The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-03
REPUBLICAN METHODS IN FEEDER
AL APPOINTMENTS

REPUBLICAN METHODS IN FEEDER
AL APPOINTMENTS.
| The ST. Paul Dispatch of Monday even
ing published on it's front page long
article purporting to be from that papers
special correspondent at Washington,
dealing with the report of the appoint
ment OF ELI 8. Warner, CT st. Paul, as
United States surveyor general for Min
nesota. The article is chiefly remarkable
for the things it does not say, and 1t af-
fords the public some slight insight into
the manner in which federal patronage is
| distributed by those in power. The
writer of the article, presunaing that he
is the Washington correspondent of the
| Dispatch, must, of course know from Oh.
servation how such things are done, and
his statement that Senator Nelson on a
| former occasion deliberately presented
the name Of Eli s. Warner as candidate
! for United States marshal to Senator
Davis for his concurrence, knowing that
| that concurrence could not be obtained,
| will be interesting reading to the I'M
sophisticated readers of the Dispatch.
And the further statement in the
article, that Senator Nelson, in now
recommending Mr.. Warner for the office
of surveyor general, is not actuated by
love, esteem or friendship, but by fear
OF Mr.. Warmers powerful political in
huence being cast against him when the
senator comes up for reelection, will be
an eye opener for all who know the
| junior senator from Minnesota From
the tone of the article the reader is given
to understand that with Mr. Warmers
support Senator Nelson's reelection is
assured and without Warner he is a
gone COON
There is, perhaps, faint suggestion In
| this washington special" and it may
| perchance have been dictated, Or perhaps
written by victim of disappointed am
bition, but 1t is highly probable. as In the
| case of other gentry, that when poilti-
clans disagree the truth will come out.
Ramsey county has had another cam
| OlUdt6 lnd1 MI. WdIUcT lOT LIE OtitCC
of surveyor general. This candidate is a.
gentleman whose record as a Republican
partisan is absolutely above repreach and
whose faithfuness to Republican prin-
ciples is SO we'll known that it has become
| proyerbial AS there is not more than one
such in the county it is not necessary to
| name him, but his identity may be
guessed by the suggestion that he has
probably been in more or less close COM
munion with the writer of this Dis
pat ch article for many years. 90
AS between this faithful one and Ell s.
Warner whose political merits are so
disclosed by the Dispatch, the Republi-
cans OF Ramsey county could have but
one choice. Citizens who are not sup
posed to be politicians and do not under
stand the qualifications required in an ap
| pointee to federal office may think that
this particular office, which pays salary
Of only S1,S00 a year, could be filled by
some person of experience in the work Of
land surveying and draughtsmanship,
ana that an lnQlV1uualS aDluty TO make
and unmake United States senators is not
the most desirable evidence of fitness for
the Office.
Maybe the Dispatch article does Mr..
| Warner more than justice, and his polit-
ical influence may not be SO great as Is
therein alleged. 1t is quite pos
CT, ftat 4 Mr. Mo- J;ry,
/ influence at the time of Sen
ator Nelson's election, five years ago,
was not SO perceptible as the Dispatch
would have its readers believe, although
among his Heutenants at that time were
some exceedingly choice spirits-not alco-
| hole spirits-but Republican spirits. In
politics. however, the will is often gladly
accepted for the deed. when 1t comes from
the opposition.
1t is quite possible that Mr. Warner
! may not accept this office-it may not be
| profitable for him, from a business stand
point, to do So In such contingency
the Dispatch correspondent whether at
Washington or elsewhere, might be easily
placated by Senator Nelson recommend
ing the man of his choice-which would
not interfere with the arrangement the
! Dispatch alleges to exist, Of Senator
Davis refusing to concur
| But there is another feature in regard
to Senator Nelson's attitude towards the
anxious seekers for the Office of United
! States surveyor general which the Dis
! patch does not make clear in its severely
ingenious article. One of the candidates
! for appointment, having written to Sena-
tor Nelson, received answer that the
| senator could not promise him his sup
| port as he was under an implied prom
ise" TO support another candidate Now
comes Eli S. Warner, who is announced
as Senator Nelson's appointee, and de-
clares that the appointment comes to him
as surprise-that he has not sought it
is not the candidate who held the "in1-
| piled promise" of Senator Nelson Per-
haps the Washington correspondent of
| the Dispatch can throw some light on
this phase of the case.
Mr. Croker has had one Of his legs
| broken, but it is still an even venture he