The Saint Paul globe., 1899-07-17
*RiSe. Fall.
Yesterdays TEMPERATURES
washington time e p. m. st. PauD.
COMPTROLLER TRACEWELI,S CON-
TRIBUTION.

IESIbOIRON.
In his pupilage Mr. Mckinley must
have conned that reading lesson that told
of the old man who, with his boy, started
to market with an ass, and what befell
the old man. who, in his anxiety to
please every one, rode the ass himself, let
the kid ride 1t or led it unridden, as his
several critics made adverse comment on
one or the other mode Of travel. The
moral, the futility of trying to please
every one, did not sink into the con-
sciousness of that pupil, and all his life
he has been trying to please every one
and pleasing none His harsher critics
call him an invertebrate; miIder ones la
ment the weakness that prevents him
from doing the right thing because it
will hurt some ones feelings. All con-
cede that he is a sociable, well-meaning,
ikeable man, who fitted easily into the
ureZacting role of a representative in
congress, or of a state executive relieved
OF the veto power, but that he has none
OF the Virility demanded by the strenu-
Gus conditions attending occupancy Of the
presidential chair.
To the many illustrations of this lack
OF an essential quality Mr. Traceweu his
comptroller of the treasury, unwilling,
brings addition. When the president is
sued his latest order narrowing the scope
OF the civil service act he was bitterly
attacked by the reformers, and Secretary
Gage came to his defense at gait in
which there was perceptible limp Long
prior to the issue of the order, in fact.a
soon as some of the presidents ap-
pointees to be marshals and collectors got
into office, the pressure upon the presi-
dental backbone began which resulted in
the backward step" order. These fresh
men set aside the order nf President
Cleveland which included their subor
dinates in the merit system, and turned
out Democratic deputies and installed
those of their own faith. The ousted
brought suit in federal courts to gain re-
instatement, but, generally, the courts
held that presidential orders were beyond
their jurisdiction, and that the president
had ample power in his ability to re-
move disobedient officials, to secure re-
spect for and obedience to executive Or
ders. This would have required the
backbone of Cleveland, and Mckinley
hadn't it.
Mr.. Tracewell, commenting on some ac-
ton taken by the civil service commits
sion relative to the payment of the sala-
ries of these deputies appointed in def
ance of the presidential order, says that
he is somewhat surprised that the COM
mittee did not select a live issue" be-
cause ''the president has settled the mat
ter completely by taking out of the cIas-
sified lists" these deputies A stronger
case of executive weakness would he
hard to find Mr.. Mckinley took Office
with a distinct pledge that there shouId
be no backward step taken in this refor-
nation; no return to the clean sweeps of
subordinates, because they were of anoth-
er political party, to make room for men
who, whatever their capacity for useful
party work, have everything to learn
about their new work of serving the pub
lie. His appointees, some of them, imme-
diately took the backward step" thew
defied an order made by the same power
whence came their appointment; they
put an affrOnt upon the presidential Of
flee
The president did nothing; let the evict
ed officials appeal to the courts for re-
dress; let the defiance stand; refused to
take the course the courts pointed out as
open to him, and then, after couple
of years had elapsed, Settled the whole
matter" by withdrawing the places from
the classified lists. His collectors and
narshals evidently knew their man.
knew that he would never muster STAN
Ina enough to punish them and that. IN
time he would make surrender to them
One can better appreciate this DISPLAY Of
presidential weakness by imagining what
Cleveland would have done had he those
marshals and collectors to deal with. He