has never consulted the corporation
attorney. 1t is supposed that on all mat
tiers other than corporation legislation
they Will be able to meet on common
ground but it can readily be understood
that Mr.. Root after his experience with
the governor so far is not particularly
anxious to consult with him. He is a
high-ninded man and will insist that his
point # view Is always the right one,
others to the contrary Notwithstanding.
The relations of Mr.. Root with his firm,
and with the corporations he served, VIII
be settled before he goes to Washington.
These relations cannot continue without
compromising him. The Metropolitan
crowd for which he is attorney is every
DAY extending the scope of its invest
ments. There is no guarantee that they
will not some day he interested in ven
lures which will be affected by any de-
cision of the secretary. Their street rail-
way interests in Cuba, as an instance, are
great obstacle to satisfactory eXpana-
ton of any decision of the secretary or his
suhnrdnates which may favor them. They
have also become interested in Cuban de-
Veopment enterprises. They have been
trying to get control of the only steam
railway line in the island. If the new
secretary can avoid accusations of rema IN
ing their attorney while he stays in Of
tice he will be a fortunate man. Ills
record as the legal defender of various
lights against the interests of the city,
furnish more difficulties.
In the estimate of his friends, however
Secretary Root Is prote cted, first and last,
~ the lmposshility of any fair accusa-
lion against his probty. The only person
in the world who has made formal charges
against him is Richard Croker. AS one
of the counsel for Boss Tweed. the new
!, secretary was rccompensed in manner
he has never clearly explained Mr..
Croker charged in the last campaign,
that he was bribed by the gift of property
which did not belong to the Boss" Mr..
Root red fused to reply, but others answer
ed the charge for him. The incident male
no impression on the public at the time.
In his political counsels also, the new
secretary has been looked up to as a per-
fectly honest man. This was especially
SO in his various campaigns against the
claims of Plat TO dictatorship over the
party. The present senator at one time
became so angry over the impossibility of
belttling the fight led by Root that he
resorted to epithets. If these could BE res
urrected they would make interesting
reading. What impressed the public in
these fights, however, was the refusal of
Mr. Root to reply in kind. He ignored all
personal attacks, leaving the making of
retorts to his friend Choate, now Ambas-
sador to Great Britain. Mr.. Roots friends
are right in saying, as they do. that 1t
will take many charges and great deal
of proof to sustain any accusation against
him in his new office. They declare that
it will be next to impossible for the rest
of the country, and particularly the west.
to be long deceived In his character. In
this respect, they say that he differs very
much from Attorney General Griggs, who
noes not enjoy the, confidence of friends
and enemies TO the same degree as Mr..
Root.
1t can be stated on authority that there
will be no compromise between Root and
the Alger regime stil remaining in the
War Department. 1t can also be said
that he will not engage in any fight based
on the issue of Algerism. He will have
his own way or he will not remain In the
Cabinet. II is impossible for him to take
orders repugnant to his sense OF the right.
AS a corporation attorney he has been a