The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-05-07
MADE BY THE DEMOCRATS
Sanford Will Have Cabinet of
Good Men.
There Will Be Many Applicants for
Few Places and It Will Be
Hard To Decide.

Montgomery. Ala, May 5.-(Special)-
The echoes of the state convention irdi-
! cate that the people are well pleased with
their prospective public servants. The
| splendid moral character of the new gov
| ernor-elect is pleasing to the better class
of voters. and the fact that he is in no
sense a machine politician recommends
! him to them. His official cabinet is
! well-balanced one. the heads of the de-
| partments being men I'm whom the public
! have confidence. and who are popular
! with the rank and file of the voters. The
| state officers are well distributed. from a
geographical standpoint. and no profess
! sion or business has more than its share.
There is not professional politician
| among them.
| Il does not require much observation 10
! establish the conviction that an efficient
| chief executive for Alabama cannot be an
| altogether popular one. The appointive
power is thorn in his flesh from the be-
| ginning TO the end of his term. One of the
first duties of a new governor Is to APP
point a railroad commissioner, the posi-
ton being a fat sinecure. AS soon as he
qualities the applications commence COM
ing in. About fifty of his closest personal
and political friends ask for the place,
each one feeling that the claims he has
upon the new executive justify his being
given the preference. Forty-nne of these
are doomed to disappointment About
forty-eight of these begin to cherish a
grudge and to suggest to their friends
what miserable trait ingratitude is.
Ihen probate judge dies The five or
six most competent of the executors
friends in that county make application
for the appointment. one of them gets
IL. admircs the governors good sense and
10.
done his duty in returning a political fa-
Vor for a political favor. The other four
or five and their 400 or 500 friends, belabor
the governor for an migrate, and do ii
with honest conviction. And so it Is.
No governor no matter how admirable
may be his administration, can be popu-
lar as long as the laws impose on him the
appointive power. to the extent that they
do i'm Alabama. y year or two after his
term has ended. after the wounds that
have been inflicted have had time to heal
the public Will regard his administration
impartially and give him proper credit.
y wise old man, once governor of Ala
bama. used To say after his retirement
from office. To have been governor of
Alabama is unspeakably pleasant; to be
governor OF Alabama is exceedingly disa-
grecable."
The newspapers of Alabama have of late
years fallen into the habit of either extolI-
ing or abusing the chief executives. AL
most everyone OF them lines up as Il per-
sonal ally or u personal foe. The same
is true. TO some extent, as to the depart
ment officers. The result is that the pub
lie Is denied honest criticism of executive
acts and policies, and is not enabled to
form "a proper opinion of an officer. This
is depioraDle. IL dcprives an official of one
of che Incentives to faithful and effective
WOrk-thc credit of having done well. The |
average state department can be conduct
Ell III a manner Such as TO accomplish all |
that the law requires with a few hours
attention a week from the department |
head. 1t can be much more advantage !
ously managed and regulated however, If |
the officer in charge will do a good days |
work every day. Conscience dictates the |
latter course, but state officers are HUI |
man. and some of them have been known !
to reflect about as follows:
IF ! labor day and night. unfriendly |
newspapers VIII persuade my employers, |
the public, that | am unfaithful, and that |
my colleague who is notoriously lazy, but
aud the Hobbies. is worthy and efficient.
And il / loaf ana he works, my friends
OF the press and among the politicians
VIII applaud me and abuse him. i worked
hard enough to get this job. Let the
clerks do the balance" 1t is difficult to
do laborious work without reward and as
the average state Office pays little i'm cash /
emOluments honest credits should be Civ
en- for efficient work.
The editors of Alabama could not do
more patriotic thing than to resolve to
uphold the incoming governor in his add
of the business of the state
as long as he deserves it. and not permit
themselves TO become embittered toward |
him and regard him as an enemy, simply |
because they differ with him as to some
matter of policy.
Hon. John V. Smith. of Russell county,
the solicitor for the judicial district IN |
which his county is located managed
Colonel Samford's campaign for governor,
and made n most excellent job of it. 1t is
now stated ~ specials from Russell coun-
ty that Mr.. Smith has decided To be a can
didate for congress to succeed Hon. Henry
y. Clayton. Mr.. Clayton desires to he re-
turned to congress- and while Mr.. Smith
is an accomplished politician and a man OF
worth and ability he will undoubtedly |
find il a very difficult undertaking to Gc-
feat Mr.. CLAYTON